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RACE TO GLORY: THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HAMBLETONIAN










Each year the quest for a trotter with speed, heart and class became paramount in every owner's mind. And each year the trainers strove to have their charges in peak form and top condition as the day neared. Sharp driving ability and that intangible "luck" was also needed. It wasn't just the lavish purse of the valuable trophy that made a victory so desirable it was the immediate prestige and the glory that came to be associated with that select number of trotters who bore the title, "Hambletonian Winner."
Featured in this compilation of 75 years of Hambletonian competition are some of the greatest trotters the sport has known such as the immortal GREYHOUND, ROSALIND (1936), TITAN HANOVER (1945), SCOTT FROST (1955) the first trotting Triple Crown winner, to SPEEDY SCOT (1963), EGYPTIAN CANDOR (1965), NEVELE PRIDE (1968) three-time Horse-of-the-Year and Triple Crown winner, LINDY'S PRIDE (1969), SPEEDY CROWN (1971) a legend on and off the track when he established himself as the most successful trotting sire of all time, SUPER BOWL (1972) Horse-of-the-Year and Triple Crown winner, BONEFISH (1975), DUENNA (1983), MACK LOBELL (1987), PARK AVENUE JOE and PROBE (1989) the first and only dead-heat result in Hambletonian history, HARMONIOUS (1990), CONTINENTAL VICTORY (1996) the thirteenth and last filly Hambletonian winner, MALABARMAN (1997), and MUSCLES YANKEE (1998).
All of the trotters mentioned have reached the pinnacle of greatness in and after the Hambletonian; but all of them were overshadowed by the towering figure of the great, "GREY GHOST" who won the race before any of them - GREYHOUND, the supreme trotter of the breed; a horse so majestic and phenomenal that he stood apart and above all the rest...he is still the standard which all the subsequent champions are measured.
Each year the Hambletonian showcases extraordinary human and equine athletes, and remains the ultimate prize. The race has projected greatness, produced it and predicted it during all of its runnings and along the way it has vaulted some of its winners into the lofty realm of legendary.
This documentary captures all the excitement and action of harness racing's biggest event. The triumph and tragedy of the great race is told in the stories of Ben White, Bill Haughton, Stanley Dancer and John Campbell, all five-time winners of the Hambletonian, as well as the modern day drama Hambletonian post.
The Hambletonian's prestige, its riches and its drama make it the ultimate measurement of harness racing greatness and the culmination of a dream. So powerful is the allure of that silver bowl that each time the Hambletonian is contested a rich cast of characters both human and equine assemble all with the same intent; they've all had their moment upon the Hambletonian stage.
A captivating look at the horses, people and the compelling stories that have made this race a classic!
(58 Minutes)
Listing Info: | |
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Listing ID: | 317 |
Format(s) Available: | DVD And VHS |
Category: | Harness Racing |