The Name Game: Musically-named Standardbred Race Horses

What does music have to do with harness racing? Well, to the average fan, probably not much. However, to some owners of these horses, music must mean a lot, or else they all have a very creative thought process when it comes to naming horses.

Here are some interesting examples:

The durable race mare Stradivarius is a daughter of the great sire Abercrombie, out of the Bret Hanover mare Gay Violin. Stradivarius in turn produced Fiddle N'Bow, Trade Name, Pizzacato, and Humming Strings, to name a few.

Quadrille, a 1:58.2 Niatross mare, produced foals named The Pan Played On (by sire Jate Lobell) and a full brother, Two Step Boogie. The Noble Gesture trotting mare Noble Barb is the dam of a trio of diagonally-gaited specialists named Franz Liszt, Fifth Movement, and Hummmm.

The next harness racing family has generations of musically-named equines. Appissionato, the trotting-bred daugher of Tamerlane and Sea Change produced Metronic, and the double-gaited performer Lyric, (both sired by Bonefish). Appissionato is also the dam of Rappin and Allergro (both by Arnie Almahurst).

Allegro went on to become a very successful broodmare, producing a host of trotters by various sires. Musical Genius was the first foal out of Allegro, and though she did not race, she produced the trotters Jazz Up, In Sync and Tra La La. Allegro also produced Higher Love (her second foal) and Concert Line and Concert Goer, both who took sub-2:00 marks, and both sired by Baltic Speed.

Allegro also produced Strike Up A Tune, Meadowbranch Music, and Music Of The Soul. Her most famous foal, however, has to be the half a million dollar winner, Musical Victory (By Valley Victory), who took a record of 1:55.3 as a two-year-old and a three-year-old mark of 1:55. Musical Victory is owned by Brittany Famrs of Versailles, Kentucky.

Music City was a 1974 duaghter by Overtrick that retired to the breeding shed after a brief career. There she produced Mississippi Melody (1:58.4, $33,716) and Soul Singer (1:57 $31,255) as well as Strike The Lyric, Burlesque, and Nashville, to name a few.

Music Bar, a Baron Hanover daughter, out of Byrd's Symphony, produced F Sharp, while the royally-bred Melody Almahurst produced a Bret Hanover foal christened Cantata, who would go on to win $113,853 and pace in 1:56.

The broodmare Melodious produced Melancholy and Slide Trombone, while the Prairie Song mare Melody Beach foaled Music Class and Melody Mohawk.

What A Tune, from Niatross and Margie's Melody, produced Bach N Roll (by Matt's Scooter) and Live And Let Die (by Die Laughing).

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic