Harness racing in Australia Harness racing in Australia Harness racing, also colloquially known as trotting or the trots, is an important spectator sport in Australia, with large amounts of money wagered annually with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). In Australia there are 91 harness racing tracks, which hold over 1,900 meetings annually. There are approximately 2,900 drivers and 4,000 trainers with about 5,000 Standardbred horses foaled and registered each year. Harness racing in Australia is conducted with Standardbred horses racing around a track while pulling a driver in a two-wheeled cart called a "sulky", "gig" or "bike". Standardbred racehorses compete in two
Mark Ford (harness racing) Mark Ford (harness racing) Mark Ford (born October 12, 1970, in Ronceverte, West Virginia) is a trainer of Standardbred horses in the sport of harness racing. He is best known as the trainer of Gallo Blue Chip, 2000 Harness Horse of the Year and the then richest pacer of all time. That year, Mark Ford was voted the Dan Patch Trainer of the Year Award along with co-winner Jimmy Takter. Mark Ford also trained Shadow Play in his major United States races for his Canadian trainer and co-owner Dr. Ian Moore. Ford won the 2008 Adios Pace at Pocono Downs.