Somehow those who have watched and enjoyed the sport had to know that there was just no way 2017 could ever live up to 2016 on a broad scale. There could not be another 1:46 pacer or a field of horses that deserve superlatives every time they reached the track. If history has taught us anything it’s that there are generally large spaces of time in between what passes for greatness and what becomes accepted as normal. Last year’s incredible battles, not just in the aged pacing ranks but in the aged trotting ranks as well, was something to behold. The calendar shifted to 2017 and as we close out the year of stakes activity it’s reasonable to understand we’ve witnessed just an average year in the sport. Perhaps key to what hasn’t happened this year would be the $1 million Hambletonian. A race that had all of the hype needed in advance but in the end provided few happy faces. That What The Hill would be disqualified perhaps says much about the letdowns we’ve seen throughout the racing season. Perfect Spirit got the victory on that August afternoon but he too would virtually disappear from the face of the racing canvas and disappointment rose up from those expecting a horse to take the lead in the division. Even What The Hill’s victory in the Breeders Crown couldn’t set him apart from his rivals as he would finish off the board just a week later in the Erskine at Hoosier Park. International Moni had all the makings of the perfect storyline. The son of a former Horse of the Year and International trotting phenom, and by a French stallion, International Moni appeared to be the horse of a generation and perhaps the proof everyone needed that such cross-breeding would inevitably provide a more perfect trotter. Yes, it was nice to see International Moni win a stakes race last week, but it’s hard to think that was enough to make up for the rest of his season that just never quite found his footing. Maybe there’s next year? That’s certainly in my hopes for 2018. With plans supposedly in the works to bring Ariana G back to race as a 4-year-old, maybe the great trotting filly of the past two seasons will turn into the horse that probably should have beaten the boys this year but never did. Having canvassed what arguably was not one of the better crops of 3-year-old trotters in recent memories, it appeared that Ariana G should have been able to get the best of the boys in 2017. Perhaps had the calendar been 2016 when everything was going right in the sport’s big events, Ariana G might have actually won those races. In 2017 there was a different reason every time that it didn’t happen. Maybe 2018 will also bring the filly Manchego into focus against a male crop that has given us colts with a small taste of talent. The brilliant filly and my choice for 2017 Horse of the Year, went undefeated this year and is certainly worthy of the overall title. There’s certainly reason to hope that next year’s aged trotting ranks will give the U.S. a more competitive edge in the International Trot. Marion Marauder was another one of those that saw everything work out right in 2016 but couldn’t step up and achieve the same results this year. From an owners perspective his earnings were impressive, but those hard-fought battles in the stretch that provided thrilling victories in the Triple Crown of 2016 were clearly lacking this year. In as much as The Hambletonian changed the complexion of the sophomore trotting ranks going forward, the Spirit of Massachusetts contested a week before at Plainridge may have proven the undoing of many of the best in the aged division. For my money, that race was the most hotly contested trotting race I’ve seen in quite some time. The 60-1 upset by JL Cruze proved an anomaly since he did not win another race for the rest of the year. The bitter duel between Crazy Wow and Resolve sapped the strength of both horses in my opinion. Though Resolve would rebound in the Cashman and then the Crawford at Tioga, he would end the campaign looking nothing like his previous self, with disappointments in the Yonkers International and Breeders Crown. Crazy Wow needed more than two months of racing before he regained his edge. The fragile nature of horse racing is something we tend to forget. In 2017 there were constant reminders, none more punctuated than horses not doing enough to even qualify for the Breeders Crown after leading their divisions. That Fear The Dragon didn’t make the cut in his division was shocking. Fashionwoodchopper also seemed a lock to qualify and a pretty good bet to capture the Breeders Crown, but he too got sidetracked and couldn’t make a closing statement. Symbolic of 2017’s awkward nature is the near $1 million season that Devious Man has enjoyed, while at the same time those betting on him have failed to cash a ticket since July 1. That’s the date that the son of Credit Winner captured the Beal in the Poconos. It was his fourth and last win as a sophomore. Here’s a horse that looked like he could win the Triple Crown, or at least the last two legs, but somehow always came up a drop short. Last time he looked to be set to regain his winning form storming out of the pocket behind International Moni but falling a head short. And yes, we would be remiss if we failed to mention Walner, the horse most expected to dominate this division. Was it just bad luck that prevented the son of Chapter Seven from breaking every world record imaginable and being the star we expected this year or just the fact that it was 2017 and not 2016?