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The Hambletonian at the Du Quoin State Fair
Patrick Rodman American harness racing is thought to have originated in the early 1800s. In this sport a standardbred horse, cousin to the thoroughbred, pulls the driver in a lightweight two-wheeled vehicle. There are two types of horses in harness racing, pacers and trotters. The difference between the two is found in the horses's gate, or foot pattern. Strangely enough, the history of this sport, which had its beginnings in New England, is also connected to a little town in southern Illinois named Du Quoin. Harness racing flourished for more than twenty years in Du Quoin, as it played host to the nation's most prestigious stake for three-year old trotters, the Hambletonian. The breed of standardbreds that gave harness racing its beginning got its start when a grey thoroughbred, Messenger, was sent to America from England. Messenger ended up being the patriarch of a great family of trotters that included a descendant named Hambletonian. Hambletonian, owned by William Rysdyk of Chester, New York, is often referred to as the "great father" of harness racing. Hambletonian did not gain his fame as a trotter. He became famous because he could sire great horses with virtually any mare. In his twenty-four seasons as stud, Hambletonian sired 1,331 horses. In fact, 99 percent of all the horses that raced in 1953 were related to him in some way. Hambletonian made such an impact on the sport that it was a logical decision to name harness racing's greatest crown after him. It was Chicago businessman Harry 0. Reno who had the idea for the Hambletonian race. He wanted to increase the popularity of harness racing by staging a race with the best competitors and with the biggest purse. He gathered the best breeders, train-
ers, and other horsemen in preparation for the event. Syracuse, New York, won the Hambletonian with the highest bidding, and in 1926 the first race was held there. Meanwhile, in Du Quoin, a community similar to other southern Illinois communities with its industry primarily based in coal mining, a local entrepreneur started to reclaim a piece of land that had been stripped by coal miners into the later lush and green Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. The man responsible for the development of the fairgrounds was W. R. Hayes. Hayes's successful Coca Cola Company and dairy business financed the project. Small-town appeal made Du Quoin a perfect site for a state fair since many enjoy the setting of a big fair in a little city with its fresh air and friendly people. These fairs also seemed to be perfect sites for harness racing because the United States Trotting Association serviced roughly four hundred fairs in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and New York. Even through the Du Quoin State Fair always had harness racing, it was not until the mid-1950s that the Hambletonian came to Illinois. In 1957 W. R. Hayes's two sons. Gene and Don Hayes, brought the Hambletonian from New York in open bidding. Du Quoin's first Hambletonian was held in 1957 with the winner, Hickory Smoke, receiving $111,126 in prize money. The Hambletonian prospered in Illinois until the early 1980s. The last Hambletonian was held in Illinois in 1981. The next year the race was held in the Meadowlands, New Jersey, because a larger purse was offered. Even though the Hambletonian is now at the Meadowlands, harness racing is still held annually at the Du Quoin fairgrounds. Every summer for twenty-five years, however, harness racing's greatest race prospered in Du Quoin. At the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds the Hambletonian's purse steadily rose as the racing times consistently dropped, commonly setting new world records. Obviously, Du Quoin has played a major role in the history of harness racing's most famous event, the Hambletonian.—[From: student historian's interview with Pat Feazol (former assistant to the Du Quoin State Fair's treasurer), Feb. 3, 1996; "The Hambletonian Trotting Classic," 1980; Fred Huff, ed., The Hambletonian 1926-1975; United States Trotting Association, "Harness Racing," (no date).]
People gather to catch a glimpse of Greyhound, one-time champion harness racer.
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