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2022-12-19
USHWA announces Dan Patch Award-winning trotters
Harrisburg, PA
Hambletonian-winning filly Atlanta led a distinguished group of trotters named division champions in Dan Patch Award voting released Wednesday (Dec. 19) by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. Atlanta received 96.1 percent of the votes for best 3-year-old female trotter, the highest total among the six trotting honorees.
Hambletonian winner Atlanta was honored as the top 3-year-old trotting filly by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. Mark Hall/USTA photo
Six Pack earned top honors among 3-year-old male trotters.
Homicide Hunter earned Dan Patch accolades as Older Male Trotter of the Year off the heels of his 1:48.4 mile at Red Mile.
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Also named division winners
were 2-year-old colt Gimpanzee, 2-year-old filly Woodside
Charm, 3-year-old colt Six Pack, 6-year-old gelding Homicide
Hunter, and 4-year-old mare Ariana G.
Ariana G, who received the nod for best older female
trotter, was the only repeat winner. She collected her third
trophy and joined CR Kay Suzie (1994-96) and Peace Corps
(1988-90) as the only female trotters to receive a Dan Patch
Award at ages 2, 3 and 4.
A total of 130 Dan Patch Award ballots were returned by the
U.S. Harness Writers Association’s membership this year. Dan
Patch Award winners will be honored at the organization’s
banquet Feb. 24 at Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando,
Fla., at which time Trotter, Pacer, and Horse of the Year
will be announced.
Divisional pacing champions will be announced at noon
Thursday (Dec. 20) during a live stream broadcast on the
Facebook pages of both the U.S. Harness Writers Association
and U.S. Trotting Association.
Atlanta, who received 125 votes, became the first filly to
win the Hambletonian since 1996 when she captured the $1
million final Aug. 4 at the Meadowlands. Trained by Rick
Zeron and driven by his son Scott, she won eight of 14 races
this year and earned a division-leading $1.01 million. Her
victories also included the $320,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity
and $238,613 Empire Breeders Classic. She finished second in
the $500,000 Breeders Crown.
A daughter of Chapter Seven out of Hemi Blue Chip, Atlanta
is owned by Rick Zeron, Michelle and Al Crawford’s Crawford
Farms, William Holland’s Holland Racing Stable, Howard
Taylor, and Brad Grant. She was bred by Order By Stable.
In the division for the 3-year-old colts and geldings, Six
Pack received 54.6 percent of the vote in the closest
balloting among trotters. He outdistanced runner-up Tactical
Landing, 71-46.
Six Pack, a son of Muscle Mass out of Pleasing Lady, won 11
of 15 races this year and earned a division-best $1.15
million. His triumphs included the $620,000 Kentucky
Futurity, $500,000 Yonkers Trot, $223,673 Empire Breeders
Classic, $210,150 Matron Stakes, and a $181,000 division of
the Stanley Dancer Memorial. His winning time of 1:49.1 in
the Kentucky Futurity final is the fastest mile ever by a
3-year-old trotter.
Åke Svanstedt trained and drove Six Pack in addition to
owning the colt with Jeff Gural’s Little E LLC, Tomas
Olofsson’s Stall Kalmar FF, and Lars Berg. Six Pack was bred
by Brittany Farms.
Ariana G added to her hardware collection by receiving 63.8
percent of the vote for best older female trotter, finishing
50 votes ahead of second-place Emoticon Hanover. Ariana G
was trained by Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter, who retired at
the end of the season, and posted victories with drivers
Yannick Gingras, Brian Sears, and David Miller.
The homebred mare, a daughter of Muscle Hill out of Cantab
It All, won five of 14 races this year and earned a
division-leading $597,802 for owners Marvin Katz and Al
Libfeld. She beat male rivals in all her wins, including the
$405,850 Hambletonian Maturity and $250,000 Graduate Series
championship, which were for 4-year-olds, as well as the
$150,000 Dayton Trotting Derby and an elimination of the
Maple Leaf Trot. She finished third in the Maple Leaf final.
Homicide Hunter, the fastest trotter in history thanks to
his 1:48.4 winning mile in the Allerage Farms Open on Oct. 6
at Red Mile, received the Dan Patch Award for best older
male trotter with 73.8 percent of the vote. Marion Marauder,
the division’s 2017 champion, was the only other
vote-getter.
In addition to winning the Allerage, Homicide Hunter
captured the $500,000 Breeders Crown, $200,000 Charlie Hill
Memorial, and $100,000 Great Northeast Open Series
championship. George Napolitano Jr., Aaron Merriman, and
Brian Sears each had a Grand Circuit victory with the Chris
Oakes-trained gelding. Homicide Hunter, a son of Mr Cantab
out of Evening Prayer, is owned by Michelle and Al
Crawford’s Crawford Farms Racing and was bred by Patrick
Graham.
Gimpanzee and Woodside Charm were undefeated, marking the
first time both 2-year-old trotting champions completed
unblemished campaigns. They also were the two richest
2-year-old trotters this season.
Marcus Melander-trained Gimpanzee, who got 90 percent of the
vote, dominated the New York Sire Stakes circuit, winning
six preliminary rounds and the $225,000 championship, before
finishing his season by winning his Breeders Crown
elimination and the $600,000 final.
His 9-for-9 performance resulted in earnings of $591,358 for
owners Anders Ström’s Courant Inc. and Lennart Agren’s SRF
Stable. Brian Sears drove Gimpanzee, who became the first
undefeated 2-year-old male trotter to receive a Dan Patch
Award since Wheeling N Dealin in 2012. Gimpanzee, a son of
Chapter Seven out of Steamy Windows, was bred by Order By
Stable.
Woodside Charm, who received 93.8 percent of the vote, won
all seven of her starts for owner-trainer-driver Verlin
Yoder. Her wins included the $600,000 Breeders Crown and
$236,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes. She also
won a division of the New York Sire Stakes at Saratoga in
1:53.4, the fastest mile ever by a 2-year-old trotter on a
half-mile track.
A daughter of Chapter Seven out of Fireworks Hanover,
Woodside Charm was bred by AV & Son Bloodstock. She became
only the second unbeaten 2-year-old filly trotter to win a
Dan Patch Award, following 2017 honoree Manchego.
Former winner of Dan Patch
2-Year-Old Male Trotter
Gimpanzee (117
votes/90 percent)
Chapter Seven – Steamy Windows –
Muscle Massive
Yearling price:
$170,000 under the name Army Of
Monkeys at Standardbred Horse
Sale
Breeder: Order
By Stable
Owners: Courant
Inc., SRF Stable
Trainer: Marcus
Melander Driver:
Brian Sears
Races: 9-9-0-0
Purses:
$591,358 Mark:
1:54.3 at Vernon Downs
Top wins:
$600,000 Breeders Crown;
$225,000 New York Sire Stakes
final
2-Year-Old Female
Trotter
Woodside Charm
(122 votes/93.8 percent)
Chapter Seven – Fireworks
Hanover – Muscles Yankee
Yearling price:
Private
Breeder: AV &
Son Bloodstock LLC
Owner: Verlin
Yoder
Trainer: Verlin
Yoder Driver:
Verlin Yoder
Races: 7-7-0-0
Purses:
$521,658 Mark:
1:53 at Pocono
Top wins:
$600,000 Breeders Crown;
$236,000 Kentuckiana Stallion
Management Stakes
3-Year-Old Male Trotter
Six Pack (71
votes/54.6 percent)
Muscle Mass – Pleasing Lady –
Cantab Hall
Yearling price:
$30,000 at Lexington Selected
Sale
Breeder:
Brittany Farms
Owners: Åke
Svanstedt Inc., Little E LLC,
Stall Kalmar FF, Lars Berg
Trainer: Åke
Svanstedt Driver:
Åke Svanstedt
Races:
15-11-2-1 Purses:
$1.15 million Mark:
1:49.1 at Red Mile (world
record)
Top wins:
$620,000 Kentucky Futurity;
$500,000 Yonkers Trot; $210,150
Matron Stakes
3-Year-Old Female Trotter
Atlanta (125
votes/96.1 percent)
Chapter Seven – Hemi Blue Chip –
Cantab Hall
Yearling price:
$60,000 under the name Django
Unchained at Standardbred Horse
Sale
Breeder: Order
By Stable
Owners: Rick
Zeron/Crawford Farms, Holland
Racing Stable, Howard Taylor,
Brad Grant
Trainer: Rick
Zeron Driver:
Scott Zeron
Races: 14-8-5-1
Purses: $1.01
million Mark:
1:50.3 at Vernon Downs
Top wins: $1
million Hambletonian; $320,000
Kentucky Filly Futurity
Older
Male Trotter
Homicide Hunter
(96 votes/73.8 percent)
Mr Cantab – Evening Prayer –
Like A Prayer
Yearling price:
Homebred, sold privately at age
4
Breeder:
Patrick Graham
Owner: Crawford
Farms Racing
Trainer: Chris
Oakes Drivers: George Napolitano
Jr., Brian Sears, Aaron Merriman
Races: 16-9-0-2
Purses:
$605,770 Mark:
1:48.4 at Red Mile (world
record)
Top wins:
$500,000 Breeders Crown;
$200,000 Hill Memorial; $145,000
Allerage
Older
Female Trotter
Ariana G (83
votes/63.8 percent)
Muscle Hill – Cantab It All –
Cantab Hall
Yearling price:
Homebred
Breeders:
Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld
Owners: Marvin
Katz, Al Libfeld
Trainer: Jimmy
Takter Drivers:
Yannick Gingras, Brian Sears,
David Miller
Races: 14-5-1-1
Purses:
$597,802 Mark:
1:50.2 at Meadowlands
Top wins:
$405,850 Hambletonian Maturity;
$250,000 Graduate; $150,000
Dayton Derby
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