Deweycheatumnhowe Somebeachsomewhere in Crown
Total Handle Up As Top Trotter and Pacer Place Win at Meadowlands
Dec 17, 2008
A phenomenal year was had by record setting trotter Deweycheatumnhowe and the dream pacer Somebeachsomewhere. Both three-year-old colts had unsurpassed seasons, and they were very much the reason the Breeders Crown at the Meadowlands showed greater crowds and betting handle on November 29.
Ten Thousand Greet Top Harness Competitors
Increases in total handle and track attendance crowned the day for harness racing's championship races. Standardbred champions Deweycheatumnhowe and Somebeachsomewhere were duly appreciated during the season, and harness fans gathered 10,750-strong to watch the two colts vie for their individual Crown titles.
The track attendance was an increase of 4.8 percent from last season. A live handle of $903,875 topped 2007's total by 7.6 percent. The total handle was $5,020,659, an increase over last season of 8.1 percent.
A market advertising campaign that garnered spots on cable TV, radio, the Internet, and in newspapers is credited for the increases. Meadowlands marketing manager Rachel Ryan reported that the program's advertising also included a Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) simulcast, and pre-race ads in Spanish and Chinese newspapers.
Deweycheatumnhowe Short in Stretch
With heart and courage alone, Dewey sped to a third place finish in his Crowning moment. Having suffered the lingering effects of an unusual throat abscess during the two weeks leading up to the Crown, Dewey was cleared by driver-trainer Ray Schnittker to start. But the recent illness took its pound of flesh.
Dewey fought gamely to hold his quickly gained lead in the Three-Year-Old Colt Trot championship, but David Palone-driven In Focus trotted down the champ by mid-stretch. Holiday Credit, a stablemate of In Focus, trotted second. Dewey was beaten in third by 4-1/2 lengths.
Somebeachsomewhere In Top Gait
"His gait is effortless'" said driver Paul MacDonell of champion pacer Somebeachsomewhere (The Horseman and Fair World, "Beach Party Continues" by Gordon Waterstone, December 3, 2008, page 20).
Somebeach's shadow throughout the season, Shadow Play, gave brisk early chase in the Three-Year-Old Colt Pace title race, but Somebeach took command, pacing the mile in 1:48.3, with a :26.3 final quarter, defining the term "brisk" in his 1-1/2 length score.
Dover Downs Matron for Somebeachsomewhere
Speculation had it that the Breeders Crown might be the last stop in Somebeach's career, but owner Brent MacGrath quickly put that idea to rest after Somebeach's Crowning achievement. "Nobody wants to take this horse off the racetrack until we have to," MacGrath said after his colt's Breeders Crown triump.
Somebeach was immediately scheduled for the races at Dover Downs. The Matron, a Standardbred race of historic stature, was too good to turn down, MacGrath stated. He had discussed the possibility of Somebeach continuing racing through the year with the star colt's expectant breeding facility, Hanover Shoe Farms.
Fans will get a couple of encores from pacing's champion earner. Somebeach set a new dollar standard this season, becoming the first harness racer to top $3 million in career earnings, ($3,221,299) and counting.
