News of the tragic passing of vocal icon Whitney Houston spread like wildfire when reports came to light earlier this month. The superstar was laid to rest in New Jersey on February 19, and, to the surprise of many, there was a connection to harness racing
.
Horses from the Standardbred Retirement Foundation helped provide security at Houston's funeral. The Newark Mounted Police Department assisted in providing security for Houston's body on February 18 and 19 and the SRF horses were part of that effort.
Seven of the horses in the police department’s mounted division were adopted from the SRF. They provide security at special events as well as daily patrols through the state’s largest city, Newark.
The photo on the right, by Mel Evans, shows SRF adoptees Strong Three (left) who raced 96 times with a mark of 1:52 and $85,441 in earnings, and on right is Miracle Man with 25 starts and $14,235 in earnings and a mark of 1:59.2 racing primarily in Canada.
The seven horses work a daily schedule to keep the peace and have earned names associated with their duties: 'Sarge,' 'Bullet,' 'Commander,' 'Sharpshooter,' 'Black Jack,' 'Director' and 'Justice.'
(With files from the SRF)
Faithful Standardbreds!
Faithful Standardbreds! Awesome breed. The precautions they are taking in Quebec for slaughterhouses is needed.