Simply Amazing

How can we put into words the awesome display of Muscle Hill? So effortless, so fast, so dominant. I guess that is our job, though--to put it into words--and I hope you enjoy reading our September Hambo/Jug issues as much as we will putting it together. We got some great behind-the-scenes material from the winner and those who chased him, and I can't wait to share it with you

Greg Peck is a writer's dream. Great quotes, great anecdotes, pithy and smart. No cliches from him. And his wife, Nancy, is one of my favorite people in the sport. She is a smart, hard-working lady--she simply inspires me.

And how fun is their son Brendan, who got some terrific interviews with his flip camera. Look for them soon on our YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/ustrotting)!

Speaking of YouTube, did you catch those awesome videos from Rich Johnston? Let me tell you, as someone who was at The Meadowlands--they are truly the next best thing to being there. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

There is no way to reflect on Hambo day and not reflect on the loss of Troy Sylvester. Troy was synonymous with his father, Chuck, a Hall of Famer and five-time Hambletonian legend. I cannot even begin to imagine the despair that has enveloped Chuck, his wife Sharon, and their family, after the shocking accident that led to Troy's incredibly premature death.

May they find some strength and solace in knowing how much they are loved and admired across racing, and how much the sport mourns with them.

Nicole

Peck's got another top trotter

We had a great time at the autograph session this morning at the Meadowlands. A special thanks to all the drivers who made it happen--I'm sure that line of racing fans around the corner certainly enjoyed it!

Just watched Holiday Road look strong in winning the Peter Haughton final in a stakes-record 1:54, beating the stakes record shared by Donato Hanover (2007) and Muscle Hill (2008). Greg Peck trains the son of Yankee Glide-Jambo, and it's high time to start comparing him with Muscle Hill. Look out, because Peck might be right back here next year with another Hambo favorite. The pedigree is there--Holiday Road is a full brother to Ken Warketin, who was a 2-year-old champion in 2004.

We're on the fifth race now. The Hambo is right around the corner. Good luck and good racing to all the connections!

TJ

Sorrow Amid the Joy

News coming out about Troy Sylvester has cast a pall on the Hambo festivities. The respected horseman—son of Chuck Sylvester—was in a horrible ATV accident and his injuries are severe. The Sylvesters are one of racing’s finest families, and Troy is a terrific guy. We wish for them only the best.

Met for lunch with T.J., Rich Johnston and Mark Hall to strategize about our next few days. Today we are filming “Eye on Harness Racing,” and hope you catch it at 3 p.m. Friday. T.J. is the host this week straight from The Big M! Mark and I are off for two stories tomorrow, then the cocktail party and races.

Sending prayers out to Troy,

Nicole

 

Hambo Adventure Begins

Am in Philadelphia today to pick up T.J. at the airport and head to The Meadowlands, where we will film “Eye on Harness Racing” (today), conduct some interviews (tomorrow) and cover the Hambo with my great Comm team (Saturday). It’s rainy in Philly today, and since my family has Yankees-Red Sox tickets tonight, I hope it’s just morning showers. It was enough to delay T.J. for a half-hour (so far).

The post draw and press conference were interesting, of course, and there are so many great stories in this field, I can’t wait to start writing. What, however, are the chances of the wonderful Ackerman family getting the 10 hole again for the Hambo. The fates are cruel sometimes.

This has been a week of reunions for me—the Kraft family in Maryland had a Sunday reunion; I spent some time in Washington D.C. with two wonderful old friends; last night I had dinner with my 92-year-old grandmother. Sand now I begin the annual Hambo reunion with my harness racing family. Sharing good times—it’s what life is all about!

More later!

Nicole

 

Going to the Hambo

I’m getting ready to leave for New Jersey to cover the Hambletonian. For the third straight year, we have a dominant 3-year-old colt trotter in Muscle Hill, and for the third straight year his trainer has been fantastic in dealing with the media. I got the chance to speak at length with Greg Peck, Muscle Hill’s trainer, when I wrote the Trotting Preview story for the March issue. He was a great person to interview, but that’s not surprising considering his day job involves coaching others how to talk to the media.

I’m excited to shoot the new “Eye on Harness Racing” episode tomorrow, live from the Meadowlands. Each week host John Pawlak and producer Rich Johnston put out a better product, and I can’t wait to see what Rich comes up with next. If you have any suggestions for content or improvement, please send us an e-mail at eye@ustrotting.com. We’ve already made some changes in response to some insightful and helpful suggestions. Thank you!

Aside from Delaware County Fair, this is the busiest week of the year for me and much of the USTA Communications Department. This is why I joined the USTA staff, though, so I am looking forward to a great Hambletonian Day of rubbing elbows with racing’s stars and chatting with racing’s biggest fans. Whenever I go on location I am consistently impressed with the deep love and knowledge of harness racing shown by those with whom I speak. I’m positive I won’t be disappointed again this year. Come see us at the Autograph booth after the parade on Hambo Day in Paddock Park.

Nicole and I will keep churning out Hoof Beats blog posts while we're in New Jersey, so stay tuned. Also, we'll be keeping you up-to-date through Twitter, so check us out at www.twitter.com/nicole_usta or www.twitter.com/tj_usta.

Cheers,
T.J.

Chocotonian

Sure, the big news of the day is the Hambletonian draw, but I just heard that Bryan Owen of Chocoversity will be at the Meadowlands once again with his chocolate machine!

You may remember Bryan from a profile in the February 2009 issue of Hoof Beats. Bryan is the business manager for top trotter Corleone Kosmos, and even put his image on a chocolate bar. Last year he had his machine set up at the Hambletonian welcome reception on the eve of the race, where people could get their picture taken and put on a chocolate lollipop. I’m still disappointed that I missed it last year, but photographer Mark Hall did come back to Ohio with his face on a lollipop!

Bryan told me he will have his machine set up inside the grandstand on Hambo Day. He said all profits will go to the Standardbred Retirement Fund, so make sure to stop by and have a delicious treat for a good cause. You know I’ll be there!

And while I’m there, I’ll be doing a special on-location edition of “Eye on Harness Racing,” set for Friday, Aug. 7. I’ve been busy gathering footage for the show—mostly going through old Roosevelt Raceway videos (thanks, Dom Rebelo, for all your help!) to find some classic race calls by the late Jack E. Lee. What do you think is his most famous race call? If you have any ideas, please e-mail me at tj.burkett@ustrotting.com.

Hambo Week

Working hard to push through most of the September issue. I only have three days this week because Thursday I’m flying out to join Nicole, Mark and Rich and cover the Hambletonian. It’s a busy day, and will start with an autograph session with top drivers at 11:15 a.m. We’re also having a Harnessphere meet-up at that time, so if you are at the track that day, be sure to get there early to say hi and meet some other ‘spheresters.
This year we are looking to try new ways to cover the Hambletonian. One thing that’s great about working with Nicole is that both of us are always willing to try to bring you harness racing in new and different ways, so if you have any ideas, please e-mail me at tj.burkett@ustrotting.com. We will do a special section in Hoof Beats, along with video coverage, Twitter updates and a live blog. If there is anything you would like to see, please let me know.
This is one of the busiest—and most fun—weekends of the year for me. I can’t wait to get out there and experience the excitement of trotting’s biggest race all over again. I hope to see you out there!
Cheers,
T.J.