Harness: Older millionaires continue to stand the test of time

We all see what we want to see. Some will look at a Standardbred and see speed, others beauty or grace and perhaps others just see an animal. While I admire the speed and beauty, nothing stands out more for me than the resiliency of the breed.

In most cases, 25 to 30 times a year each Standardbred can be seen on the track giving their all. Outside of the stars of the sport or well-bred mares, many will continue on their racing journey well into the double-digit age territory and succeed.

There are currently an amazing 21 horses 10 years of age or older who have eclipsed the million-dollar plateau in their careers, and as of late 2020, were still fighting the good fight on the track. Like any person or animal who gets up there in age, very few are performing at a peak level week-in and week-out, but many can still rise to the occasion from time to time and remind us of the sheer fortitude and strength of the Standardbred.

Topping the list in earnings and the only horse with a legitimate chance at reaching the $3 million plateau is Mach It So. The two-time former William Haughton Memorial (2015 & 2017) winner also won the Quillen (2015) and TVG Pace Final (2017) during his career, the majority of it under the ownership banner of Bamond Racing.

"He was good to us from day one," said owner/trainer Jeffrey Bamond Jr. "He had a really good 3-year-old year and was good ever since. He was a pretty bad actor and quirky horse at 3, 4 and 5 but he settled down and gave his all every time on the track."

Mach It So's string of seven consecutive years of at least $100,000 in earnings came to an end in 2020 as he only pulled in $27,460, but the now 11-year-old started 2020 off on the right track with a solid second in an upper-level condition race at Freehold. He followed that up with a pocket-pulling win at Yonkers Raceway on January 12 and now sits just $70,978 shy of the magic triple-millionaire level.

A son of Mach Three from Beach Dancer, Mach It So owns a career record of 196-60-29-22 and a career-best clocking of 1:48.

Checking in second on the earnings leaderboard is the Maine wonder Obrigado. Far and away the best son or daughter from Boy Band, out of the mare Malimony, the 11-year-old epitomizes the resiliency of the Standardbred.

After starting just 16 times due to injury from 2017 to 2019 and even announcing his retirement at the end of 2018, co-owner and trainer Paul Kelley, who purchased Obrigado at the Harrisburg Mixed Sale at the end of his 3-year-old year, had the gelding back in gear for 2020. He was able to win seven times in 22 starts and earn a respectable $85,570.

"He's amazing that way," said Kelley about Obrigado's ability to keep battling on the track. "He's so keen and sharp all the time. He wants to compete.

"He's had some nagging injuries, but in hindsight, nothing significant that any other horse couldn't have overcome. The difference is we always gave him the time he needed to come back."

A Maine Sire Stakes champion at ages 2 and 3 while compiling 21 wins in 23 starts, Obrigado stepped up his game to tackle Open foes and eventually reached the Grand Circuit. His stakes wins include the Crawford Trot (2015 & 2016), Maxie Lee, Charlie Hill, Cleveland Classic, Cashman, Dayton Trotting Derby and TVG Trot Final.

Perfect in two starts in 2021, both Preferred Handicap wins at Freehold, Obrigado owns a 119-54-19-13 record and $1,901,294 earned. His career mark is 1:50 3/5 and he won the Dan Patch Award as the top older trotter in the sport in 2016.

"I don't have big plans for him," said Kelley about his expectations for 2021. "We are not chasing Grand Circuit foes anymore. As long as he is good to go, he'll race. If he has a couple of bad ones and it is time to go, we'll quit. Every day with him is a gift."

There are so many millionaire stakes winners still earning their keep on the track daily. Three classy pacers round out the top five in earnings -- Sunfire Blue Chip, Doctor Butch and Take It Back Terry.

Sunfire Blue Chip, a son of American Ideal, earned a solid $57,753 in 2020, improving his lifetime total to $1,626,773. Under the care of trainer Jimmy Takter, the now 11-year-old won the Adios, Tattersalls and Quillen during his career. He owns a 1:48 3/5 lifetime mark and a 150-40-27-15 record.

Doctor Butch has compiled a 247-49-44-39 record (1:48 1/5) since starting his career as a 2-year-old in 2012. A New York Sire Stakes champion as a rookie pacer, the product of Art Major and Classical Yankee also won the Art Rooney in 2013 before becoming a force as an Open Handicap performer for many years under the care of trainer Linda Toscano.

The veteran of the top 5 is 12-year-old Take It Back Terry. Already a winner in 2021 at Northfield Park, Take It Back Terry has been an ATM machine for co-owner and trainer Ron Burke since the start, reeling off seven straight $100K-plus seasons from 2012 to 2018. The son of Western Terror was a frequent winner in the Levy series (now Borgata), finishing second in the 2015 final, the same year he won the Gold Cup & Saucer. While never the fastest (1:50 lifetime mark), Take It Back Terry was able to win 64 times in 262 trips to the track and hit the board 151 times.

Obrigado is not the only Dan Patch Award-winning trotter on the list of 21. In 2015, on the strength of 16 wins in 21 starts, JL Cruze was named Older Trotter of the Year. The son of Crazed owns stakes wins in the Graduate, Hambletonian Maturity and Spirit of Massachusetts. He is also one of only 12 trotters to break the 1:50 barrier (1:49 4/5 in 2015). JL Cruze capped off his fifth $100K season in 2020 with six wins but finished sixth after setting very fast fractions in his yearly debut at Dover Downs on January 12. The 10-year-old has career totals of 124-41-15-26 and $1,544,267 earned.

Knocking on the door of the $1.5 million-earned club are a pair of 13-year-old pacers Great Vintage and Sapphire City. The former picked up one stakes victory in his career (Taylor Invitational) and started 2021 off with a win at Freehold and a third at Yonkers. He is less than $7K from becoming a millionaire-and-a-half. Sapphire City has yet to start this year and sits $15,397 shy of the $1.5 million mark. A one-time all-age track record holder at Yonkers Raceway (1:50 2/5), Sapphire City went winless in 2020 but has won 66 of 331 career starts.

Not to leave any of these top performers without recognition, completing the list of 21 are:

Dapper Dude (12) 57 career wins, 1:49 lifetime mark, $1.39 million

The Real One (11) 57 wins, 1:50 (former track record at Yonkers), $1.32 million

Versado (14) 65 wins, 1:48 4/5, $1.30 million

Lucan Hanover (11) 52 wins, 1:48, $1.29 million, New Jersey Classic winner

Cash Me Out (10) 57 wins, 1:53 1/5, $1.20 million

Wind Of The North (11) 62 wins, 1:51, $1.17 million, Noble Memorial winner

Southwind Amazon (11) 99 wins, 1:48 3/5, $1.12 million

Zooming (13) 65 wins, 1:51, $1.11 million

Scott Rocks (11) 63 wins, 1:48, $1.07 million

Southern Allie (14) 79 wins, 1:49 4/5, $1.07 million

Townslight Hanover (13) 38 wins, 1:48 4/5, $1.03 million, NY Sire Stakes Final winner

Caviart Luca (10) 40 wins, 1:50 4/5, $1.02 million

Sell A Bit N (11) 35 wins, 1:51 2/5, $1.01 million (including foreign)

Honorable mention goes out goes out to a handful of horses who are just shy of the million-dollar threshold. McErlean inched ever so close after a win at Yonkers Raceway on January 12 and needs just $974 to join the club. Watkins sits just over $3K short. Nickle Bag is a bit more than $7K shy but races in Canada and is at 1.2 million Canadian. Finally, Night Pro ($991,834) and Mykindachip ($982,902) are both well within striking range.

When expanding the list of millionaires to include all age groups, more than 60 were racing at the end of 2020 and the majority have or are expected to return to the races in 2021.

Simply said, the definition of a Standardbred should be a rugged horse who perseveres over the course of time. They rarely break down, they show up every week and they last the test of time. What more could you ask for in a horse?

(All horse stats accurate as of 1/14/21)