When he captured the 1988 edition of the Little Brown Jug, B J Scoot became the first Ohio-bred horse to win the second jewel of pacing’s Triple Crown. It was also the first Jug victory for Hall of Fame driver Mike Lachance.
I have always been an avid reader. When I first became enamored with harness racing, I eagerly awaited the Harness Horse, Horseman and Fair World and Hoof Beats, and I read them cover to cover.
Nine years ago, on Aug. 6, 2016, Marion Marauder’s straight-heat win in the 91st edition of the Hambletonian Stakes kicked off his sweep of the Trotting Triple Crown, making him only the ninth horse in harness racing history to win the Hambletonian, the Yonkers Trot and the Kentucky Futurity. And through his six-season career on the track, he amassed $3,392,609 in North American purses—the seventh best of all time among trotters— and became a fan favorite worthy of honor in harness racing’s Living Horse Hall of Fame, a distinction he received July 6 in Goshen, N.Y.
I devoured Katie Bo Lillis’s new book, Death of a Racehorse: An American Story, over the course of two days and two nights in early May, right after it was released. I will confess to being skeptical about it before I cracked it open. The title struck me as sensationalistic, and it seems that many writers who take on integrity and welfare issues in horse racing arrive with agendas that trample objectivity. I expected the same this time.
Standardbred racing has always been driven by performance — both on the track and in the breeding shed. But as the sport evolves and public scrutiny intensifies at a swift pace, we are learning that genetics matter — not just for speed, but also for sustainability, welfare and perception.
