Break Forced 2008 Jugette Race-off
Rules Governing A Standardbred Breaking Stride In A Race
Sep 25, 2008
The Jugette, a premier two elimination heat event for three-year-old filly pacers, required a Race-off heat in 2008 when Good News Lady broke her stride in the second elim and lost a chance to win the $300,475 Jugette in the two-heat format.
Good News Lady won the first scheduled elim, but her lapse in the second heat left the door open for another pacer, Sprig Hanover, to capture the second heat. The two winners were required to run a third heat, a Race-off, to determine the Jugette champion.
Recovering her composure in the Race-off, Good News Lady outsprinted Sprig Hanover to the wire. Although a heartstopper for a Standardbred driver, or owner, a break sometimes provides great drama for the fans, as it did in this year's Jugette.
What Does Breaking Stride Mean?
Standardbreds are harness racers. Unlike Thoroughbreds, they are hitched to a sulky, or light two-wheeled cart, which is occupied by a driver. Standardbreds pace, or trot. They may not run, or gallop in competition. Breaking stride simply means a pacer, or trotter fails to hold his gait and begins to run.
Governing "Breaking" in Competition
It is not altogether uncommon for a Standardbred to break stride in a race. Veteran pacers and trotters occasionally revert to running in a race. Youngsters do it more often.
Fans quickly recognize a broken stride in a race. "He/she broke" is a frequently heard phrase among spectators.
Because a break is a normal, but outcome-altering occurrence in harness races, standard rules were put into place to govern such incidents.
Ohio State Racing Commission Rules for Breaking Stride:
1. When any horse or horses break from their gait in trotting or pacing, their drivers shall at once where clearance exists, take such horse to the outside and pull it to its gait.
2. The following shall be considered violations of Rule No.1:
(a) failure to properly attempt to pull the horse to gait.
(b) failure to take the breaking horse to the outside where clearance exists.
(c) failure to lose ground on a break.
3. If there has been no failure on the part of the driver in complying with Rule No. 2 and a, b, and c, the horse shall not be set back unless a contending horse on his gait is lapped on the hind quarter of the breaking horse at the finish.
4. The judges may set any horse back one or more places if in their judgment any of the above violations have been commited, and the driver may be punished.
The Great Dan Patch
It may be humorously noted that the first great star of harness racing, Dan Patch (1896-1916), a pacer, often paced against runners hitched to carts and wagons because no Standardbred owners wanted to compete with his unstoppable pacing speed.
