May 2011

Have you checked out our Breeders World page yet? There is Tesio test mating, lots of information on breeding topics and now Classic Families too – a great harness racing and breeding research site.

The Breeders World page will give access to a range of information and sites about harness racing and breeding. There are articles about breeding topics such as placentitis, length of gestation and stimulation for early cycling and breeding of your mare. Foaling is also covered with information about what to expect when your mare foals and what to look for in assessing new born foals and potential problems. There is even details on how to read a standardbred freeze brand.

Just arrived at the Breeders World page is the Classic Families site – an amazing database of harness racing and breeding research developed by Professor Ron Groves. Many of you will, no doubt,have already enjoyed reading Professor Groves E-Book The American Standardbred which has been available here on the Pepper Tree Farm website for some while.

Classic Families offers harness racing breeders and enthusiasts access to a wealth of information and data analysing success in the standardbred industries across America, Australasia and Europe. Look up the winners of classic races, check lists of elite performers, find the recipients of major awards and all of this is cross referenced with details of pedigrees and base maternal families.

The database includes over 5,000 maternal families and over 130,000 horses, plus there are 260 lists involving the worldwide evolution of speed records and earnings. It is very easy to use and enjoy and is constantly updated so that is remains current with the latest results.

As Professor Groves writes: “ Given the vagaries of time, the evolution of speed and the increase in stake money, the champions of the sport can only be compared relative to each other in one respect – their ability to win races against the best competitors of their era. The very best of champions are those that consistently beat their contemporaries as two and three year olds then continue to do so throughout their racing careers. These are the horses that refuse to be beaten and dig deep under all conditions. The champion standardbred sires and maternal families are those that consistently produce such horses.”

Classic Families shows you all this information – and whether you are researching information to assist with your breeding decisions for your mare; analysing pedigrees in yearling sales catalogues or just have a general interest in harness racing, you will find much to interest you at Classic Families.

So make sure you visit the Breeders World page on our site to enjoy all this information. We will continue to add more articles and information on breeding and foaling topics to this page in coming months.