John Berry’s Mane Attraction: Hambletonian remembrances

Years ago, in fact, 65 years ago, when I first became enamored by our grand sport, I was thirsty for knowledge and harness racing’s history.

Over the years, I had many a conversation with some really great folk in harness racing, including Phil Pines, Dick Baker, Vernon Dancer, John Patten Curly Smart, Edgar Leonard, Weed Rorty, Les Ford…many others, of course.

They were my elders back then and, with age, WE become the elders and, if fortunate enough, there are those that seek information about our sport’s past history and give me the honor to relive those stories and keep our history alive.

The late great curator of our sport’s greatest spectacle—The Trotting Museum and Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York—was Phil Pines and he had a “million” stories about our grand sport.

One of them was about a gentleman named Robert Bonner, who loved buying and owning fine trotters.

Bonner, of course, was paying top dollar for great horses over a century-and-a-half ago,

The day the gelding Dexter took his world record, July 30, 1867, it was over a half mile track—Riverside Park—in Boston.

At the time, Dexter was an eight-year-old son of Hambletonian 10 and Bonner paid $35,000 to put him in his stable.

Two weeks later, he broke his own record in Buffalo, New York..and never raced again!

Years later—17 years, in fact—Bonner had his eyes on the world champion mare Maud S. Who had flirted with the “unbelievable” 2:10 in 1880 before finally piercing that time—2:09 3/4—in Cleveland inn 1884.

He paid $40,000 for her.

Yes, money could buy anything for Bonner…well, not quite anything.

Robert Bonner wanted Hambletonian 10—Rysdyk’s Hambletonian—and Rysdyk needed the money.

Bonner sent a gentleman—in fact, two gentlemen—to Rysdyk’s abode with a check for $20,000 to make the deal.

When the check with Rysdyk’s name on it was presented, Rysdyk’s wife was overjoyed with the prospect that their financial woes would soon end.

But Rysdyk looked the check over and handed it back saying, “No sir!” He said, “That check won’t buy Hambletonian. I don’t care about selling him at all.”

Rysdyk’s wife pleaded with him for quite some time…but Rysdyk still said, “No!”

Not long after that, the aforementioned Dexter came on the scene—a son of Hambletonian 10—Rysdyk’s Hambletonian—and then it was another son, George Wilkes, and another Jay Gould…

In short order, Hambletonian had earned much more than Bonner’s check—MUCH MORE—and, when Rysdyk passed away, he left a fortune well in excess of $200,000…all because of the faith of one William Rysdyk in a horse that became the father of our standardbred breed.

By the way, Phil Pines also relayed a story about Hambletonian’s speed and the only time he was put to the test!

In 1852, Hambletonian was a three-year-old with his chief adversary being Abdallah Chief, who had two time trials over the famed Union Course on Long Island.

In a time-trial of his own, Hambletonian trotted in 2:48 1/2 and that proved to be the assurance that THIS was the horse to send their mares for breeding.

Descendants of Hambletonian have had an effect on our sport like no other…with the sport enjoying its pinnacle every year on our greatest day of racing.

Saturday is Hambletonian Day at The Meadowlands.

It will produce one of the greatest matchups in history with only one guarantee…the winning time will be faster than 2:48 1/2.

May The Horse Be With You.

by John Berry, for Harnesslink