Somebeachsomewhere Career & Awards
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Somebeachsomewhere began his amazing racing career in the Battle of Waterloo at the Grand River Raceway, where he went off as a second favorite in eliminations and won by a comfortable margin of three lengths. In the $300,000 final he won the race as a 4-5 post time favorite.
After proving his ability on the small track, Somebeachsomewhere moved onto the Metro Pace Eliminations at Mohawk Racetrack. Somebeachsomewhere was drawn into the same elimination as Dali, the fastest two-year-old colt of the year, up to that point. Somebeachsomewhere was able to hold off race favorite, Dali, and won the race by 3 1/2 lengths in 1:52.1.
The next week was the $1 million final of the event, which he won (as the race favorite), in a world record 1:49.3.
To finish off his two-year-old campaign, Somebeachsomewhere raced in a pair of stakes races at Mohawk, the Champlain Stakes, and the Nasagaweya Stakes, which he won by comfortable margins.
Somebeachsomewhere earned $812,592 in his freshman year, with a perfect record of six wins in six starts.
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Somebeachsomewhere qualified on 5 May 2008 and put in an eye-opening mile of 1:51.1 at Mohawk. He was scheduled to make his first start of the season in the first Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Elimination on 17 May. However, an injury result in him being scratched from the race.
Two weeks later, when he made his 2008 debut, there was some skepticism about his well-being. He rid any doubts by winning his division of the Burlington Stakes over Santanna Blue Chip.
Following the Burlington, Somebeachsomewhere began preparing for the $1.5 million North America Cup, Canada's richest harness race. MacGrath was advised not to train the horse in the week leading up to his elimination, yet he won handily in 1:49.0. Over the next week, trainers and drivers of other horses in the final stated that it was simply a race for second place.
Somebeachsomewhere went off as a 2-5 favorite, and won the race by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:49.0.
Up next for the star of the sport was the $1 million Meadowlands Pace. Beach drew in to, arguably, the toughest elimination on 12 July, and faced the likes of Badlands Nitro and Art Official. He went off at the 1-5 favorite, and pulled away in the stretch to win the elimination by 4 1/2 lengths in a career best 1:48.3. Beach had his first taste of defeat the following week when Art Official caught him in the stretch, and beat him by a head, in a world record time of 1:47.0. The race offered incredible fractions of 26.0, 51.4, 1:19.1, and 1:47.0.
Beach raced in a pair of races at Mohawk on 3 August and 10 August, and won both races comfortably, as expected. He then travelled to Flamboro Downs to compete in the Confederation Cup. This would mark Beach's first competitive start on a half mile track, and would also be the first time the champion would race in heats. In his heat, he scored the anticipated win in 1:51.3. Beach drew post two for the final, which definitely delighted the connections and the fans. Beach took the early lead and never looked back, going through fractions of 26.1, 55.2, 1:22.4, and 1:49.2, becoming the first three-year-old horse to ever race in under 1:50 on a half mile track.
Brent MacGrath had stated that he wanted to "prep this horse for a world record in Kentucky", and added that Beach will likely not attempt a time trial at The Red Mile, as once believed. On 27 September 2008, Beach tied the all age world record of 1:46.4 at The Red Mile in the Bluegrass.
On 25 October 2008, Beach took the final leg of the Pacing Triple Crown, when he won the Messenger Stakes at Yonkers Raceway in 1:52.1 over Shadow Play.
Beach made his Woodbine debut on 15 November 2008, and put in a phenomenal mile winning the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final by 11 3/4 lengths. The win put him near the $3 million mark in career earnings.
The colt's final race came in the 2008 Breeder's Crown at Meadowlands Racetrack with a win in the $500 000 3-year-old colt and gelding pacing division.
After his strong showing in the Breeder's Crown, MacGrath entered Beach into the Matron Stakes at Dover Downs. The race would have marked Beach's first start on a 5/8 mile track. Unfortunately, Beach was scratched from his elimination due to a fever he was suffering from.
Beach ended his racing career with a record of 20-1-0 in 21 career starts, career earnings of $3,328,755, and a mark of 1:46.4.
On 31 January 2009, Somebeachsomewhere was the unanimous winner of the O'Brien Award for top three-year-old pacing colt. He was also named recipient of the prestigious Cam Fella Award as well as named Canadian Horse of the Year. On 4 February 2009, he was the recipient of the Dan Patch Award for U.S. Pacer of the Year and named the first ever Canadian-sired U.S. Horse of the Year.
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World Records
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- Fastest mile by a two-year-old - 1:49.3 set winning the $1 million Metro Pace on Sept. 1, 2007 at the Mohawk Racetrack.
- Fastest mile by a three-year-old on a half-mile track - 1:49.2 set in the second and deciding heat of the $493,000 Confederation Cup on AUg. 17, 2008 at Flamboro Downs.
- Fastest mile by a three-year-old - 1:46.4 set in the $134,000 Bluegrass on Sept. 27, 2008 at The Red Mile.
- Fastest race mile in history - 1:46.4 set in the $134,000 Bluegrass on Sept. 27, 2008 at The Red Mile (equaled the race mile recorded by five-year-old Holburn Hanover in the $195,000 U.S. Pacing Championship on Aug. 5, 2006 at the Meadowlands.
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Other Records
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- Single season earnings record of $2,448,003 (by USTA accounting) eclipsing the record of $2,428,816 set by Gallo Blue Chip in 2000.
- Earnings per start record of $156,655.
- Win percentage of 95.2 per cent.
- Breeders Crown three-year-old pacing colt record of 1:48.3 set in the $500,000 final on Nov. 29, 2008 at the Meadowlands.
- Fastest mile in Ontario Sires Stakes history of 1:49.2 set Aug. 10, 2008 in the $180,000 Gold Final at the Meadowlands.
- Canadian half-mile track two-year-old record of 1:54.2 set on July 30, 2007 in his career pari-mutuel debut in the $24,000 Battle of Waterloo elimination at Grand River Raceway.
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Major Awards - 2008
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- U.S Dan Patch - Horse of the Year
- Canadian O'Brian Award - Horse of the Year (unanimous choice)
- Cam Fella Award (honouring meritorious service to haness racing in Canada)
- CBC Nova Scotia Newsmaker of the Year
- U.S. Dan Patch - Pacer of the Year
- Canadian O'Brian Award - three-year-old pacer of the year (unanimous choice)
- U.S. Dan Patch - three-year-old pacer of the year (USHWA)
- U.S. Nova Award - three-year-old pacer of the year (HTA)
- Halifax Herald Sports Story of the Year
- Truro Daily News Newsmaker of the Year
- Canadian Sportsman Readers' Choice Horse of the Year
- Canadian Sportsman Newsmaker of the Year
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Major Awards - 2007
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- Canadian O'Brian Award - Horse of the Year (tied with Tell All)
- Canadian O'Brian Award - two-year-old pacing colt of the year
- U.S. Dan Patch - two-year-old pacing colt of the year
- U.S. Nova Award - two-year-old pacing colt of the year
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Video Summary of SBSW Racing Career
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Video highlights of his most impressive wins in big races. A Man 'O War like career with a record of 20-1-0 in 21 starts. Even the only defeat of his racing career was impressive.
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Somebeachsomewhere Racelines
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Date
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Track/Race
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Purse
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Finish
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Time
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Last 1/4
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Odds
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Nov. 29, 2008
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Meadowlands
Breeder's Crown F
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$500,000
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1/1T
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1:48.3
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26.3
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*0.20
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Nov. 15, 2008
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Woodbine
D-OSS-SF
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$300,000
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1/11T
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1:50.3
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29.3
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*0.05
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Oct. 25, 2008
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Yonkers
Messenger
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$650,000
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1/NK
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1:52.1
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27.4
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*0.30
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Oct. 4, 2008
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Red Mile
Tattersalls
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$293,000
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1/3H
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1:47.4
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26.2
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*0.05
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Sept. 27, 2008
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Red Mile
Bluegrass
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$134,000
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1/7H
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1:46.4
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27.2
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*0.05
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Sept. 6, 2008
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Mohawk
D-Simcoe
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$132,326
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1/1T
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1:50.1
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29.4
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*0.05
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Aug. 17, 2008
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Flamboro
Confed F
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$493,000
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1/4
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1:49.2
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26.3
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*0.15
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Aug. 17, 2008
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Flamboro
Confed E
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$50,000
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1/1T
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1:51.3
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26.4
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*0.05
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Aug. 10, 2008
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Mohawk
D-OSS-GF
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$180,000
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1/4T
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1:49.2
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27.4
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*0.05
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Aug. 3, 2008
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Mohawk
3 Yr Open
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$50,000
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1/2T
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1:49.0
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26.3
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*0.05
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July 19, 2008
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Meadowlands
M Pace F
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$1,100,000
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2/NK
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1:47.0
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27.4
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*0.10
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July 12, 2008
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Meadowlands
M Pace E
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$50,000
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1/4H
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1:48.3
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26.2
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*0.20
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June 14, 2008
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Mohawk
D-NA Cup F
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$1,500,000
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1/2T
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1:49.0
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27.0
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*0.40
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June 7, 2008
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Mohawk
D-NA Cup E
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$50,000
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1/2
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1:49.0
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27.1
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*0.30
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May 31, 2008
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Mohawk
D-Burlington
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$100,000
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1/1H
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1:51.3
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28.1
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*0.25
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May 5, 2008
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Mohawk
QUAL
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$0
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1/10T
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1:51.1
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27.1
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NB
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Sept. 15, 2007
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Mohawk
D-Nasagaweya
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$145,300
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1/2
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1:51.4
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28.2
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*0.10
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Sept. 8, 2007
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Mohawk
D-Champlain
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$115,884
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1/3Q
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1:51.0
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26.0
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*0.05
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Sept. 1, 2007
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Mohawk
D-Metro
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$1,000,000
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1/2
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1:49.3
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27.4
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*1.75
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Aug. 25, 2007
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Mohawk
D-Metro E
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$40,000
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1/3H
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1:52.1
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27.4
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5.15
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Aug. 6, 2007
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Grand River
Battle of Waterloo
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$300,000
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1/2Q
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1:55.0
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29.0
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*0.85
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July 30, 2007
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Grand River
Battle of Waterloo E
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$24,000
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1/3
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1:54.2
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28.0
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1.60
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July 8, 2007
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Truro
QUAL
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$0
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1/10
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2:00.1
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28.2
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NB
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July 1, 2007
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Truro
QUAL
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$0
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1/5Q
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2:02.1
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29.0
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NB
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June 24, 2007
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Truro
QUAL
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$0
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1/3Q
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2:04.3
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30.1
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NB
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HD - head; NK - neck; Q - 1/4 length; H - half length; T - 3/4 length
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