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

Volomite sire line ascending with Somebeachsomewhere, Garland Lobell sires

The latter decades of twentieth century pacing were dominated by Hal Dale sire lines, and the three prominent pacing stallion lines that dominate standardbred racing today all descend from him:



3 Dominant Pacing Sire Lines


Abercombie - Artsplace

Hal Dale - Adios - Henry T. Adios - Silent Majority - Abercrombie - Artsplace - Art Major




Cam Fella

Hal Dale - Dale Frost - Meadow Skipper - Most Happy Fella - Cam Fella - Cambest




No Nukes - Western Hanover

Hal Dale - Dale Frost - Meadow Skipper - Most Happy Fella -
Oil Burner - No Nukes - Western Hanover



In recent decades the world of breeding standardbred trotters has focused on a primary line, from Speedster, and a secondary line, from Volomite.


2 Dominant Standardbred Trotting Sire Lines:


Primary Trotting Stallion Line - Speedy Crown / Valley Victory


Speedster - Speedy Scot - Speedy Crown - Speedy Somolli -
Baltic Speed - Valley Victory - Muscles Yankee



Secondary Trotting Stallion Sire Line - Star's Pride - Super Bowl


Volomite - Worthy Boy - Star's Pride - Super Bowl - Supergill



So you can see that of the five major sire lines in the sport of harness horse racing, Volomite has been responsible for just one. This could be changing, and Volomite looks well positioned to regain the prominence of an earlier era, perhaps even exceeding it.

Let's look at trotting first. The powerfully emerging Garland Lobell sire line offers an excellent out cross for both Speedy Crown line and Super Bowl line mares, and is showing that Garland Lobell prodigy succeed on the track and in the shed.


Emerging Sire Line in Standardbred Trotting:

The Noble Victory / Garland Lobell Line:

Volomite - Victory Song - Noble Victory - ABC Freight -

Garland Lobell - Andover Hall
- Angus Hall
- Conway Hall


At minimum, it looks like a 3rd major trotting sire line is now stakes caliber, and that Garland Lobell has kept Volomite line mares as the top out cross choice for Speedy Crown / Valley Victory line mares, a role filled by Star's pride and Super Bowl daughters for decades..


In pacing, there are many secondary and peripheral outcross sire lines still going, but Mach Three and Somebeachsomewhere stallions will make great matches with all 3 top pacing sire lines; mares from Abercrombie / Artsplace / Art Major, mares from No Nukes / Western Hanover, mares from Cam Fella / Cambest will all seek the speed of "The Beach".

Emerging pacing sire line, Mach Three - Somebeachsomehwere

Volomite - Sampson Hanover - Sampson Direct - Direct Scooter -
Matts Scooter - Mach Three - Somebeachsomewhere



So, due to the success of the Hall brothers and others on the trotting circuit, and the Beach and more on the pacing tracks, Volomite sire lines are again in the limelight, making those Hal Dale and Speedster line stallions share at least some of the glory.

Happy racing!

Joe T

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