Dean Hoffman

Columbus, OH --- When you hear people in harness racing making reference to “the bible,” chances are it’s not like they’re talking about the Genesis-to-Exodus book.

More likely they’re referring to the Trotting & Pacing Guide, an annul publication issued by the USTA that is so indispensable to many in the business that it is truly a bible.

It was originally intended as a media guide for distribution to the many writers and broadcasters who covered harness racing when the Guide was started in 1947. It was so choc-a-bloc with useful information, however, that others in harness racing found it handy and never wanted to have it beyond reach.

The 2010 Trotting & Pacing Guide (often just called the TP Guide) is on the presses now and should be available for sale and distribution soon. I know that I can’t wait to get my copy because it’s surely no exaggeration that a day doesn’t go by without me picking up the Guide to check or verify a fact.

John Pawlak has edited the TP Guide almost the past quarter-century, surpassing the record established by Walter Adamkosky, the longtime secretary of the USTA. Actually, Walter wasn’t truly the editor, but he provided the world record tables for the TP Guide and thus is credited as co-editor. But the laurels for longevity clearly go to John Pawlak.

The TP Guide was established in 1947 by USTA Executive Vice-President Don R. Millar, later named a Hall of Famer for his accomplishments as an executive and breeder of three Hambletonian winners.

The fabled writer Jim Harrison and Adamkosky were co-editors from 1952-57 and then the venerable Larry Evans took over from 1958-1975. Phil Pikelny controlled the TP Guide from 1976-81 and then Marty Evans handled it for a year. Then the duties fell to the USTA’s longtime “go-to guy” David Carr from 1982-85. Jerry Connors did the 1986 version and then Pawlak took the reins.

If you’ve never seen the TP Guide, do yourself a favor and order a copy and you’ll see how invaluable it is.

I first became acquainted with the TP Guide when I began following harness racing in the early 1960s. I would pore over it endlessly. Harness racing, like most sports, boasts an endless array of stats and I was particularly entranced with the bizarre and arcane world records then listed in the Guide.

I learned, for example, that the world record for a team three abreast was 2:10-1/4 set in 1937 by the geldings Calumet Dubuque, Mac Aubrey, and Hollyrood Boris.

The records for stallions, mare, and gelding driven by a lady driver were set by Dean Hanover, Margaret Castleton, and Rodare, respectively.

They even kept records for performances when a trotting horse was pulling a wagon and the fastest were by the mare Lou Dillon and the gelding Uhlan, driven by their owner, C.K.G. Billings. Both pulled the wagon (and Billings) a mile in 2:00; Lou Dillon set her record in Memphis in 1903 and Uhlan’s record came at North Randall in Cleveland in 1911.

Records for a quarter-mile and a half-mile were also maintained and Uhlan held both of them, covering a quarter-mile in :27 seconds at Lexington in 1913 and pulling a wagon a half-mile in :56-1/4 at North Randall in 1913.

Harness racing has moved beyond its world record mania in recent decades. I once took care of a mare that held the world record for aged trotting mares racing two miles on a five-eighths-mile track. I joked that she held the world record because she was the only older trotting mare ever to win a race at that distance on a five-eighths-mile track.

In the ’63 Guide, there was a section of important harness racing rules and diagrams of both a trotter and pacer with an explanation of equipment commonly worn by harness horses.

The Triple Crown was coveted in the 1960s and all the eligibles for the Triple Crown events for pacers were listed in the TP Guide while the eligibles for trotting’s Big Four (Triple Crown plus Dexter Cup) were listed.

Now some of the information which was formerly found in the TP Guide is being listed on the Web. That makes sense, of course, but I still find it comforting to have that compact bible within arms’ reach.

Many things have changed in harness racing, but I’m thankful that each year I can count on the TP Guide as a rite of spring and an invaluable companion for the rest of the year.

Editor's Note: The views contained in this column are that of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of the United States Trotting Association.