Harness: Bettor’s Delight is an unstoppable force in the stallion ranks

Rugged, durable and long lasting are great attributes for a racehorse. Yet those in the business tend to lean more heavily on high speed and quick acceleration when looking for the next horse.

In the case of great sires, the term slow and steady wins the race couldn’t be any more appropriate for Bettor’s Delight, a most impressive racehorse nearly 20 years ago that has placed himself in the history books for longevity and prowess in providing the sport with generations of talent.

“At first they are nothing more than average,” said Ron Burke, an aficionado of sorts having trained one of the richest sons of Bettor’s Delight in All Bets Off and some other notables along the way. “The farther they go the better they get.”

For Burke and most other trainers that have been touched by the Bettor’s Delight effect, the association has been extremely rewarding. From the early days when Bettor’s Delight’s first crop included the incomparable mare Darlin’s Delight to the last few years where the stallion has exceeded expectations with the likes of double millionaire and 3-year-old Dan Patch Pacing Colt of the Year Betting Line in 2016, the decedent of Most Happy Fella has stood the test of time.

“I wasn’t looking to buy in Ontario and New York,” said Burke of his pursuit of sons or daughters of Bettor’s Delight. “When they came to Pennsylvania I dipped in and have continued to look for them.”

Yet those who have researched this brand recognize that Bettor’s Delight was not just a force in North America but Down Under as well. In recent years, with supply of top aged performers waning on these shores, trainers and owners have looked afar to bring back talent. Bettor’s Delight has more than fulfilled the need for quality with his sons and daughters returning to race and win at the highest level. That 2016 Levy champion Bit Of A Legend N, a career winner of $1.95 million, has been such a driving force in the U.S. speaks volumes for the durability and overall class that Bettor’s Delight’s have displayed for nearly two decades.

Yet what is perhaps most impressive is not just the aged performers but the 2 and 3-year-olds that have continued to follow Bettor’s Delight’s impressive history of stakes prowess. Few stallions have had the reach that this son of Cam’s Card Shark has shown and few have survived and thrived while shifting locales as often as Bettor’s Delight.

That Nutcracker Sweet (1:50 2/5), a Bettor’s Delight half-brother to Sweet Lou, emerged as one of the more talented freshman in North America last year, may not be a surprise considering the pedigree. Yet those who look for young mares to breed to young stallions had to be somewhat surprised that both stallion and dam of one of this year’s leading sophomore prospects are both 20 years in age.

And yes, that’s the kind of reminder those in this business need to get every now and then before they pass undue judgment on their elders. Bettor’s Delight has transcended age as a deterrent and continues to generate the kind of talent it takes to win in the early stages and to thrive as they get a little older.

“They are just a consistent and hard-knocking group of horses,” said Burke. “They’re not the most talented but they keep going and are ‘ass-kicking’ aged horses.”

While every owner breeds and buys with hopes for a champion, those looking towards the sons and daughters of Bettor’s Delight have an additional incentive in that there’s a great chance performance will improve over time. Perhaps the best current example of that is Bettor Memories, a 5-year-old gelding trained by Nifty Norman racing in the George Morton Levy Series. Bettor Memories was winless in five starts as a juvenile. Sold in January of his sophomore year, he went on to earn over $100K racing as a 3-year-old mostly in Ontario Sires Stakes. As a 4-year-old he showed improvement and increased earnings potential. This year in less than a handful of starts, he’s shown the grit and tenacity to tackle the best with three impressive on-the-board finishes in the Levy from near-impossible spots.

Such is the distinction that many of the Bettor’s Delight’s bring to the racetrack on a regular basis. It is why his bloodlines remain as valuable today as they were when he first kicked off his breeding career.

At a $15,000 (Canadian Funds) fee for Blue Chip Farms in Ontario, Bettor’s Delight, the sire of over 20 millionaires across the globe, is a stallion that will take you the distance and beyond.