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We are witnessing the greatest speed explosion in our harness racing history.
There is no doubt about the horse that is āKing of the RoadāāBulldog Hanover.
Bulldog Hanover has accomplished things that, heretofore, have been conceived inconceivable.
Yes, Bulldog Hanover deserves every single accolade bestowed upon him and more.
That is the greatness of Bulldog Hanover.
Yes, heās mentioned in just about every sentence so farā¦and thatās a problem.
You see, thereās only room at the top for one horse in every division or class and many are left out.
But there is a solution to the problemā¦time-trials.
Once very popular, time trials seem to be outdated these days but make no mistake, they can be of tremendous benefit in the future.
Time trials go back more than a century.
In fact, exactly 100 years ago, 1922, the great Peter Manning time trialed at The Red Mile in 1:56 3/4, a record not equaled until 1938 when the grand mare Rosalind time-trialed in the exact same time at the famed Lexington oval.
The Grey Ghost, Greyhound, time-trailed there in 1:55 1/4 back in 1938 and that brings us all the way to early fall of 1980āwith Greyhoundās record still intact.
Back then, when time-trials were in vogue, there were, literally hundreds of them during the fall meet at The Red Mile, many simply trying to break into the coveted 2:10 two-year-old list or 2:05 three-year-old list.
The two-year-old Strike Out filly, Stadium Girl, was one example trying to get on the 2:10 list and left with a mark of 2:01.2.
Yet another was a three-year-old Albatross colt trying to beat 1:52.4.
He was number 59 of 286 scheduled to time-trial during the meet and, with the stands packed, zipped over to the quarter in :27.3. The crowd started to buzz a bit louder and, when the half time went up, the buzz turned into somewhat of a roarā:54.3. Weāand Iāwere breath taken when that third station was reached in 1:21.4 and the roar of the crowd, I am sure, played a part in rallying the great Niatross home in :27.2, hitting the wire in 1:49.1.
You would have thought that the colt had conquered the worldā¦and he had done just that.
NIATROSS TIME TRIAL
Sure, there are those that will say, āwell, today, they put the fastest race time on the record now!ā
But that is not good enough.
Thereās only one that has won in 1:45.4ā¦and some of the others are relegated to seeing their record being, say, 1:49ā¦but race timed in 1:48 and not on the elite list of fastest performers ever.
Thereās a big difference in drafting along at the back of the pack, never passing a single horse during the mile and timed in 1:48 then that same horse, on his own with, of course, a prompter, accomplishing a mile in 1:48 in a time trial.
Time trials are beneficial for many these daysāthe owner, the trainer, the driver, the breeder and the farms that stand the stallions and hold the key to the future and progress of the industry.
Studs play a huge role in building houses, and they play an equally huge role in building our great sport, as evidenced by this speed explosion over the past several years.
Owners would certainly be inclined to put further investment in the sport with a horse that has one of the fastest marks ever in the industryā¦and time-trails would enhance that feeling.
Trainers and drivers would benefit added credits to their resumes.
Breeders and farms, of course, would benefit with yet more fast credits and bragging rights for their stallions.
Finally, owners of mares would benefit when their foals finally get to the same ring.
The benefits are endless.
In fact, it would behoove the farm owners to put stipends up for successful time trials to enhance their reputations.
I guess itās too late for this season, but not too late for yet another innovative idea to further improve our sportā¦and, at the same time, soften the blow between 25- or 28-minute intervals between races!
