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A trotter training at Vincennes hippodrome

Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle (trot monté in French) is also conducted in Europe.

Breeds[link]

In North America harness races are restricted to Standardbred horses, although European racehorses often have French or Russian lineages (such as the Orlov trotter). Light cold-blooded horses (such as Dole Gudbrandsdal horses, North Swedish Horses and Finnhorses) race separately in Scandinavia.

Standardbreds are so named because in the early years of the Standardbred stud book, only horses who could trot or pace a mile in a standard time (or whose progeny could do so) were admitted to the book.^[1] They have proportionally shorter legs than Thoroughbreds, and longer bodies.^[2] Standardbreds generally have a more placid disposition (suitable for a horse whose races involve more strategy and re-acceleration than do Thoroughbred races), due to the admixture of non-Thoroughbred blood in the breed.

The founding sire of today's Standardbred horse was Messenger, a gray Thoroughbred brought to America in 1788 and purchased by Henry Astor, brother of John Jacob Astor. From Messenger came a great-grandson, Hambletonian 10 (1849–1876), who gained a wide following for his racing prowess. However, it is his breed line for which he is most remembered.^[3] The lineage of virtually all North American Standardbred race horses can be traced from Hambletonian 10's four sons.^[4]

Races[link]

Harness racing in London, Ontario 1923

Races can be conducted in two differing gaits – trotting and pacing. The difference is that a trotter moves its legs forward in diagonal pairs (right front and left hind, then left front and right hind striking the ground simultaneously), whereas a pacer moves its legs laterally (right front and right hind together, then left front and left hind).^[5] In continental Europe, races are conducted exclusively among trotters, whereas in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States races are also held for pacers.

Pacing races constitute 80% to 90% of the harness races conducted in North America. Pacing horses are faster and (most important to the bettor) less likely to break stride (a horse which starts to gallop must be slowed down and taken to the outside until it resumes trotting or pacing). One of the reasons pacers are less likely to break stride is that they often wear hopples or hobbles (straps connecting the legs on each of the horse's sides). The belief that hopples are used to create this gait is a common misunderstanding. The pace is a natural gait for many horses, and hopples are an aid in supporting the gait at top speed; trotting hopples (which employ a different design, due to the difference in the gait) are becoming increasingly popular for the same reason.^[6]

Mobile starting gate at Vincennes, France

Most harness races start from behind a motorized starting gate. The horses line up behind a slow-moving, hinged gate mounted on a motor vehicle, which then leads them to the starting line. At the line, the wings of the gate are folded up and the vehicle accelerates away from the horses. Another kind of start is a standing start, where there are tapes or imaginary lines across the track behind which the horses either stand stationary or trot in circles in pairs in a specific pattern to hit the starting line as a group. This enables handicaps to be placed on horses (according to class) with several tapes, usually with 10 or 20 meters between tapes. Many European – and some Australian and New Zealand – races use a standing start.

The sulky (informally known as a "bike") is a light, two-wheeled cart equipped with bicycle wheels. The driver (not a "jockey", as in thoroughbred racing) carries a light whip chiefly used to signal the horse by tapping and to make noise by striking the sulky shaft. There are strict rules as to how and how much the whip may be used; in some jurisdictions (like Norway), whips are forbidden. For exercising or training, the drivers use what is known as a "jog cart," which is a sulky that is heavier and bulkier than a racing unit.

Racing[link]

France[link]

Prix d'Amerique is considered to be the number one trotting race in the world. It's annually held at the gigantic Vincennes hippodrome in eastern Paris in the end of January. Just the price money counts in millions of euro.

Scandinavia and Finland[link]

Sweden is "the locomotive" of trot racing in Scandinavia. It's a professional all-year event, even at very high latitudes during the winter. All trotting races are with a driver in a kind of wagon called sulky, saddled jockeys only appear in the sport of gallop racing.

In Sweden there are around 25 racing tracks (while the number of gallop horse racing tracks only is three. And one of them, Jägersro is a combined trot and gallop race arena. Another is only used once every year. So the number of "pure" gallop race arenas is only one in Sweden, Täby).

At Solvalla in the suburbs of Stockholm the number one trot race for short distance (1 UK mile) is held in late may every year, Elitloppet (the Elite race). Other important annual races are Svenskt travkriterium, a race open for the best of the "new horses" born in Sweden (three year old) also hosted at Solvalla. Svenskt travderby (the Derby, open for the best four year old horses), hosted in September at Jägersro in Malmö. The latter race track also hosts the Hugo Åbergs Memorial, which is an international race open for all horses.

Other important trot racing arenas in Scandinavia are Åby outside Göteborg, Mantorp, Axevalla, Bergsåker, Boden (almost at the polar circle) and Charlottenlund in Danish capital Copenhagen.

A betting game called V75 is the number one game to bet on. The winner of seven (pre-decided) races (with 12 or 15 horses) is to be picked. One single "row" is very cheap to play, but people usually play large systems, picking the winner in one or two of the races and several horses in the other races. Price for a system grow rapidly if many horses is picked in a race. Price for one "row" is 1 SEK (approx 0,12 euro) but if for instance betting on 2, 5, 1, 7, 7, 1 and 4 horses in the seven races the price multiplies as 2 x 5 x 1 x 7 x 7 x 1 x 4 = 1960 SEK (approx 205 euro). The betters win money if they get all seven, six or five horses right within the system. But the difference between picking all 7 winners and just five is huge, in terms of money to win.

V75 races are of distances 1640 m ("short"), 2140 m ("normal"), 2640 m ("long") and rarely 3140 m ("extra long"). The race track's length most usually is 1000 meters (inner track) with two long sides and two curves. Horses run counterclockwise. The horses is classified by how much price money they have gained through the entire career of the horse. The classifications are from the lowest and upwards:

1. Class III
2. Class II
3. Class I
4. Bronze division
5. Silver division
6. Gold division

• There is also a seventh class, for mares only. But mares also belong to one of the other six classifications.

Stallions (and castrated geldings) are considered a little better in general. In pure mare horse races, horses from higher classification get 20, 40 or up to 60 meter extra to run. Distance addition occurs also in races between classes. An example of such a race could be Silver division against Class II. In such case the Silver Division horses must run 60 m behind the less experienced Class II horses.

The races have two different starting methods. Car start - a special designed car with long "wings" drives ahead, the horses numbered 1 to 8 run up to their place behind the "wing-car" (horse with number one shall have the innermost position, then number 2 etc.). Behind them horses with the bad (= high) starting numbers must run behind the first eight, number 9 closest to number 8 (not number 1) and number 12 has the inner track in the back row. (A difficult starting position to come out of with a strong horse). At a given position the car accelerates and retracts "the wings".

The second method (for up to 15 horses) is a complicated "turning around yourself" procedure known as "volt start". Horses with number 1 to 5 appear in the first volt, 6 to 12 (or 15) appear in second volt, a few meters behind. In volt start good starting numbers (which automatically turn in to certain positions) are 1, 3 and 5 (slightly better than 2 and 4). But number 6 and 7 (who start in the second volt together with number 8 and higher) may get up a better speed after the turn-around but before the starting whistle sounds. Horses may have different initial speed, but must not exceed the starting line before the start signal sounds. Horses number 6 and 7 can both get a better speed at the starting line, and there are no horses in front of them. Due to this number 6 and number 7 are known as "running tracks" at volt starting. Horses 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, 14, 15 have all horses in front of them. But to get advantage of the "running tracks" the horse must be "a fast starter".

The start of the races and the starting position (which equals a certain number as explained previously) are indeed important, independent of the start method. A very good horse in a race with weak opponents but with a bad a bad start number (like 12 or higher) may not became the prime favorite due to the bad starting position. Especially at short distance.

After the start the drivers fight to get a good running position. How well this succeeds depends on the horse, the starting position and how the opponents drive their horses. Overtaking is due to the sulky width and the oval race track a far more difficult manoeuver to achieve, in comparison with gallop racing. The "running position fight" during start and the beginning of the race usually end in the first turn. After the initial fight for good running position, the horses usually form two rows or tracks. Good running positions are the leading position of the inner track or the second (or third) place in the outer track. This is explained with the fact that the outer track is close to 15 meter longer per lap, front running is always heavier compared with just follow behind (just like in cycling). Positions in the inner track behind the leader may appear the best. But as described before, overtaking is not an easy manoeuver. And horses in the inner track may very well be trapped all the way to the finish, due to the horses and sulkies in the outer track. On the other hand if an opening in the outer track appears close to the finish line, such a horse have had "an easy ride" with much strength left to give.

On short distance (1640 meter), the horse that gets the leading position of the inner track has a very good chance to be the winner. At longer races (with rather even competitors) running positions like second or third in the outer track has good chances, especially if the inner track horses get trapped behind a weakening front horse.

An important hazard for all trotting horses is that they may start galloping instead of trotting. This is often called "jumping" and the driver must within a certain distance slow the horse down to trot again. If a jumping horse gains position or disturbs other horses, then it is disqualified. (And all betters lose their money) Jumping across the finish line means the same. In most cases a jumping horse has no longer any chance to win the race. The driver needs to drive it aside and slow it down, and the horse almost automatically loses at least 100 meters or more (if not disqualified). Though at rare occasions, and with very strong horses, it does happen that a horse that previously has jumped nevertheless wins the race.

The huge popularity of trot betting in Sweden "spills over" to Norway, Finland and Denmark, where the numbers of racing tracks are fewer. Though all kind of trot betting in terms of money, is the most popular type of betting in Sweden, attendances at the races don't correspond to this. Even when "the V75 circuit comes to town" attendance rarely exceeds 5000 people. Larger crowds only gather at the biggest races. Trot racing as a sport is often considered dull, but when combined with betting it can rapidly get interesting.

Other countries in Europe[link]

Trotting sport and betting exist (at least) also in Belgium, Germany and Italy. In Italy "trotto" is as popular as "galoppo".

North America[link]

Harness racing horses being exercised, Salem Township, Michigan

Almost all North American races are at a distance of one mile (1,609 m), and North American harness horses earn a "mark" (a record), which is their fastest winning time at that distance. Harness races involve a good deal of strategy. Track size plays an important part; on the commonly-used 1/2- and 5/8-mile tracks early speed is important, while the longer stretch run of a mile track favors horses who come from behind. Usually, several drivers will contend for the lead away from the gate. They then try to avoid getting "boxed in" as the horses form into two lines – one on the rail and the other outside – in the second quarter-mile. They may decide to go to the front; to race on the front on the outside ("first over", a difficult position); or to race with "cover" on the outside. On the rail behind the leader is a choice spot, known as the "pocket", and a horse in that position is said to have a "garden trip". Third on the rail is an undesirable spot, known on small tracks as the "death hole". As the race nears the three-quarter mile mark, the drivers implement their tactics for advancing their positions – going to the lead early; circling the field; moving up an open rail; advancing behind a horse expected to tire and so on. Unlike Thoroughbreds, harness horses accelerate during the final quarter-mile of a race. The finish of a harness race is exciting, and often extremely close. The judges have a photo-finish camera to help them determine the order of finish if needed.

Most races are run on tracks constructed solely for harness racing (some with banked turns), but a few tracks conduct both harness and Thoroughbred flat racing.

Until the 1990s harness tracks featured a rail on the inside, much like the one at Thoroughbred tracks. This "hub rail" was replaced with a row of pylons (usually of a flexible material), which marked the inside boundary of the course. This change was mainly for safety reasons; it allowed a driver to pull off to the inside of the course if necessary, thus avoiding injury to himself, his horse and other competitors. In addition, this change allowed another innovation, "open-stretch racing", where an additional lane was opened to the inside of where the rail would have been. If the race leader is positioned on the rail at the top of the homestretch, that leader is required by rule to maintain that line (or move further out), while horses behind the leader can move into the open lane with room to pass the leader if possible. This solves a common problem, in which trailing horses are "boxed in" (behind the leader, with another horse outside). It makes races more wide-open, with potentially higher payoffs — and more attractive to bettors. As of 2011, however, open-lane racing is not universal.

Australia and New Zealand[link]

Australian racing differs from North American racing in that metric distances are used, generally above the equivalent of one mile and horses are classed by how many wins they have. Another large difference is that in Australian racing the leader does not have to hand up the lead to any horse that challenges, often leaving a horse parked outside the leader in the "death seat" or simply "the death" (known as "facing the breeze" in New Zealand), as this horse covers more ground than the leader. Australian racing generally has more horses in each race; a field of 12 or 13 is not uncommon. This generally means that with the smaller tracks a "three wide train" starts as the field gets the bell at signal their final lap.

New Zealand racing is quite similar to that of Australia. Many horses are able to easily "cross the Tasman" and compete as well on either side of the sea that separates Australia and New Zealand. In both New Zealand and Australia the same system of an 'open lane' operates, although in Australia it is called a 'sprint lane' and in New Zealand a 'passing lane'. These lanes do not operate on all tracks and have been a point of argument between many industry participants.

Modern Starting gates used in Australia now include Auto start. This innovation allows the starter to concentrate on the actual horse's positioning during the "score up".

The modern Starting gates use only a driver for steering the vehicle and a starter in the rear to observe the race and call a false start if required. The start speed, acceleration, score up distance, and gate closing are controlled via a computer system, which takes control of the vehicle and provides a printout at the end of the score up.^[7] Some harness racing clubs have been granted additional funds for the installation of the AVA computerised mobile barriers.^[8]

Important races[link]

In the United States and Canada[link]

Important annual races include the Hambletonian for 3-year old trotters, the Little Brown Jug for 3-year-old pacers, and the Breeders Crown series of twelve races covering each of the traditional categories of age, gait and gender. The Hambletonian is part of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters and the Little Brown Jug is part of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers. Important Canadian races include the Gold Cup and Saucer at Charlottetown Driving Park, North America Cup (for pacers), the Canadian Pacing Derby, and the Maple Leaf Trot.

The harness racing industry conducts an annual Grand Circuit, which includes many of the most prestigious races for both pacers and trotters. Founded in 1871 and first conducted in 1873 at four tracks, the Grand Circuit now visits 17 tracks as of the upcoming 2012 season.^[9]

The most notable harness tracks in North America are the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey, The Red Mile in Kentucky and Woodbine Racetrack and Mohawk Raceway, both in Ontario. Since 1947, the "United States Harness Writers" Association annually votes for the "Harness Horse of the Year." Since inception, a pacer has received the honor 31 times and a trotter 26 times.

In Australia and New Zealand[link]

The marquee event of Australasian racing is the Inter Dominion Series, which includes a pacing series and a trotting series. The series is held yearly and rotated around the Australian State Controlling Bodies and once every four years the Inter Dominion Championships are held in New Zealand.

The major events for open age pacers in Australia are the Miracle Mile, A.G. Hunter Cup, Victoria Cup and the Australian Pacing Championship. The most prestigious events for three year olds including the Victoria Derby, the New South Wales Derby and the Australian Derby. For the younger horses there are series that stem from yearling sales including the Australian Pacing Gold and an Australasian Breeders Crown.

In New Zealand the major races include the Auckland Cup and the New Zealand Cup as well as the Noel J Taylor Memorial Mile and the New Zealand Messenger Championship for four year olds. There are also the New Zealand Derby and the Great Northern Derby for three year olds, and the Dominion and Rowe Cup for trotters. The Harness Jewels raceday (the end-of year championships for two, three and four year olds) takes place in late May/early June

In Continental Europe[link]

Harness racing under saddle at Vincennes racecourse

The leading harness racing nations in Europe are France, Italy and Sweden, and the sport is fairly popular in most northern European countries. Practically all races in Europe are trotting races. Saddled events are commonplace in France and though less frequent, they are not considered exceptional in other European trotting nations. Monté (races to saddle) have recently been introduced in larger scale in Norway, to increase interest and recruitment to the sport. The Prix d'Amérique at Vincennes hippodrome near Paris, France is widely considered to be the most prestigious event of the European racing year. Other notable races include the Elitloppet one-mile race in Solvalla track near Stockholm, Sweden and Gran Premio Lotteria di Agnano in Naples, Italy. A yearly Grand Circuit tour for the top trotters includes a number of prestigious European races. All notable racing nations also host their own highly regarded premier events for young horses.

See also[link]

• Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame
• Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
• Mohawk Racetrack and Woodbine Racetrack
• The Red Mile
• Meadowlands Racetrack

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Harness racing

• Harness Central Australian News
• Harnesslink Harness Racing Portal - Global News
• Harness Edge Harness Racing News
• United States Trotting Assoc.
• Standardbred Canada
• New Zealand Harness Racing
• The Journal of French Trotting

Walter Case (1776 Pleasant Valley, Dutchess County, New York – October 7, 1859 Fishkill, Dutchess Co., NY) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

Life[link]

Case was educated by private tutors, and then attended Newburgh Academy. He graduated from Union College in 1799. Then he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1802, and commenced practice in Newburgh.

Case was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the 16th United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1819, to March 3, 1821. Afterwards he resumed the practice of law. He was affiliated with the Whig Party after its formation.

He moved to New York City in 1844 and continued the practice of law until 1848, when he retired.

He was buried at the Fishkill Rural Cemetery.

References[link]

• Walter Case at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

The California Exposition is an independent state agency established by law and governed primarily by the California Department of Food and Agriculture codes. Governed by an appointed Board of Directors, daily operations are managed by a permanent staff of 100. During the State Fair more than 2,000 temporary employees are hired for the event's duration.

The California Exposition is a self-sufficient operation that receives no government funding but still has an estimated economic impact of more than $250 million on the region.

History[link]

The California legislature created the State Agricultural Society to promote California's reputation for farming and industry. An agricultural exposition was organized and held in San Francisco in 1854, and California Historic Landmark #861 marks the site. Given that travel was difficult in that era, the next several annual expositions were moved around the state, to Sacramento, San Jose, Stockton, and Marysville.

In 1859 the exposition returned to Sacramento, and it was decided that a permanent site should be found. Capitol Park, a six block site bounded by E, H, 20th and 22nd Streets (38°34′48″N 121°28′37″W / 38.580°N 121.477°W / 38.580; -121.477) was purchased and was home to the state fair for the next fifty years.

Growth in population and attendance forced the purchase of 80 acres (320,000 m²) just outside the city limits on Stockton Boulevard (38°33′07″N 121°27′07″W / 38.552°N 121.452°W / 38.552; -121.452), and the first fair was held there in 1909. Continued growth caused that site to be expanded by 75 acres (300,000 m²) in 1937. During and after World War II, from 1942 to 1947, the Fair was suspended and the fairgrounds were occupied by the Army. During its formative years(1929-1942?), the California Highway Patrol used some of the State Fair facilities as an unofficial "training academy", later using other state-owned areas in the Sacramento area for training use until the current CHP Academy was opened in 1976.

In 1948 the state purchased a large tract of undeveloped land along the American River north of downtown Sacramento. Funds were not allocated to begin construction on this land until 1963, and the Fair continued at the Stockton Boulevard grounds until 1967. In 1968 Governor Ronald Reagan opened the Fair at the "Cal Expo" site, which covers over 350 acres (1.4 km²) at 38°35′35″N 121°26′06″W / 38.593°N 121.435°W / 38.593; -121.435.

In addition to the annual state fair, Cal Expo hosts a number of other events, such as the annual Sacramento County Fair, Christmas Tree Land, and doll, car, and RV shows. The Cal Expo racetrack hosts harness racing meets almost year-round, except for State Fair thoroughbred racing, as well as motorcycle racing and concerts. The racetrack grandstand (The Miller Lite Grandstand) seats 22,000 and was the site of the 1983 Greater Sacramento Billy Graham Crusade.

California State Fair[link]

Fair Schedule[link]

Schedule Change[link]

Cal Expo officials announced in Summer 2009 that, beginning with the 2010 State Fair, fair dates will be in late July/early August instead of the previous long-standing late August/early September dates. This change is in response to earlier opening dates of many area schools, colleges and universities. Since a majority of fair visitors are children, teenagers, and young adults, allowing the fair to overlap with school session dates would limit their attendance to evenings and weekends. This plan appears to have resulted in improved fair attendance and revenues.

Features[link]

Magnificent Midway[link]

Ride Operations[link]

Rides and Games are operated by Butler Amusements. Butler Amusements' first year at the state fair was in 2009. Rides and games were operated by RCS Amusements for a number of years before that.

Monorail[link]

There is a permanent monorail system at the fairgrounds. The storage facility for the monorail trams are located in the northwest corner of the grounds. There are four different trams (Blue, Green, Orange, Red). They are only used during the state fair.

Possible Basketball Stadium[link]

The Maloof Brothers, owners of the Sacramento Kings, were considering building a new arena for the basketball team on Cal Expo grounds, replacing the current Kings home, Power Balance Pavilion a few miles away. The Maloof Brothers and Cal Expo officials made assurances that no public money would be used in the building of the arena. However, the plan is now dead.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official web site of the California State Fair
• Promotional web site
• CDFA Division of Fairs and Expositions (governing body)
• California Historic Landmark 861
• California State Fair Virtual Tour (Java)
• Cal Expo Horse Racing

Coordinates: 38°35′36″N 121°26′05″W / 38.59337°N 121.434765°W / 38.59337; -121.434765