Captain Joy
Encyclopedia
Captain Joy is a Standardbred pacing racehorse whose wins included three Derbies and victories in 13 consecutive race starts.
He is a bay gelding who was foaled in New South Wales
, Australia
on the 20 October 2005 and sired by Mach Three, his dam Lady Joy was by Talk About Class. Mach Three, 1:49, earned $2,376,700 and sired several other good horses including Auckland Reactor
and Somebeachsomewhere
. Lady Joy won $81,169 and her progeny have either won or been placed in Group One
(G1) races. These included Another Joy (won $103,319), Lightning Joy (a trotter, won $15,075) and Master Joy ( $115,253). Her feats were recognised and in 2009 Lady Joy was awarded the Australian Broodmare of the Year title.
His racing career began as a two-year-old in May 2008 with his first two starts when he finished mid field in races at Harold Park Paceway
in Sydney. He then travelled to Queensland
to compete in the Kevin Seymour series. After a win in his heat he finished second in the G1 final. He returned to Sydney and recorded four successive wins including the G1 NSW Breeders Challenge. During this race, Captain Joy raced three wide for most of the race and broke the Australasian record for two-year-olds over the distance of one mile. Shortly after that, Captain Joy travelled to Victoria for the Australasian Breeders Crown
in August 2008. He won the race, which was marred by a spectacular fall which knocked out four horses on the final bend. He was awarded the title of 2008 Australian 2YO C&G Pacer of the Year.
night. His next start saw him set his season’s best time of 1:54.0 in a largely unremarkable race at Menangle Park.
Over the next few months he travelled the eastern seaboard of Australia in pursuit of the Victorian, Queensland and NSW Derbies. He won all three comfortably. The Queensland Derby was notable as he broke the all comers track record only to have it broken later in the night by Mr Feelgood
in the Inter Dominion
Grand Final. Towards the end of the season he won the three-year-old old version of the NSW Breeders Challenge before heading to Victoria for the Australasian Breeders Crown
. This resulted in his only loss for the season when he took sixth. During the 2009 season he had 13 starts for 12 wins and $382,576 1:54.0MS. Captain Joy was awarded the 2009 Australian 3YO C&G Pacer of the Year and 2009 Australian 3YO Pacer of the Year for his efforts.
, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland
and Auckland, New Zealand. He was successful just once when he dead-heated for first in a Group 3 race for four and five year old horses in Brisbane.
Championships in Auckland but the highlight so far was probably a Metropolitan class race at Menangle when he ran one of the fastest times ever in Australasia when he recorded a time of 1:51.6. This was just one week after finishing fourth to Smoken Up in the first race to go faster than 1.50 in the Southern Hemisphere.
He is a bay gelding who was foaled in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on the 20 October 2005 and sired by Mach Three, his dam Lady Joy was by Talk About Class. Mach Three, 1:49, earned $2,376,700 and sired several other good horses including Auckland Reactor
Auckland Reactor
Auckland Reactor is a New Zealand standardbred racehorse bred by Dr. Tony & Anne Parker. Currently a 6-year-old, he has won 25 of his 34 starts. He has been crowned New Zealand Horse of the Year in the last two seasons...
and Somebeachsomewhere
Somebeachsomewhere
Somebeachsomewhere is a standardbred racehorse who was the equal fastest horse ever with a time of 1:46.4 and earned $3,221,299. In 2008 Somebeachsomewhere had the highest earnings by pacer in single season of $2.4 million...
. Lady Joy won $81,169 and her progeny have either won or been placed in Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
(G1) races. These included Another Joy (won $103,319), Lightning Joy (a trotter, won $15,075) and Master Joy ( $115,253). Her feats were recognised and in 2009 Lady Joy was awarded the Australian Broodmare of the Year title.
Racing record
Captain Joy was trained by Susan Hunter for 19 of his wins before he was transferred to Lance Justice.His racing career began as a two-year-old in May 2008 with his first two starts when he finished mid field in races at Harold Park Paceway
Harold Park Paceway
Harold Park Paceway was a harness racing track in Glebe, New South Wales. It was a half-mile track but was just 739m in circumference until some changes in recent years...
in Sydney. He then travelled to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to compete in the Kevin Seymour series. After a win in his heat he finished second in the G1 final. He returned to Sydney and recorded four successive wins including the G1 NSW Breeders Challenge. During this race, Captain Joy raced three wide for most of the race and broke the Australasian record for two-year-olds over the distance of one mile. Shortly after that, Captain Joy travelled to Victoria for the Australasian Breeders Crown
Australasian Breeders Crown
The Australasian Breeders Crown is a futurity race series for horses bred in Australia and New Zealand. The series is for two, three and four-year-old pacers and trotters.It is held on a Sunday in late August at Tabcorp Park in Melton, Victoria....
in August 2008. He won the race, which was marred by a spectacular fall which knocked out four horses on the final bend. He was awarded the title of 2008 Australian 2YO C&G Pacer of the Year.
At three years
He commenced his three-year-old old season at Harold Park in late November 2008 win a win on Miracle MileMiracle Mile
-Places in the United States:*Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, a district of Los Angeles*Miracle Mile , New York, a premium shopping district on the North Shore of Long Island*Miracle Mile , a shopping area in Coral Gables, Florida...
night. His next start saw him set his season’s best time of 1:54.0 in a largely unremarkable race at Menangle Park.
Over the next few months he travelled the eastern seaboard of Australia in pursuit of the Victorian, Queensland and NSW Derbies. He won all three comfortably. The Queensland Derby was notable as he broke the all comers track record only to have it broken later in the night by Mr Feelgood
Mr Feelgood
Mr Feelgood is a high-class Standardbred racehorse. He is the only pacer in recent years to win major races in both North America and Australia....
in the Inter Dominion
Inter Dominion
The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand. The host of the series is rotated between the six harness racing states of Australia and the North and South Islands of New Zealand...
Grand Final. Towards the end of the season he won the three-year-old old version of the NSW Breeders Challenge before heading to Victoria for the Australasian Breeders Crown
Australasian Breeders Crown
The Australasian Breeders Crown is a futurity race series for horses bred in Australia and New Zealand. The series is for two, three and four-year-old pacers and trotters.It is held on a Sunday in late August at Tabcorp Park in Melton, Victoria....
. This resulted in his only loss for the season when he took sixth. During the 2009 season he had 13 starts for 12 wins and $382,576 1:54.0MS. Captain Joy was awarded the 2009 Australian 3YO C&G Pacer of the Year and 2009 Australian 3YO Pacer of the Year for his efforts.
At four years
As a four-year-old Captain Joy had just 10 starts but these races involved travel to Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and Auckland, New Zealand. He was successful just once when he dead-heated for first in a Group 3 race for four and five year old horses in Brisbane.
At five years
He was competitive in the Inter DominionInter Dominion
The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand. The host of the series is rotated between the six harness racing states of Australia and the North and South Islands of New Zealand...
Championships in Auckland but the highlight so far was probably a Metropolitan class race at Menangle when he ran one of the fastest times ever in Australasia when he recorded a time of 1:51.6. This was just one week after finishing fourth to Smoken Up in the first race to go faster than 1.50 in the Southern Hemisphere.
See also
- Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting
- Harness racing in AustraliaHarness racing in AustraliaHarness racing, also colloquially known as trotting, is an important spectator sport in Australia, with large amounts of money wagered annually with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board . In Australia there are 91 harness racing tracks, which hold over 1,900 meetings annually...
- Harness racing in New ZealandHarness racing in New ZealandHarness racing in New Zealand is more often called trotting in the "old school" rather than the more fashionable name of "harness racing". The sport is long standing with events being held as early as 1864...
External links
- Harnessjoy.com - Official Website of Captain Joy
- Captain Joy profile on Australian Breeding
- Harness Racing NSW
- Australian Harness Racing
- Harness RacingHarness racingHarness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...