Bulldog Hanover!
12 Likes
I don’t normally follow harness racing.
Is the new record likely due to
- breeding/bloodlines?
- training/driver changes?
- footing changes?
- tack/equipment changes?
- something else?
1 Like
Asked my SO and if all of the above was an appropriate answer and he said it was (he’s grown up in the harness racing business).
He had one of the best names in the business sitting behind him. Anyone who has been following Bulldog Hanover was not surprised.
1 Like
That gave me chills. Thanks for posting the video. STBs are the best.
WOW that was incredible (from someone who knows nothing about harness racing) 
I’m ignorant to harness racing - is there a reason they leave their tails down and don’t wrap them up in a mud knot or something? It seemed scary close to the driver’s hands, and could get tangled? Maybe it’s just how it looks and it’s not that way really.
And wow, the way his back end articulates is super bizarre. Good for him and his connections! A new record, wow!
His tail isn’t down, it’s tied to the racebike. 
Definitely no worry about it getting tangled with anything.
2 Likes
Oh goodness, my ignorance is really showing! I thought I saw the tails flowing back towards the drivers? I was talking more about bundling up the hair instead of letting it float in what looks to be right into their laps!
Again, sorry for the ignorant question, I don’t know a blessed thing about harness racing.
Sorry! For some reason I thought they tied his tail, obviously not. I’ve never (or should I say I don’t remember) ever seeing a STB’s tail in a mud knot. If you watch enough races, you’ll see sometimes the drivers will flip the horses tail instead of hitting them.
2 Likes
That was an amazing race (I know nothing about racing but the horse is seriously fast!). Fun fact, I used to help caretake Mr. Haughton’s retired horses that lived on his farm in NH. He had passed at this point so I worked for his wife. If i remember correctly there was a mare there named Pilgrim something(???) that was the first mare to win $1 million in harness racing. I may not have that story right…
Wow Bulldog Hanover made it look easy, too! Before opening the video, I was sure that the winner must have left the rest of the field in the dust, but the 2nd place horse Rocky Road Hanover ran a very respectable race and was not too far off him!
2 Likes
That makes the hair stand up on my arms! I’ve already seen the replay but WOW! As someone who still works in the harness racing industry I know how fast that is and I just don’t have any words. I know this horses’ connections are super happy with him and I’m looking forward to seeing if he can beat this time now.
1 Like
I also don’t follow harness racing. The jockeys look like they are in a very uncomfortable position, they must have abs of steel.
I remember reading a couple years ago that standardbreds on the track are getting faster, but thoroughbreds are not, and no one really knows why. Not sure if this is still the case, or if there’s been any studies done, but it’s certainly an interesting anecdote.
I was literally just reading an article on this the other day:
The TLDR summary: standardbreds are a relatively new breed compared to TBs and have been purpose-bred for racing for a shorter period of time; they’ve had a lot of room to physically improve from their cart-horse origins. The TB’s speed also increased during the same epoch in the breed’s development. Also, the entire standardbred racing industry has evolved a lot since the 1900s with things like faster race bike construction and the rise of professional drivers.
6 Likes
