Fancy Pedigrees Come to the Henry County Fair
Albatross, Precious Bunny, Cam's Card Shark Raced in Napoleon
Aug 24, 2009
One could say that the Northwestern Ohio Colt Stakes program at the Henry County Fair in Napoleon, Ohio was attended by Standardbred greats Albatross, Precious Bunny, Cam's Card Shark, and others like the Hanovers and Ambros, as the offspring of these familiar names appeared on the fair's August 19th racing cards.
Dan Patch Most Recognized Fair Champion
Local county fairs have sponsored official Standardbred racing for more than one hundred years. It's no wonder, then, that offspring of past harness greats like Albatross, perhaps even the wonderful Dan Patch, regularly appear at these events held seasonally each year in numerous states across America.
Indiana-Minnesota harness racing champion Dan Patch was not the first revered personality among Standardbreds, but he was the most marketed and recognized at state fairs, earning $1 million per year in appearances and exhibitions for his opportunistic owner, Marion Willis Savage. A Minnesotan, Savage treated his prize pacer like royalty, transporting him throughout the United States in a private, lavish railroad car tandem generously splashed with the pacer's name.
Savage was the second of Dan Patch's two most celebrated owners. The first, after whom the Standardbred star was partly named, was dry goods store owner Daniel Messner from Indiana. Messner sent his female Zelica to be mated with Joe Patchen, one of the 19th Century's speediest pacers, and the 1896 foal born in Oxford was given the name Dan Patch.
Dan Patch never lost a race, or a contest consisting of more than one heat. In his entire career, he yielded in just two individual heats. He broke world speed records everywhere, scoring the fastest harness time of the era, 1:55, in 1906.
Albatross's Wide Influence
Albatross was named Harness Horse of the Year in 1971 and 1972, having triumphed in 25 of 28 races in 1971 that included two of the jewels of the Pacing Triple Crown series and breaking his own mile speed record by one fifth in 1972 as a four-year-old with a showing of 1:54.3 at The Red Mile (track) in Lexington, Kentucky.
Probably the greatest contribution Standardbred racing received from Albatross was the horse's outstanding son, Niatross. Foaled out of Niagara Dream in 1977, this bay son became the unbeaten Harness Horse of the Year as a two-year-old, and swept the Pacing Triple Crown in 1980, taking a second HOY crown, as well.
Niatross grabbed wins in 37 of 39 starts and was the first Standardbred to rake in over $2 million in track earnings. After smashing the 1:52, 1:51, and 1:50 mile speed records, Niatross was voted the 1980s Harness Horse of the Decade.
As a stallion, Niatross sired Nihilator, who copped the HOY vote in 1985.
Progeny of Famous Harness Racers at Henry County Fair
Entered in the 2009 harness racing competition at the Henry County Fair, named with their finishing places, were the following progeny of the greats:
1994, 1993 Trotter of the Year Pine Chip -- 3-year-old grandson Rose Run Kermit (5th); 3-year-old granddaughter Curly Top (scratched from her race); 3-year-old granddaughter (from son Chip Chip Hooray) Hustlin Hooray (1st); 3-year-old grandson (from son Chip Chip Hooray) Rompaway Beau (1st); 3-year-old grandson (from son Chip Chip Hooray) Onewinginthefire (4th)
Albatross -- 2-year-old grandson Cinderlane Cal (3rd); 3-year-old grandson Timjon (6th)
1991 Pacer of the Year, Harness Horse of the Year Precious Bunny -- 3-year-old daughter Precious Dreamer (4th); 3-year-old daughter Alluring Bunny (3rd)
1994 Pacer of the Year, Harness Horse of the Year Cam's Card Shark -- 2-year-old granddaughter Money Runner (2nd)
It's a certain bet that local county fairs will continue to draw the progeny of the best that harness racing has to offer. While it is no longer America's most popular sport, state-by-state Standardbred competition offers the extra zing of pari-mutuel wagering, an exciting attraction even to those who have but a few dollars to toss into the pool, especially when offspring of the famous appear on the program.
(Resources: The Great Dan Patch and the Remarkable Mr. Savage, 2006, by Tim Brady, Nodin Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota; 2009 Edition of The Trotting & Pacing Guide--The Official Handboodk of Harness Racing, compiled and edited by John Pawlak, The United States Trotting Association, Columbus, Ohio; wikipedia.org online, historical horse biography clips)
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