The Trotting Triple Crown--A Review Of The Winners

Muscles Yankee stands at the threshold of history. In the next two weeks, we will discover if he is to be the first Triple Crown trotting winner since 1972, and the seventh overall, or another in a long line of trotters who won two legs of the troika, only to lose the third, or fail to even start.

The Valley Victory colt is the eighth horse since 1972 to have a chance at the Triple Crown. The other seven are Continentalvictory, Bullville Victory, American Winner, Mack Lobell, Speedy Somolli, Green Speed, and Steve Lobell. Prior to 1972, Timothy T., AC's Viking, Duke Rodney, Diller Hanover and Emily's Pride also won two legs of the Triple Crown.

This week, I propose to look at the careers of the six trotters who did win the Triple Crown, and assess their overall impact on the breed. There are a couple of observations here that are apparent. First, in terms of overall quality, the list of horses who failed to win all three legs of the Triple Crown might be a more accomplished group than those who actually completed this difficult triple. Just look at that list of near misses. That is a very good group! Secondly, the modern trotter is a much more fragile horse than his predecessor, and the demands of winning three races over the space of more than 60 days is a much bigger task than faced by a Nevele Pride or Super Bowl, for instance. Nevele Pride raced 24 times at three--53 times total at two and three. Super Bowl started 28 times at three and 51 times at two and three.

By way of comparison, Muscles Yankee has made only seven starts this year prior to his first engagement this week at The Red Mile in the Transylvania Stake. And he made only nine starts last year. Next week, I plan to analyze the difficulties of winning the Triple Crown, and to discuss some of the problems inherent in the pursuit of trotting's Holy Grail. This week, I want to concentrate on the horses who have won the Triple Crown.

The prestigeous Triple Crown

Trotting's Triple Crown consists of the Hambletonian, the Yonkers Trot (formerly the Yonkers Futurity) and the 106-year-old Kentucky Futurity. The Kentucky Futurity was first raced in 1893; the Hambletonian was inaugurated in 1926 and the Yonkers Trot was first contested in 1955, the first year that a Triple Crown was actually offered.

In that first year, Scott Frost and Joe O'Brien swept the three races, winning the Hambletonian in straight heats at Goshen in 2:01.3 and 2:00.3; winning the Yonkers Trot in 2:12 (it was first raced at 1 1-16 mi.) and then winning the Kentucky Futurity in three heats with the last two in 2:00.3 and 2:04.2. Scott Frost actually came very close to missing his chance at trotting immortality since he was involved in an accident in the first heat when Galophone, driven by Billy Haughton, stepped into his sulky wheel and both colts were pulled up and did not finish.

Scott Frost was a sensational trotter. He was a handsome, good-gaited guy who was a spectacular race colt, winning 56 of his 71 career starts. He was Horse of the Year in both 1955 and 1956 and earned more than $300,000. From the Spencer mare, Nora, his fourth dam was the famed Volga E., a full sister to Peter Volo. This is, of course, the famous Nervolo Belle family still producing champions today. Fern, the 1998 Hambletonian Oaks winner, is a descendant of the same remarkable lineage.

Scott Frost was denied a chance at reproducing his own kind, since a viral infection resulted in his infertility as a very young sire, but not before he produced Safe Mission, winner of the 1962 Kentucky Futurity. The loss of Scott Frost was a real blow to the Hoot Mon male line, which once was trotting's most dominant outpost. As we now know, however, the Hoot Mon influence, both male and female, has been diminished over the past 40 years, an unlikely fall from grace for a bloodline that was clearly the most productive source of champions in that era.

After Scott Frost, the Triple Crown went begging until Speedy Scot came along. I have a great fondness for Speedy Scot because he was the first really great horse I ever laid eyes on. I was but 14 and his Hambletonian victory in three heats over Florlis is a memory I will carry to my grave.

Speedy Scot was about as powerful a trotter as ever lived. He was not a good-gaited horse, as he had a high, rolling action in front that necessitated he wear elbow boots. He also was not a line-gaited horse, as he had a way of "winging" his front end while his hind quarters sprawled as he powered down the track. Speedy Scot was all about power and speed. What he lacked in grace and precision, he made up with uncommon power and strength.

Speedy Scot's Triple Crown was, with the exception of his struggle with Florlis in the Hambletonian, accomplished with authority. He won the Yonkers Futurity in 2:03.3 (a stakes record at the time;) won the Hambletonian in 1:58 and 1:58.2 after dropping the first heat to Florlis in a world record 1:57.2; and then won the Kentucky Futurity in straight heats of 1:57.1 and 1:57.2. His Kentucky Futurity was a stakes record, and he was awarded Horse of the Year status in 1963.

In this space in previous weeks, I have outlined the amazing contributions made by Speedy Scot to the character of the breed. His son, Speedy Crown, transformed the modern trotter, and another branch of Speedy Scot's family comes down through his son, Arnie Almahurst, then to Arndon and Florida Pro, the sires of Pine Chip and Sugarcane Hanover, respectively.

Next in line for Triple Crown honors was the Star's Pride speedball Ayres, who blazed to a stakes record 2:0l.3h in the Yonkers Futurity; to a stakes and world record 1:56.4 in the Hambletonian, and to a straight heat 1:58.1-1:59.2 victory in the Kentucky Futurity on one of those fall days in Lexington when it was cold enough to snow.

Ayres was a difficult horse to manage, and like Speedy Scot before him, was a testament to the training and driving abilities of John Simpson, Sr. Speedy Scot owed much of his development to the cool, professional horsemanship of Ralph Baldwin, and Ayres most certainly would probably have been ruined by a less competent horseman than John Simpson, Sr. .

As a sire at Hanover Shoe Farms, Ayres had wonderful opportunities, but largely failed to do much with them. He was at stud for 22 seasons and sired but 15 trotters who got 2:00 marks. His lone high marks as a sire is that he did produce two Hambletonian winners--the full brothers Timothy T. and Christopher T. It is interesting to note that for a horse with such explosive speed, he did not reproduce it. His fastest performer had a mark of but 1:58.1! Probably his most prominent historical contribution is that he sired the Italian Lotteria winner Top Hanover 2:00.3f, who became a very successful sire.

The decade of the 1960's was remarkable because it produced four of the six winners of the Triple Crown. In 1968, the horse of the moment was the mercurial Nevele Pride. His Triple Crown is remarkable because at no time in any of the Triple Crown races was another horse ever in front of Nevele Pride. He went wire to wire in the Yonkers Futurity in 2:03.3h; wire to wire in the Hambletonian in 1:59.3 and 1:59.2 and wire to wire in straight heats of the Kentucky Futurity in identical 1:57 miles in an unprecedented display total domination.

A case could be made that Nevele Pride was perhaps the finest trotting race colt in the history of the breed. Stanley Dancer touched many champions during his illustrious career, but none finer than Nevele Pride. He was good-gaited, sound, and he was Horse of the Year in each of his three seasons at the races, the only trotter ever so honored. In three years at the races, he dropped but ten heats in 67 starts. Like Ayres, Nevele Pride was by Star's Pride and, like Ayres, he was from a Hoot Mon mare. Nevele Pride's dam, Thankful, gave the legendary colt star that era's "golden cross."

Most observers consider Nevele Pride's stud career to be a disappointment, and perhaps for a horse of his accomplishment, his siring ability was less than expected. Still, he did produce a Hambletonian winner in Bonefish 3,1:58.1, a horse with an immense presence in the breed, since both Valley Victory and Moni Maker are from Bonefish dams. However, it must also be acknowledged that in all of his years in the stud at Stoner Creek Stud in Kentucky, he did not produce a sub-1:56 trotter.

Nevele Pride's European presence is signifcant, since the European stars Pershing, Snack Bar, Meadow Roland and Zoot Suit were all sired by the 1968 Triple Crown winner. As a broodmare sire, he produced the dams of Hambletonian winners Duenna and Nuclear Kosmos as well as the ill-fated European stars Park Avenue Kathy and Meadow Prophet.

The decade of the 1960's was closed out by Lindy's Pride, the third trotting Triple Crown winner sired by Star's Pride. He won the Yonkers Futurity in 2:03h, the Hambletonian in straight heats of 1:57.3 and 1:58.2 and the Kentucky Futurity in straight heats of 1:59 and 1:59.3 racing for trainer-driver Howard Beissinger. .

Lindy's Pride had a relatively short stud career in which he sired fewer than 500 foals. Still, he produced two 1:55 trotters, 23 in 2:00 and twenty $100,000 winners. His fastest offspring were the world champions Cornstalk 3,1:53.4 and Lindy's Crown 4,1:54.4. His best broodmare credits include the dams of Crowning Point and Burgomeister.

26 years ago.......

The sixth and final winner of the Triple Crown was the legendary Super Bowl, another son of Star's Pride, and Stanley Dancer's second Triple Crown winner during his legendary training and driving career. In 1972, Super Bowl's Hambletonian was the first leg of the Triple Crown, and Super Bowl did not disappoint. His world record heats of 1:57.2 and 1:56.2 showed his true quality. Next, he won the Yonkers Futurity in 2:02h and then captured the Kentucky Futurity in 2:00, back in 1:59. Super Bowl's domination was such that only four other trotters entered against him in the Futurity.

As a sire, Super Bowl battled with his contemporary Speedy Crown for top siring honors in the breed, and he was recently retired at Hanover Shoe Farms after more than 22 years in the stud. Super Bowl owed much of his physical presence to his Rodney dam, Pillow Talk. And unlike Nevele Pride, Ayres and Lindy's Pride, whose stud careers were less than spectacular, Super Bowl succeeded in a very big way. He has produced more than 350 trotters with 2:00 marks, and has sired the dams of another 300 even time performers. In addition, Super Bowl has produced a dozen Breeders Crown winners, ten millionaires, six Hambletonian winners and five Kentucky Futurity winners. He also produced top siring sons like American Winner and Supergill; outstanding racing fillies like Jef's Spice and Armbro Keepsake and the Kentucky Futurity, World Trotting Derby and Elitlopp winner Napoletano. He is also the sire of the dam of Peace Corps, the richest money-winning Standardbred in history.

I have often considered Super Bowl and Speedy Crown as the most successful trotting sires who ever lived who were also the dominant race horses of their respective classes. Their siring careers were far superior to their racetrack accomplishments, and it is the very rare horse that can make that boast.

Is Muscles Yankee a horse in the class of a Nevele Pride or Super Bowl? Or will he join the impressive list of horses who came close, but failed to garner Triple Crown honors. It will be our pleasure to report on the outcome of Muscles Yankee's pursuit of the Triple Crown on the KGB website the next two weeks. NEXT WEEK, A LOOK AT THE NEAR MISSES OF THE TRIPLE CROWN PURSUIT--AND A GUESS AS TO WHY SOME OF THOSE HORSES MISSED THEIR DATES WITH DESTINY