It was lucky sevens Sunday night at the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s annual Dan Patch Awards dinner as San Pail and Foiled Again were honoured as harness racing’s best performers for their seven-year-old seasons of 2011
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San Pail swept the sport’s top honours, receiving Dan Patch Award trophies for Horse of the Year, Trotter of the Year and best older male trotter during the presentation, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton at SeaWorld. He received 93 of 117 votes for Horse of the Year after winning 14 of 16 races and $1.28 million last season. He is the oldest Horse of the Year honouree since trotter Savoir got the trophy for his seven-year-old campaign in 1975.
"To stand up here in front of you all multiple times in one night is unbelievable, I can tell you that, and to have this trotter in my barn is really unbelievable," said San Pail's trainer and co-owner, Rod Hughes, upon accepting the final trophy of the evening. "But we have him and again we’re thankful. He’s a very special animal to us. Again, I’ve got to thank the team that we’ve got because he’s a four-man horse. Just the help that we have and putting Randy [Waples] in the bike has really helped that horse mature. I’ll tell you, patience pays off and ‘Pail’, he just runs all on heart."
Foiled Again was named Pacer of the Year in the closest balloting in the history of the award. Foiled Again, who also was recognized as the best older male pacer, edged three-year-old colt champion Roll With Joe, 41-37. The previous closest result was in 1974 when Armbro Nesbit defeated Handle With Care by eight votes and Armbro Omaha by 10.
This year’s result marked the first time an older pacer won the award since Real Desire in 2002. Foiled Again, who earned $1.40 million last season and became the oldest pacer in history to have a million-dollar campaign, is the first pacer older than the age of four to receive Pacer of the Year.
Interestingly, Meadowlands Pace champion Roll With Joe finished second to San Pail in the Horse of the Year balloting. Roll With Joe received nine votes, followed by two-year-old Trotting Filly of the Year Check Me Out with eight. Foiled Again got two votes while Anndrovette, Broad Bahn, See You At Peelers, Sweet Lou, and Up The Credit all received one.
San Pail last month was named Horse of the Year in Canada. It is the third time in four years the same horse received the honour in both the U.S. and Canada and fifth time since 2000.
The Canadian-based San Pail, who ended the season the No. 1-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, outdistanced Check Me Out, 99-10, in Trotter of the Year voting. Check Me Out, like San Pail, also won 14 of 16 races and finished second twice.
San Pail’s wins last season included the Breeders Crown, Maple Leaf Trot, Nat Ray Invitational, Credit Winner, and Allerage Trot. San Pail was trained by Rod Hughes, who owns the horse with breeder Glenn Van Camp.
Award winners were recognized in 12 age-based divisions for trotters and pacers. Other division winners were two-year-old male trotter Possess The Will, two-year-old male pacer Sweet Lou, two-year-old filly pacer Economy Terror, three-year-old male trotter Broad Bahn, three-year-old filly trotter Cedar Dove, three-year-old filly pacer See You At Peelers, older female trotter Action Broadway and older female pacer Anndrovette.
See You At Peelers was the only repeat winner, having captured best two-year-old filly pacer in 2010. See You At Peelers won her first nine races last year, which stretched her career unbeaten streak to 22 races, before health woes struck. She finished the campaign with nine victories in 12 starts and $916,611. Her 22-race win streak was the fourth longest in the U.S. over the last 20 years and done against primarily stakes competition.
Ron Burke, who was honoured as Trainer of the Year, had two champions in Foiled Again and Sweet Lou. Burke owns Foiled Again with Weaver Bruscemi LLC and JJK Stables and owns Sweet Lou with Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Lawrence Karr and Phillip Collura.
Trainer Noel Daley also had two champs with Hambletonian winner Broad Bahn and Cedar Dove.
HORSE OF THE YEAR
TROTTER OF THE YEAR
OLDER MALE TROTTER OF THE YEAR
San Pail
San Pellegrino-Village Beauty-Balanced Image
Breeder: Glenn Van Camp.
Owners: Glenn Van Camp, Rod Hughes.
Trainer: Rod Hughes. Driver: Randy Waples.
Races: 16-14-2-0. Purses: $1.28 million. Mark: 1:50.4 at Meadowlands.
Top wins: $766,500 Maple Leaf Trot; $600,000 Breeders Crown.
PACER OF THE YEAR
OLDER MALE PACER OF THE YEAR
Foiled Again
Dragon Again-In A Safe Place-Artsplace
Breeder: Barbara Matthews.
Owners: Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, JJK Stables.
Trainer: Ron Burke. Driver: Yannick Gingras.
Races: 28-14-6-5. Purses: $1.40 million. Mark: 1:48.1s at Mohawk.
Top wins: $335,000 Quillen Memorial; $306,000 Molson.
TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE TROTTER OF THE YEAR
Possess The Will
Donato Hanover-Aurora Hall-Self Possessed
Breeder: Hanover Shoe Farms.Owner: Fashion Farms.
Trainer: Jim Campbell. Driver: Tim Tetrick.
Races: 12-7-2-1 Purses: $550,789. Mark: 1:54 at The Red Mile.
Top wins: $410,000 Valley Victory; $85,250 Bluegrass division.
TWO-YEAR-OLD-FILLY TROTTER OF THE YEAR
Check Me Out
Donato Hanover-Illusion Bi-Toss Out
Breeders: Az Agricola Biasuzzi Srl, Scuderia Gina Biasuzzi.
Owners: Raymond Schnittker, Charles Iannazzo.
Trainer: Raymond Schnittker. Drivers: Tim Tetrick, Ron Pierce.
Races: 16-14-2-0. Purses: $900,619. Mark: 1:53.2f at Dover Downs (world record).
Top wins: $600,000 Breeders Crown; $333,200 Merrie Annabelle.
THREE-YEAR-OLD-MALE TROTTER OF THE YEAR
Broad Bahn
Broadway Hall-Madonarail-Donerail
Breeder: Fair Winds Farm.
Owner: Fam Alber Horse Racing.
Trainer: Noel Daley. Driver: George Brennan.
Races: 19-5-8-2. Purses: $1.32 million. Mark: 1:53 at Meadowlands.
Top wins: $1.5 million Hambletonian; $122,420 Zweig division.
THREE-YEAR-OLD-FILLY TROTTER OF THE YEAR
Cedar Dove
Andover Hall-Pine For Her-Pine Chip
Breeders: Robert Anderson, Rod Ferguson.
Owners: Adam Victor & Son Stable, John Fielding.
Trainer: Noel Daley. Driver: Ron Pierce.
Races: 17-7-2-3. Purses: $543,316. Mark: 1:53.2s at Woodbine.
Top wins: $500,000 Breeders Crown; $291,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity.
OLDER FEMALE TROTTER OF THE YEAR
Action Broadway
Broadway Hall-Photo With Molly-SJs Photo
Breeder: Kenneth Sommer.
Owner: Kenneth Sommer.
Trainer: Virgil Morgan Jr. Drivers: Dave Palone, Brian Sears, Mark MacDonald.
Races: 27-10-7-2. Purses: $538,944. Mark: 1:52.3 at Meadowlands.
Top wins: $366,450 Armbro Flight; $164,000 Muscle Hill.
TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE PACER OF THE YEAR
Sweet Lou
Yankee Cruiser-Sweet Future-Falcons Future
Breeder: Birnam Wood Farms.
Owners: Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Lawrence Karr, Phillip Collura.
Trainer: Ron Burke. Driver: Dave Palone.
Races: 12-10-2-0. Purses: $686,647. Mark: 1:49s at Woodbine (world record).
Top wins: $650,000 Breeders Crown; $200,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final.
TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY PACER OF THE YEAR
Economy Terror
Western Terror-Mattatonic-Matts Scooter
Breeder: VAE LLC.Owners: Chuck Pompey, Howard Taylor, Edwin Gold.
Trainer: Chris Oakes. Driver: Brian Sears.
Races: 11-8-3-0. Purses: $926,520. Mark: 1:50.3f at Harrah’s Chester (world record).
Top wins: $600,000 Breeders Crown; $380,000 Three Diamonds.
THREE-YEAR-OLD MALE PACER OF THE YEAR
Roll With Joe
Cams Card Shark-Classic Wish-Armbro Emerson
Breeder: Winbak Farm.
Owners: Blue Chip Bloodstock, Stephen Demeter, Not To Worry Stable, Winbak Farm.
Trainer: Ed Hart. Driver: Ron Pierce.Races: 14-6-4-2. Purses: $1.64 million. Mark: 1:48.2 at Meadowlands.
Top wins: $1 million Meadowlands Pace; $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine; $401,000 Messenger.
THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY PACER OF THE YEAR
See You At Peelers
Bettors Delight-West Side Glory-Western Ideal
Breeder: Christina Takter.Owners: Christina Takter, John Fielding, Jim Fielding.
Trainer: Jimmy Takter. Drivers: Marcus Johansson, Brian Sears.
Races: 12-9-1-0 Purses: $916,611. Mark: 1:49.2f at Tioga Downs.
Top wins: $613,020 Fan Hanover; $350,000 Valley Forge
OLDER FEMALE PACER OF THE YEAR
Anndrovette
Riverboat King-Easy Miss-Big Towner
Breeder: Golden Touch Stable.Owners: Jeffrey Bamond, Joseph Davino.
Trainer: Mark Kesmodel. Drivers: Tim Tetrick, Luc Ouellette, George Brennan.
Races: 20-11-2-2. Purses: $747,112. Mark: 1:49.2s at Woodbine.
Top wins: $300,000 Breeders Crown; $178,000 Artiscape.
(With files from HRC)
Congrats to San Pail and all
Congrats to San Pail and all his connections on a well deserved honour...looking forward to another great year and hoping to see him do it all again