Pace of the Century
Encyclopedia
The Pace of the Century was a match race
between two of the greatest ever standardbred harness horses, namely Bret Hanover
and Cardigan Bay
. It was lucky indeed that these two were racing at exactly the same period, as these were possibly the only two capable of beating each other. It was set up by Yonkers Raceway
to draw in the fans.
Harness racing legend Stanley Dancer
recalled for two appearances with Cardigan Bay, his import from New Zealand
later became the sport's first horse to top $1 million in career earnings.
On Aug. 26, 1966, the largest crowd in the history of Batavia Downs
— 15,118 — turned out for what was billed as The Pace of the Century. The race was won by Cardigan Bay.
In the so called "Revenge Pace" also set up by Yonkers, driver Frank Ervin's great Bret Hanover beat Dancer and Cardigan Bay in a track record 1:58 3/5. Cardigan Bay was one of only two horses to have ever beaten Bret Hanover but it wasn't close that evening as Bret Hanover won the $25,000 race by three lengths en route to Horse of the Year for the third straight time.
Dancer and the then 12-year-old Cardigan Bay returned to Batavia Downs in the summer of 1968. The Downs put up a $25,000 purse and fans were expecting to watch history made with a victory by Cardigan Bay to top the $1-million mark. But Hervé Filion
drove Good Time Boy to an upset victory as Cardigan Bay faded to fourth. The pacer topped the $1-million barrier one month later at Freehold
in New Jersey
and was retired.
Match race
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.The term may be best known as a race between two sailing boats racing around a course...
between two of the greatest ever standardbred harness horses, namely Bret Hanover
Bret Hanover
Bret Hanover was an outstanding American Standardbred racehorse. He was also one of only nine pacers to win harness racing's Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers and achieved a fine career total of 62 wins from 68 starts...
and Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay (horse)
Cardigan Bay was a New Zealand Harness racing horse foaled 1 September 1956. Affectionately known as "Cardy", he was the first Standardbred to win US$1 million in prize money in North America. He was the ninth horse worldwide to win one million dollars,...
. It was lucky indeed that these two were racing at exactly the same period, as these were possibly the only two capable of beating each other. It was set up by Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers Raceway, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and New York state-approved slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New York near the New York City border...
to draw in the fans.
Harness racing legend Stanley Dancer
Stanley Dancer
Stanley Franklin Dancer was an American harness racing driver and trainer. He was the only horsemen to drive and train three Triple Crowns in horse racing. In total, he drove 23 Triple Crown winners. He was the first trainer to campaign a horse to $1 million in a career, Cardigan Bay in 1968 and...
recalled for two appearances with Cardigan Bay, his import from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
later became the sport's first horse to top $1 million in career earnings.
On Aug. 26, 1966, the largest crowd in the history of Batavia Downs
Batavia Downs
Batavia Downs is a harness racing track in Batavia, New York. It is located in Genesee County between Buffalo and Rochester just off of the New York State Thruway, the I-90. It opened on September 20, 1940, and is the oldest lighted harness racetrack in the United States. The track is exactly...
— 15,118 — turned out for what was billed as The Pace of the Century. The race was won by Cardigan Bay.
In the so called "Revenge Pace" also set up by Yonkers, driver Frank Ervin's great Bret Hanover beat Dancer and Cardigan Bay in a track record 1:58 3/5. Cardigan Bay was one of only two horses to have ever beaten Bret Hanover but it wasn't close that evening as Bret Hanover won the $25,000 race by three lengths en route to Horse of the Year for the third straight time.
Dancer and the then 12-year-old Cardigan Bay returned to Batavia Downs in the summer of 1968. The Downs put up a $25,000 purse and fans were expecting to watch history made with a victory by Cardigan Bay to top the $1-million mark. But Hervé Filion
Hervé Filion
Hervé Filion, is a Canadian harness racer.Born in Angers, Quebec, Filion was the first driver to win over 400 races in a year in 1968 and was able to achieve this accomplishment 14 more times...
drove Good Time Boy to an upset victory as Cardigan Bay faded to fourth. The pacer topped the $1-million barrier one month later at Freehold
Freehold Borough, New Jersey
Freehold is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,052. It is the county seat of Monmouth County....
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and was retired.