The American Harness Drivers Club

This post is dedicated to the members of the American Harness Drivers Club.

The sport of Harness Racing is unique in the sense that anyone with the desire can participate on the track as an amateur driver. Of course, there is more too it than just climbing out of the grandstand and into a sulky. But after the appropriate time of learning the ropes, just about anybody can participate with one of the many amateur clubs sprinkled throughout North America.

I am fortunate to have been associated with The American Harness Drivers Club for over the last ten years. The club is based at Freehold Raceway in Freehold, New Jersey and was the early 90's brainchild of Eddie Ryan, then the GM of the track and club President Bernie Boland, a successful local businessman

The club conducts a spring and fall series consisting of five races(or legs) culminating in a Final held at The Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, NJ.

On Saturday September 29th, 12 of my good friends will line up behind the Freehold Raceway starting gate in one of two divisions as we kick off the 2007 Fall Pacing Series with the first leg. If you're in the area, come out and see what the club is all about. I'll be the guy with the video camera.

If you would like more info, check out our website at http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ahdc/ahdc.html.

More to follow....c y'all down the road

Welcome everybody

Hiya folks.

I just wanted to welcome you to my new blog site. I'm calling it "The Passing Lane" in deference to my greatest passion, the sport of Harness Racing.

The passing lane was an innovation added to the game about ten years ago. At the time, many of the existing race tracks were removing their inner "hub" rail as a safety measure, replacing them with a string of spring-loaded pylons, much like those you'd see on the goal line of a football field. Then, someone had the stroke of brilliance to move the pylons placed in the homestretch a few yards to the left, thus creating a "passing" lane which would give horses, once hopelessly locked in on the rail, a fighting chance to win in the final strides.

What an amazing idea that added a little more fun to the game...I hope this crazy idea of a blogsite turns out the same way.

More to come.....C y'all down the road.