Race And Racehorse Of The Decade | Standardbred Canada.
Today we present the fourth and final installment of Harness Racing’s Best of the Decade as chosen by some of the biggest names in North American racing.
From the people who trained and drove them or against them, to the people who bred and owned them. The people who selected them as their trainer, driver, sire or broodmare of choice. The people who bet on them or wrote proudly about their accomplishments. Media. Owners. Breeders. Trainers. Drivers. Fans. Customers. We asked, they answered.
Today we salute the top race and racehorse as chosen by the industry for the years 2000 – 2009.
Race of the Decade
Making his U.S. debut, Canadian champion Somebeachsomewhere was impressive in his elimination for the $1.1 million Meadowlands Pace in a stakes-record equaling 1:48.3 under a hand drive to Paul MacDonell. Who could have predicted what would transpire one week later on July 19, 2008.
Racehorse of the Decade
Where does Somebeachsomewhere rank among the best standardbreds to ever look through a bridle? A berth in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame a mere nine months after he finished his racing career speaks volumes. Now he’s the selection as harness racing’s racehorse of the decade.
‘The Beach’ compiled over $3.2 million in 21 races, winning 20 of them for earnings of $156,655 per start. Somebeachsomewhere banked $2,448,003 in 2008 during his three-year-old campaign, a new record for single-season earnings. Along the way, he set four world records, including the fastest mile in the history of the sport (1:46.4) and recorded sub-1:50 miles in exactly half of his 20 wins.
By the end of Somebeachsomewhere’s perfect (six-for-six) freshman season, the mainstream media had already came to court ‘Beach’. In 2008, Somebeachsomewhere was one of the biggest news and sports stories of the year in Canada. He was considered for the Lou Marsh Award honouring Canada’s athlete of the year. He was featured on CBC’s The National news program and he was named the Newsmaker of the Year for Nova Scotia by the CBC. He was profiled in the nation’s biggest newspapers and on national radio. He and his connections made the cover of industry trade publications 18 times.
Trainer and co-owner Brent MacGrath perhaps said it best when he said that Somebeachsomewhere “is the horse of a lifetime. Simple.”
Previously announced Best of the Decade winners are as follows:
Breeder of the Decade.
Broodmare of the Decade.
Driver of the Decade.
Owner of the Decade (tied with)
Owner of the Decade.
Sire of the Decade (tied with)
Sire of the Decade.
Trainer of the Decade.
