Somebeachsomewhere Heads for Top Honors
In harness racing, the Breeders Crown is the most prestigious event of the year and always attracts the most spectacular horses in the industry. With twenty-five years of Breeders Crown action to look back on, Saturday 29 November 2008 most definitely became a harness racing event for the history books. With a purse of $500 000, the Breeders Crown Pace is a race for three-year-old colt pacers and many were excited to see how Deweycheatumnhowe would perform in his trotting event, while Somebeachsomewhere was gearing up to pace into history, as both were scheduled for retirement after Saturday’s race.
Somebeachsomewhere will no doubt be remembered as one of the racing greats of harness racing, and as a magnificent three-year-old. By winning the Breeders Crown event for three-year-old pacers, he has pushed his career statistics to twenty victories off twenty-one starts and has set four world records. It is believed that by his spectacular win on Saturday, he has secured the Three Year Old Horse of the Year Award and that his only competition for the overall Horse of the Year will be Deweycheatumnhowe.
Ray Schnittker, trainer and driver of Deweycheatumnhowe, was concerned while taking him out in the Three Year Old Trotting event, as his horse had suffered a terrible mouth and throat infection last week. It was evident that the illness had affected Deweycheatumnhowe more than anyone could have anticipated as the always fiery colt showed none of his usual fight and flair. He faded in the race and finished his last career race in third place. He will now be retired to stud after winning twenty-two races off twenty-five career starts, which is still an achievement to be proud of.
Connections of Somebeachsomewhere have confirmed that even though he was scheduled to be retired on Saturday, they have made the decision to race him one last time, on 15 December 2008, at Dover Downs. This will give harness racing enthusiasts the final opportunity to see this racing great in action before he retires to stud and joins the distinguished list of legendary horses in the history of harness racing.
