Greyhound (horse)

Greyhound
Greyhound, World's Champion Trotter.
Breed	Standardbred
Sire	Guy Abbey
Grandsire	Guy Axworthy
Dam	Elizabeth
Damsire	Peter The Great
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	1932
Died	4 February 1965
Country	USA
Colour	Grey
Breeder	Henry Knight
Owner	Colonel E. J. Baker
Trainer	Sep Palin
Record	82:71–5–2
Earnings	$38,952
Major wins
Hambletonian Stakes (1935) Championship Stallion Stake (1935) Horseman Futurity (1935)
Awards
World Trotters Mile Record (three times) World Record at 1 1/2 miles World Record at 2 miles World record under saddle
Honors
United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame (1965)
Last updated on 23 January 2016

Greyhound was a grey Standardbred gelding by Guy Abbey out of Elizabeth by Peter the Great. Born in 1932, Greyhound was the outstanding trotting horse of his day and arguably the most outstanding in the history of the sport. He was nicknamed "The Great Grey Ghost" and "Silver-skinned Flyer." In 1935, he won the Hambletonian race and in 1938 he lowered the record time for trotting the mile to 1:55¼. This record stood until 1969.

Greyhound was sold for $900 at auction due to his awkward appearance. As a two year old he won at venues including Good Time Park where he won the Good Time Stake,Springfield where he won the Review Futurity and Syracuse where he won the Horseman Futurity. At the end of the season he won the Lexington Trot at The Red Mile.

In the Hambletonian, Greyhound sat back in the field until making a move at the 5/8 mile mark and swirling past the field to win in 2.02 1/4 in the first heat and 2.02 3/4 in the second. The first heat time was a race record. Reflective of the era, the nearly $19,000 he won at The Hambletonian was to become almost half his career earnings. After The Hambletonian Greyhound won the Review Futurity at Springfield with a 2.00 mile and the Championship Stallion Stake at Syracuse but due to injury he did not contest the Kentucky Futurity. He also won the Matron Stakes and Horseman Futurity. He won 18 of 20 starts as a three year old in 1935.

In 1936 Greyhound won at Springfield in 1.57 1/4. It was the fastest mile ever trotted in a race and the fastest trotting mile since Peter Manning in 1922. During the year he won the Empire State Trot at Syracuse and the Transylvania at Lexington as well as Grand Circuit wins at Old Orchard Beach and Springfield, Massachusetts. He also trotted a mile in 2.02 at Allentown which was a half mile track world record.