Gambling versus entertainment, drawing the line

The past few months featured some job uncertainty for me, and I left one place of employment to begin a new opportunity at another. During the stress of this transition, I theorized (am really good at self-delusion...) that turning handicapping into a part-time job could be a benefit to myself and my family. Well, after a couple months of researching and trying different things, I have come to the conclusion that I may be too emotional to do this properly. Somebody needs to be a machine to play a system, because a good one will always be counter-intuitive, and I'm likely not that guy.

I will keep studying standardbred breeding and racing with a passion, however I am taking some time off from actually betting on the races. Before my kids were born I went several times a month, and then after that usually only a few times per year. As my kids got older over the past decade, I started going to the track with my dad more often, and all of that will continue, love going to the races with family.

The thing that has changed is the web. Before, you either had to go to the track or to a Champions, whereas with the Internet, you can play every day from home, and that can be a time and money gobbler.

Gotta take a break...

Somebeachsomewhere's FIRST FOAL Due Any Day Now

Of all the mares carrying the first crop of foals from the great and wonderful Somebeachsomewhere, eight are due in January so one of these is most likely to foal the first Beach colt or filly. If someone is thinking of entering the realm of standardbred horse breeding, or expanding the brood, one could do much worse than investing in maternal families considered worthy enough for Somebeachsomewhere, so keep these lines in mind when shopping for mares and fillies.



Photo courtesy Somebeachsomewhere official website


Somebeachsomewhere foals due in January 2010:


MARE YEAR RECORD EARNINGS SIRE DAM 2010 FOAL DUE


ALLAMERICAN MEMOIR 2005 3,1:56.2F 11,115 WESTERN IDEAL / MEMPHIS QUEEN - JANUARY


CAMTURO 2001 6,1:52.2F 129,545 ARTURO / CAM'S UPTOWN GIRL - JANUARY


CAN DU RIVER 1991 p,3,1581f p,4,1534s 101,665 CAM FELLA / KEYSTONE CHICK - JANUARY


DESIRABLE CINDY 2005 3,1:52.3M 171,664 REAL DESIRE / FIVE O'CLOCK CINDY - JANUARY


LOVING CAROLINE 2005 3, 1:52.2F 197,059 ART MAJOR / BEST LAID PLANS - JANUARY


SOUTHWIND RIO 2004 2,1:51.4S 153,150 ARTSPLACE / THE REAL WEST - JANUARY


SUMMER MYSTERY 2001 p,2,Q1592 p,3,151.3S 83,593 ARTISCAPE / UNIQUE HANOVER -
JANUARY


TSUNAMI HANOVER 1994 p,2,1534 p,3,Q1554 234,900 ARTSPLACE / TRINI HANOVER - JANUARY


There are another seven mares due in late January / early February, and then lots more beach babies throughout the winter and spring!!! As the Boss sings, Baby we were Born to Run!!!

Full List of Mares in Foal to Somebeachsomewhere

January 2009 Harness Racing Stories

Here are some online articles about standardbred horse racing, breeding and betting that caught my eye this month:

January 2009 Harness Horse Racing News - Pacing and Trotting


Tetrick returns to harness horse driving in winning form


Adam Bowden's Diamond Creek Farm Blog


Stallion Numbers Declining In Quebec


Standardbred Canada Announces 2009 Standardbred Wagering Conference


Winbak Speed Wins Final, Sweeps Presidential Series


2008 Joe O'Brien Profiles - Three-Year-Old Trotting Colts / Geldings

O'Brien Award Finalists 2008 - Three-Year-Old And Aged Pacer

Top Trotting Sires of 2008, Emerging Star Stallions

The following list of eight standardbred trotting sires represents la creme de la creme, the most poweerful of the most powerful trotting sire lines.



HARNESS HORSE SIRE STATISTICS 2008

Leading Money Winning Trotting Sires in 2008

All Age Trotters - 05OCT08


Top Eight Sires baseed on total winnings and per starter winnings:

Sire Name Foals Starters Earnings

MUSCLES YANKEE 823 259 $ 8,011,180

CONWAY HALL 709 240 $ 6,478,274

ANGUS HALL 739 345 $ 6,459,958

CREDIT WINNER 449 204 $ 6,087,250

ANDOVER HALL 318 151 $ 4,059,229

LIKE A PRAYER 265 126 $ 3,434,864

BROADWAY HALL 199 117 $ 2,508,025

KADABRA 191 115 $ 2,362,026

Research Standardbred Harness Horse Boodlines - No Registration required

Find online database of standardbred horse pedigrees, harness horse sirelines, trotting maternal families, pacing sires and standardbred horses breeding info. If you find trotter pedigree websites that allow searching without registration, please post the links to these sites in the comments section. I am trying to find a website I used to use that was strong on European trotting horses, it was called something like blodlines.nu or bloodline.nu so if you know of that one or other good places to search standardbred horse pedigrees online, please post to comments as many are looking for harness horse bloodline database that's free and easy to use. Thanks.



The AllBreedPedigree.com website has extensive standardbred bloodline info and you can input new harness horses to help keep it up to date.

All Breed Pedigree Query

All Breed Pedigree Database containing more than 1 million horses from all breeds. Get pedigrees reports and a free five generation pedigree chart.

www.allbreedpedigree.com/

If you have a slow Internet connection this next link may be ideal, as it allows you to immediately download the full ClassicFamilies.net database for a 10-day, no obligation free trial. Extremely useful for standardbred maternal family research and harness horse sireline cross research. If you decide to upgrade, you'll get an even newer database, but for most people the free one will be very helpful.

Standardbred Horse Classic Families 2007

The Classic Families of the Standardbred horse racing breed. Download a FULL copy of Classic Families and use it for 10 days free.

www.classicfamilies.net

The StallionDatabase.com is an excellent guide to pacing and trotting stallions in North America, check it out:

The Online Standardbred Stallion Database

Harness bloodline. the FREE online stallion database ... Click on a horse name from anywhere on the site to access respective stallion profile. ...

www.stalliondatabase.com/

Donato Hanover standing for $20,000 fee

HORSE RACING INSIDER

Champion trotting racehorse Donato Hanover joins legendary lineup of stallions at home in Hanover Shoe Farms

D'Arcy Egan Cleveland Plain Dealer Reporter

Donato Hanover was home for the holidays on Wednesday (05dec07) as the Hanover Shoe Farms celebrated the colt's tremendous 2007 season.

The 3-year-old trotter was born at the famed horse farm outside of Hanover, Pa., on May 3, 2004, and joins Hanover's lineup of stallions now that his racing career has ended.

The stud fee for the bay stallion by Andover Hall out of D Train, a Donerail mare, is $20,000.

Donato Hanover had a tremendous career, winning 19 consecutive races and $3 million. The sophomore was so dominant in the trotting ranks that he is a front runner for harness racing's Horse of the Year, despite a pair of late-season losses to rival Arch Madness in the Breeders Crown competition. Donato Hanover captured this year's Hambletonian, Canadian Trotting Classic, World Trotting Derby, Kentucky Futurity and Stanley Dancer Memorial.

Second in the Horse of the Year standings by the Hambletonian/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll is a fabulous filly, Snow White. The daughter of Self Possessed-Mom's Millionaire, Snow White had 11 wins in 13 starts and won $1.2 million this year, a record for a 2-year-old trotter. Fabled driver John Campbell told U.S. Trotting Association officials she was "the best 2-year-old I've ever sat behind."

When Snow White won the Breeders Crown, the win pushed Campbell's career driving earnings over the $250 million mark.

Full article continues at: Donato Hanover retires to stud

Kentuckiana Farms named New Jersey Breeder of the Year for 2007

Kentuckiana 2007 NJ Breeder Of The Year

December 28, 2007

article from StandardbredCanada.ca

In the United States in 2007, one quarter of the standardbred racing's divisional champions were a product of Kentuckiana Farms General Partnership and its founder, Tom Crouch. In turn, Kentuckiana Farms has been named Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey's Breeder of the Year.

"It is a great honour to be recognized as New Jersey Breeder of the Year," said Bob Brady, one of the Kentuckiana partners. "Two thousand seven has been an exciting year for Kentuckiana Farms, having bred, raised or sold 11 national season's leaders and three divisional champions in Mystical Sunshine, Mister Big and Tell All.

Representing Kentuckiana in the Garden State are the trotting stallions Yankee Glide and Classic Photo (whose first crop will come to sale in 2008) and the recently retired pacer Tell All, the Little Brown Jug and North America Cup winner.

"The New Jersey breeding program is vitally important to the overall health of the standardbred industry," Brady noted. "Our New Jersey operation has been a key component to Kentuckiana's overall success. Being able to showcase our product at the Meadowlands has played a huge role in this success."

Tell All [by Real Desire], the Three-Year-Old Pacer of the Year for 2007 in the U.S., is one of the trio of Kentuckiana progeny who will be honoured with Dan Patch Awards at the end of January. The other two are Older Pacer of the Year Mister Big (by Grinfromeartoear) and Older Female Trotter of the Year Mystical Sunshine (by Yankee Glide).

"We are excited about bringing Tell All to New Jersey as the newest addition to our ever expanding stallion roster," Brady explained. "We are cautiously optimistic that the New Jersey program will take the necessary steps to keep pace with other jurisdictions.

"Being recognized with three divisional champions validates our commitment to breeding the best," he added.

The Breeder of the Year Award will be presented at the 51st Annual New Jersey-bred Equine Breeders Award dinner on January 27 at the Holiday Inn of East Windsor (New Jersey).

Mystical Sunshine is one of four millionaires sired by Yankee Glide.

The Chris Ryder trainee posted eight wins, four seconds and two thirds from 19 starts this season and banked $348,990 this year for the ownership of Sid Korn and the Estate of Alvin Jacobson. Her victories included the $270,000 Breeders Crown and $116,000 Miss Versatility.

Yankee Glide, a son of Valley Victory, topped all North American trotting sires in 2006 with progeny who earned nearly $8.8 million. This year his 202 starters have banked more than $6.2 million.

Article continues at: Kentuckiana wins New Jersey Breeder of the Year