Harness racing’s trip of a lifetime

Anyone notice the trip of a lifetime that harness racing’s top pacer, Bulldog Hanover, enjoyed up in Canada last week?

Well, now it’s your turn!

Harnesslink is getting ready to celebrate its 20th anniversary covering harness racing throughout the world.

The actual anniversary date is October 10 and Harnesslink is offering a “trip of a lifetime” for two to a fortunate fan as a “thank you” for making Harnesslink the number one site in covering the standardbred sport worldwide.

This “once-in-a-lifetime” prize is valued at $10,000 with the winner having the option to travel to any one of eight historic events in 2023 including the Prix d’Amerique, Elitloppet, Hambletonian, Vincent Delaney Memorial, Gold Cup and Saucer, Little Brown Jug, New Zealand Cup and the Miracle Mile in Australia.

The famed Prix d’Amerique is held in Paris, France and has a history stretching over 100 years and is considered one of the most prestigious harness racing events in the world and will be contested on January 29, 2023.

The Elitloppet—literally meaning “The Elite Race”—is contested at the Solvalla Racetrack in Stockholm, Sweden and is also among the top trotting events on the world stage and has been since 1952. It will be held May 28, 2023.

The Hambletonian, named in honor of the foundation sire Hamiltonian 10, is approaching its 100th anniversary with its inaugural event held in 1926. This event will be held at The Meadowlands on August 5, 2023, and features the top three-year-old trotters.

The Vincent Delaney Memorial will be held in North Wales, UK on August 12, 2023, and provides harness racing with what many say, is the most festive atmosphere in the sport. The trip starts out in Dublin, Ireland and then travels over to Tir Prince Racetrack in Wales, UK.

While the premier focus in on the Standardbred horse, this event also features just about everything for ages two to 102 with a full carnival with rides, a petting zoo, face painting and a playground for kids with a well-stocked bar, music and a grand smorgasbord satisfying appetites of all ages.

The Gold Cup and Saucer will be held on August 19, 2023, at the famed Charlottetown Driving Park in Prince Edward Island, Canada, with a history dating back to 1888.

With the opening of the Entertainment Center in 2005, guests were treated to a “one-of-a-kind” experience embracing the tradition of the Island. In 2009, the facility was renamed Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at Charlottetown Driving Park. The Gold Cup and Saucer has a history going back 60 years and features many of the best horses and drivers in the sport.

The Little Brown Jug is considered a premier event for three-year-old pacers and, traditionally, held in Delaware, Ohio on the third Thursday in September—in 2023, on the 21st.

Though the first “official” Little Brown Jug was held in 1946, there were “Jug Premised in 1944 and 1945. The festive event has fans chaining folding chairs to the fence encircling the track—usually weeks before.

The New Zealand Cup will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, in late spring down under, and is considered the country’s most prestigious harness racing event.

This race is held during Show Week, three days before the Show Day public holiday. The famed Cardigan Bay won the event in 1963. (So famous was Cardigan Bay that a postage stamp was issued in his honor in 1970.)

The Miracle Mile, held in Sydney, New South Wales, is a premier event for Australia with a history dating back to   1967. This event is held at Menangle Park. The Miracle Mile and will be contested in March 2023.

This event features three-year-olds and up and the oldest horse to win this event was the 12-year-old Double Agent in 1984. Last year, King Of Swing became the first horse to win the event three straight times.

To enter this “once-in-a-lifetime” drawing, simply become a subscriber to the Harnesslink Insider—it’s FREE—and fill out the weekly form which contains a trivia question and contact details. To enter just click here.

Just answer the trivia question of the week correctly and you will have a valid entry in the drawing.

You can get additional entries in each edition of the weekly newsletter, and you can get even more entries by following Harnesslink on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

by John Berry, for Harnesslink