A Second First Career: Are Standardbred Stallions Trending Toward A Return To The Races?

In the Thoroughbred realm, an active stallion returning to the racetrack is far outside the norm. However, the practice is becoming more common within the Standardbred breed, as columnist Brett Sturman describes in Harness Racing Update.

In his column, Sturman discussed a pair of active Standardbred stallions who have made their return to racing in recent months: Racing Hill, a 10-year-old who came back to the track after a seven-year absence; and Stag Party, the 2018 O'Brien Award winner as harness racing's champion 2-year-old male of 2018, who recently raced at the Meadowlands as a 7-year-old, coming back from a three-year layoff.

Horses as great as the mighty Bulldog Hanover have come back to the track after completing a season at stud in recent years, suggesting Racing Hill and Stag Party might tip closer to the rule than the exception.

While fertility issues are often a factor in a stallion's return to training, regardless of the breed, Sturman said economics can also play a part, noting that breeder interest in Stag Party had slowed to a trickle while he waits for his first runners to hit the track en masse. In the meantime, breeders had flocked to newer stallions with the goal of appealing to a commercial market ever-hungry for the newest thing.

“If horses can safely and ethically transition back into their first career as a racehorse and race somewhat relative to their former capabilities adjusted for age, then why not,” Sturman wrote in his column. “If anything, it continues to speak to the durability and resilience of the Standardbred breed.”