Harness Racing 101

Welcome to the wonderful world of harness racing!  This might help you familiarize yourself with the harness racing world.  The real thrill though comes from actually experiencing a race.

THE HORSE

The horses used in harness racing are Standardbreds, and only a registered Standardbred may compete in a sanctioned harness race. The origins of the Standardbred trace back to Messenger, an English Thoroughbred foaled in 1780, and later exported to the United States. Messenger was the great-grandsire of Hambletonian 10, to whom every Standardbred can trace its heritage. Standardbreds are a relatively new breed, dating back just over 200 years, but it is a true American breed. The name "Standardbred" originated because the early trotters and pacers (who would not come into the picture until much later) were required to reach a certain standard for the mile distance in order to be registered as part of the new breed. The mile is still the standard distance covered in nearly every harness race. While Thoroughbred racing has long been known as the sport of kings, the dependable, athletic Standardbred brought racing to the common man, first between neighbors on community roads, and later at state-ofthe-art racetracks. Standardbred racing has long been known as the sport of the people, and both the sport and the breed are as much a part of our American landscape as cowboys and apple pie. As it evolved it gave the United States some of its first "sports heroes," including the great Dan Patch, the legendary Adios, and the great grey ghost, Greyhound. In many respects, the Standardbred resembles the Thoroughbred. However, it is often more muscled and longer in body, and does not stand as tall, averaging between 15 and 16 hands. The head is bigger and may even sport a Roman nose. This breed appears in varying colors, although bay and brown are predominant. It weighs between 800 and 1,000 pounds. Standardbreds are known for their docile personalities and willing temperments.

GAIT

Standardbred racing is contested on two gaits, the trot and the pace. Trotters move with a diagonal gait; the left front and right rear legs move in unison, as do the right front and left rear. It requires much skill by the trainer to get a trotter to move perfectly at high speeds, even  though the trotting gait is a natural one in the animal world. Pacers, on the other hand, move the legs on one side of their body in tandem: left front and rear, and right front and rear. This action shows why pacers  are often called "sidewheelers." Pacers, which account for about 80 percent of the performers in harness racing and are the faster of the two gaits, are aided in maintaining their gait by plastic loops called hobbles, which keep their legs moving in synchronization. Any trotter or pacer who "breaks" into a canter or gallop during a race must be pulled back to its correct gait and lose ground to its competitors or be disqualified from the race.

THE RACING 

Most Standardbreds start racing as 2-or 3-year-olds. Trotters race only trotters and pacers race only pacers. Racing takes place at numerous tracks and fairs across North America, although harness racing is most popular in the Midwest and the East. Some of North America's top trotting races are the Peter Haughton Memorial for 2-year-olds, and the World Trotting Derby, Yonkers Trot, Hambletonian, and Kentucky Futurity for 3-year-olds. The latter three races make up the trotting Triple Crown. For pacers, top races include the Woodrow Wilson and Metro Stake for 2- year-olds, and the Little Brown Jug, Meadowlands Pace, North American Cup and the Adios for 3-year-olds. The Pacing Triple Crown is made up of the Little Brown Jug, the Messenger Stake and the Cane Pace.

DRIVERS AND TRAINERS  

When racing first started, most participants drove, trained and owned their own horses. In the last two decades, the sport has become much more specialized, and like Thoroughbreds, harness racing now has separate drivers and trainers. Drivers who are hired on a per-race basis are known as catch-drivers. This distinguishes them from trainer-drivers-- trainers who also drive their horses. The best driver in harness racing is John Campbell, who has earned almost $250 million in purses. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame at the age of 35 - the youngest-ever inductee. Drivers and trainers each have  their own "colors"- a special suit in a style, pattern and color that they must have approved by and registered with the USTA. These colors are individual to each racing participant. Unlike Thoroughbred racing, where jockeys wear an owner's "silks", each driver wears his or her own colors no matter by which owner or trainer he is hired.