Anyone know anything about standardbred registration?

This is like a whole new world to me. I know we have some standardbred folks who visit this forum from time to time, so hopefully one of them will chime in and hold my hand.

My current silly question is this:

I’m trying to determine if a name is available. The criteria for a name being available is as follows:

  • it is not an exact match for a horse that has raced or been bred in the past 15 years
  • it is not an exact match for a horse that has been awarded honors, i.e. Dan Patch Award, O’Brien Award, Nova Award or inducted into the Hall of Fame
  • it is not an exact match for a horse that is considered “outstanding” (has earnings of $100,000 or greater or has a 2:00 or better mark)

My top choice for a name has been used on a 1999 model whose information is as follows:

P, 3, 1:53.2S $87,775

The horse last raced in 2003. As far as I can tell, the horse has no breeding activity. The horse also died in 2013 per Pathway.

Looking at the criteria:
:white_check_mark:not an exact match for a horse that has raced or has been bred in the past 15 years.
:white_check_mark:no honors or awards
:white_check_mark:didn’t earn more than $100K
:question:2:00 or better mark. It says 1:53.2S

So I guess this means the name isn’t available because the horse is “outstanding?” Or am I interpreting that wrong?

not Standard Bred but TB: names are usually blocked for a number of years, cobsidered the natural lifespan of the horse. Maybe it’s somewhere in the small print how long they block a name?Seeing the horse was alive in 2013, the clock might not have wond down yet?

See above. It’s blocked for 15 years after last racing/breeding activity.

USTA and small print… :joy: What I quoted above is the small print.

hmmm
interesting.
they might have tried to breed and not had any results (unless it was a gelding?)

does not sound like an outstanding specimen to me though.

Or somebody else came up with the same idea and put in for it?

We just moved on to the next name…and ended up with a colt named for (gosh I had forgotten aboutt his dude) a BF of my sister, who’s name just happen to start with the required letter. My dad was not pleased about it (and was vehement against naming one after him, also starting with said letter)

Did you put in for your name & they rejected it?

I hope there’s no reason to move on to the next name, but I can’t figure that out!

USTA doesn’t make name stuff public like the Jockey Club.

They also don’t (as far as I can tell) let you reserve names like the Jockey Club.

What I was hoping someone familiar with the process would know is if that 1:53.2S means that the horse is “outstanding” and therefore the name is permanently ineligible.

I do not understand the times they list with horses’ info. I know they are mile times. I assume it’s a lifetime best time. I don’t know what the letters behind the times mean. Sometimes you see S, M, F, etc. On different reports, they sometimes list 5/8th mile and half mile times, yet they are usually based on a 2:00 mile… so it will say something like “1:56.3 half mile,” but I know that’s not how long it took for the horse to go a half mile because their mile times are faster.

If sub 2:00 is “outstanding,” there are A LOT of outstanding STBs out there. I’m new to all this, but on every report I pull, there are more sub 2:00 times listed than not.

No, I haven’t put in for it yet. You don’t do that until registration with them, and I’m in paperwork h*ll with that right now because of the situation.

Really, I’m just trying to decide if my top name choices are available, because they don’t make that public.

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not into the harness crowd myself, somewhere the times are significant as I vaguely recall.
Sorry I am of no real help here and none of the noodles stick to the wall…

I have a STB but dont know exactly what that means. I think the Standardbred Retraining Group on Facebook is open so you might be able to ask this question there. There are a ton of people still associated with the track in that group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/217909778944308/

Thanks! I’m actually already a member but didn’t even think to ask there.

They should adjust the definition of outstanding, a 1.53 pacer is almost a cheap claimer at some tracks. By that standard, my boy was outstanding, but he hardly paid for his feed.

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Thanks for confirming what I suspected. Even $100k seems like a really low bar. Makes me think someone wrote that definition in 1973 and no one has revisited it in nearly 50 years.

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Yeah, pretty much. 100k is nice if they do it over a couple of years, especially if you have a few of them doing the same, but it’s nothing to write home about in the greater scheme of things over a career spanning years.

Congrats Tex! They are such a wonderful breed! Your best bet on the naming questions might be to call the USTA, 1-877-800-USTA.

One thing, please be sure to get your baby freeze branded. Unfortunately, it is no longer mandatory. They use microchips now. However, freeze brands save many horses as it makes them able to be easily picked out by stb rescuers if they ever end up in a pen.

#istandforthebrand

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I think that last one is an old rule. 2:00 isn’t fast anymore at all for pacers BUT 153.2 isn’t too shabby. I would reach out to USTA and ask. I believe they have a registration email. Normally they are super helpful over there and are pretty fast in responding. Also if you are planning on microchipping per the new rules for racing eligibility, I strongly suggest paying the extra to also have the foal freeze branded.

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I also suggest you just call or email the USTA with your question. Every time I have contacted them for any reason they have been helpful.

If I recall correctly, the letters after the time indicate the size track. S=7/8, M=mile, F-5/8.

And yes, 2:00 certainly does not mean “outstanding” in this day and age!

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Omg, @Texarkana! I haven’t been following the 2022 foal thread but I saw this one and was like, “hmmmm that’s weird, when did Tex start breeding STBs?” so I looked it up. Belated congratulations on your BOGO! Totally what you needed in addition to the chaos and expense of a new farm, right?? She is pretty precious though… does she have a barn name?

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Long time no see @beaujolais. Where have you been?!?

I honestly had not considered that point, so thanks!

Thank you! I was going batty trying to figure it out. That also answers my other question of why 5/8, half, 7/8 times were odd— it is track size, not distance, duh. Like I said, this is a whole new world to me.

Right? Chaos is the theme of my life lately. You can’t even make this stuff up. What are the odds?

I’ve been calling her Bee for right now and I’ve gotten ridiculously attached.

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