Hall of Fame

 



speedy crown

Year of Induction: 
1996
Year of Birth: 
1968
Immortal: 
Yes
Election Into Living Hall of Fame: 
1996
Year of Death: 
2000
Gait: 
Trotter
Record: 
2,t2:01.2;3,1:57.1
Earnings: 
$545,495
Sire: 
Speedy Scot
Dam: 
Missile Toe
Sire of Dam: 
Florican
Biography: 

Speedy Crown was a great racehorse and a great sire. Trained by Hall of Famer Howard Beissinger, the Speedy Scot colt out of Missile Toe by Florican was bred by wife Ann Beissinger of Hamilton, Ohio. In the spring of his two-year-old year, Speedy Crown was purchased by Thomas and Frank Antonacci's Crown Stable. Beissinger continued to train and drive him. That year he was raced lightly, winning four of his eight starts, earning $2,025. In 1971 he dominated the major three-year-old stakes, winning fifteen of twenty-four starts. Speedy Crown's finest victory was a straight heat win in the Hambletonian. He set a world record of 1:59.2 at Delaware, Ohio in the Old Oaken Bucket and went on to set a 1:57.1 mark at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky. These performances earned him Trotter of the Year honors.

The following year, 1972, Speedy Crown took on all competition. He won over $350,000 and was voted Four-Year-Old Trotter of the Year. In a memorable series of races, Speedy won the Roosevelt International Trot, the 1 1/4-mile Challenge Match, the Realization and the American Trotting Championship. In the three-horse Challenge Match, Speedy Crown defeated the great French mare Une de Mai and the top North American mare, Fresh Yankee, in 2:32.1. This was three seconds faster than his winning time in the International, another 1 1/4-mile race. That same year Speedy Crown equaled Nevele Pride's world record of 1:58f. With lifetime earnings totalling $545,495, Speedy Crown retired as the sixth richest trotting stallion in history.

At four, Speedy Crown was syndicated for $1 million. He went to Lana Lobell Farm, where he spent the major part of his breeding career. No other trotting sire has accomplished what Speedy Crown has with regard to the earnings of his offspring. He was retired from breeding in 1996. At the time of his death he had sired 2,201 foals who have won more than $106 million. He sired 450 trotters with records of 2:00 or faster. His top performer is Moni Maker, two-time Horse of the Year, the richest Standardbred in history, with earnings in excess of $5.5 million, and the fastest (1:52.1) of his progeny. He also sired Hambletonian winners Speedy Somolli (1978), Prakas (1985) and Armbro Goal (1988) as well as 1984 Horse of the Year Fancy Crown. Gleam, winner of the 1994 Hambletonian Oaks, was a daughter of Speedy Crown, while Muscles Yankee, winner of the 1998 Hambletonian, is a great-great-grandson of the prolific sire. Speedy Crown is also the great-grandsire of Valley Victory who, as of 2000, has produced 26 in 1:55, winners of $28 million, six $1 million winners, and three Hambletonian winners (Continentalvictory, Victory Dream and Muscles Yankee). Valley Victory is also the grandsire of 1999 Hambletonian winner Self Possessed 3,1:51.3 ($1.3 million). No other stallion has sired as many $1 million winners as Speedy Crown: Moni Maker, Royal Prestige, Britelite Lobell, Embassy Lobell, Crown's Invitation, Armbro Fling, Prakas, Kit Lobell, Armbro Goal, Gum Ball and Nealy Lobell. His grandson Remington Crown of Sweden and great-grandson Varenne of Italy, who won the 2001 Prix d'Amerique, are among Europe's best trotters. His sons have also become leading sires in Europe.

Inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1996, Speedy Crown reigned as leading moneywinning trotting sire for thirteen years. He died on May 4, 2000. He was thirty-two years old. He is buried in the infield at Historic Track, Goshen, New York.

Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 2000 book, The 2000 Immortals