Harness: The amazing Southwind Amazon and other musings

Man it is great to be back racing again nearly everywhere. The situation in New York is a bit worrisome, but it seems like more of a negotiating tool then a real threat. The Meadowlands Pace card was awesome on July 18. With those thoughts, a few observations on other "stuff."

With the belated start of the harness racing Top 10 poll last week, it was really interesting to see the number of horses listed that were also named in the final 2019 poll. When the poll starts in spring, it makes sense to see a lot of carryovers, but with the mid-July start, I figured we would see more 3-year-olds and fewer veterans. Five of the top 10 horses in the first week were among the top 11 to end 2019. There were four 3-year-olds and no freshmen on the list. Gimpanzee topped the group and Tall Dark Stranger was third, sandwiching Atlanta. Gimpanzee ended 2019 in the sixth spot overall, second (behind Greenshoe) among sophomore trotting colts. Tall Dark Stranger ended 2019 in the tenth spot. Atlanta and Manchego were ranked third and fifth, respectively, in the initial poll, with their only losses coming to each other. I hope we get to see these two great trotting mares race against each often this year.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Manchego beat Atlanta in the $250,000 Spirit of Massachusetts on July 26 after this was written.]

I know the poll means little except as conversation over adult beverages, but I still find it interesting discussion fodder. It is also intriguing to see how many horses get mentioned early in the year. Forty-seven horses got votes last week, while the final 2019 poll mentions just 21 horses.

One of the most interesting horses mentioned in the first poll got just five points, including a mention from me. Southwind Amazon was nine-for-14 when I voted last week, and he added another win, the 97th of his career, in a 1:48 3/5 lifetime best at Scioto Downs on July 11. Now 10, the millionaire Paul Holtzman-trainee is driven by Ronnie Wrenn Jr, and he has accumulated those 97 wins in just 237 career starts, a career win percentage of 42%! He has clearly gotten better with age. The son of Camluck, from the Artsplace mare Artoonist, won 10 races from ages 2 to 4 and added seven more wins as a 5-year-old. Since then, he has averaged nearly 18 wins a year. With 10 wins this year, he leads all horses, as he did in 2018 when he posted 22 victories before "slumping" to a third-place finish in 2019, winning 18 times.

Dave Bianconi, the Executive Vice President of Racing at Northfield Park, commented, "I have been here 29 years and this is the best horse to race here on a regular basis. He is somewhere around 50 wins at Northfield and he has made his money the hard way. He was third in our Batlle of Lake Erie and got interfered with at Western Fair last year, and those races got canceled this year, but he can go with the best of them."

It is likely that Southwind Amazon will win his 100th race in less than 250 starts, while nearly every other 100-win horse has taken 300 or more starts to achieve that record. The exception is a horse named Bestdealintown, who won a remarkable 126 of 199 career starts, racing mostly at county fairs in several states, and often double-heating from 1989-2000, earning $57,650, or less than $300 per start! He won in Canada, North Dakota, Michigan and Wisconsin, to name a few. I never saw him race, but I have seen Southwind Amazon. The COVID-19 crisis cost him a chance to compete against top Free-For-Allers in Northfield's Battle of Lake Erie this year, but do yourself a favor, watch this horse race at least once, whether at Northfield, Scioto or The Meadows. He is worth tuning in to see.

Bestdealintown made his living at the county fairs and although I did not find any Ohio county fair lines in his stats, the Buckeye State dominates the county fair racing scene with over 60 fairs featuring racing. With the coronavirus creating uncertainty, many of these fairs are being canceled, delayed or having their formats altered, but to paraphrase James Earl Jones, the one constant is harness racing. With small or no crowds at the county fair races, the Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association is doing the next best thing . . . bringing the county fair races to the fans.

Using a Facebook Live platform, the OHHA is broadcasting select county fair races through its Facebook page, utilizing Brand Ambassador Roger Huston and Racing With the Stars rep Thom Pye, along with this writer. Each broadcast includes handicapping tips and other racing info, as well as phone-in trivia contests, which have seen winners from as far away as Colorado. The broadcasts have been watched and commented on by racing fans in Canada, South America and Great Britain.

Once again, the OHHA has taken a leading position to promote racing, and while there have been some technical issues - many of these fair tracks are used just a couple days a year, making even reliable electricity a potential problem - the broadcasts have been well-received. The OHHA has partnered with Trot and Pace Marketing, which provides the technical expertise for the broadcast, as well as marketing sponsorship packages. If you are interested in catching a broadcast, I will be doing the Columbiana County Fair races at Lisbon on August 4. Just go to the OHHA Facebook page to check it out.

That’s it for this month. Now go cash. Hopefully on Southwind Amazon. See you next month.