Lather Up 1:46, the co-fastest standardbred of all-time and the winner of the 2018 North America Cup, will stand his first season at the new Diamond Creek Farm at Davenport, New York next year. His service fee will be $7,500.
A grandson of the mighty Bettor’s Delight, Lather Up is a striking young horse – he was foaled in 2015 – in every respect, a bold striding pacer and one who boasts ‘black type’ in every remove of his pedigree.
In a career spanning three years, Lather Up raced on 37 occasions for 23 wins and seven placings for $1,735,623 in stakes – an average of an amazing $46,909 per start.
He established six track records at two, three and four years and retired as North America’s fastest and second richest pacing entire for 2019.
As a two-year-old Lather Up won at four of his seven appearances including Ohio Sires Stakes divisions in a stunning track record 1:51.2 at Scioto Downs, 1:51.8 at Dover Downs and 1:52.4 at Northfield Park.
Lather Up returned with a vengeance as a three-year-old, winning his first five starts including a track record of 1:50 in a division of the Ohio Sires Stakes at Miami Valley Raceway.
The colt put an exclamation mark on his sophomore campaign with a dominant front-end score in the $760,000 North America Cup in 1:48.2 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, powering home in 26.6 to win by four lengths. He won the fastest elimination in 1:49.2 a week earlier.
Lather Up made a clean sweep of the Ohio Sires Stakes, breaking his own track standard in the $275,000 Final at Scioto Downs in 1:49.6 on a rain-dampened surface. Among his other successes at three were a $102,000 heat of the Little Brown Jug in 1:49.6 (close third in final), the $60,000 Director of Agriculture Pace at Scioto Downs in a track record 1:49.8, the $46,000 Somebeachsomewhere in 1:50.6 at Mohawk and Ohio Sires Stakes divisions in 1:50 and 1:50.4, while he finished second in the $530,000 Breeders Crown at Pocono Downs.
He finished the season with 11 wins from 18 starts and a bankroll of $893,512 and was the third richest pacing colt of his year.
As a four-year-old Lather Up won eight with two placings from 12 starts and $768,011 and was among the top bracket in America’s tough open class ranks.
Lather Up took the harness racing world by storm with a series of jaw-dropping performances at The Meadowlands during July and August this year.
Competing in the $250,000 Graduate Series Final, the Ohio bred champion stopped the clock in 1:46 – he paced quarters in 25.6, 26.4, 27.2 and 26.8 – to win by 2-1/4 lengths and appearing to ‘barely break a sweat’. The time matched Always B Miki’s world record set three years earlier and hoisted a new standard for four-year-old pacers, besting the previous mark held by Warrawee Needy and Dr J Hanover by two-fifths of a second.
Lather Up established his second world record with a 1:59.2 victory over nine furlongs – he reached the mile marker in 1:46.6 – in the $230,200 Sam McKee Memorial. Starting from post nine, he blasted straight to the top, fended off challenges from McWicked and This Is The Plan and continued to roll to win eventually by two lengths.
Sandwiched between his world record-breaking performances, Lather Up captured the $423,000 William Haughton Memorial over nine furlongs, leading throughout and scoring by a length.
The Graduate Final – 1:46
WM. Haughton Memorial
Sam McKee Memorial
He continued his record-setting trend with a 1:47.4 clocking to equal Sweet Lou’s Hoosier Park track and race record in the $330,000 Dan Patch Invitational, beating McWicked by two lengths with the last quarter in 25.8.
Lather Up’s other major achievements at four were winning the $73,000 Graduate Series at Mohawk in 1:50.2, the Ben Franklin elimination in 1:50.2 at Pocono Downs and a head second in the $393,000 Canadian Pacing Derby in 1:48.4 at Mohawk at his final appearance.
Lather Up is a most interestingly bred horse. He is a son of the Tompkins-Geers and Little Brown Jug heat winner I’m Gorgeous 3, Q1:50 ($633,773), who had restricted stud chances but who is credited with nine in 1:54 and two in 1:51 – Lather Up and the Ohio Sires Stakes champion Miss Me Yet.
I’m Gorgeous was by Bettor’s Delight from the Miss New Jersey winner Joy 1:53.6 (winner of $536,237).
Lather Up belongs to a noted female line, his dam Pocket Comb (1:56.4) being by In The Pocket (1:49.6), champion sire and broodmare sire from Shampoo Girl (1:59.6), the dam of millionaire pacer Crew Cut Zach (1:51.4).
Pocket Comb, the dam of Lather Up, has proved a prolific broodmare. She is also the dam of Barber Pole (1:49), Lather Machine (1:50.2), Shaving Mug (1:51.8) and Love That Cut (1:53.6).
Bred on the same cross as Lazarus, Chicago Bull, Ohoka Punter and Thefixer, Lather Up has everything in his favour – a superb racing record, an impeccable background of blood and he looks the part.
Peter Wharton