Latest foal of legendary NS horse wins only race that eluded his sire

The offspring of a legendary Nova Scotia racehorse won the only race his sire lost.

Somebeachsomewhere was considered one of the greatest harness racers of all time, winning 20 of 21 career races. The only one he lost was the New Jersey Meadowlands Pace in 2008.

Fourteen years later, her colt, Beach Glass, won the title.

« It’s a bit surreal, » said Brent MacGrath, who owned and trained both horses.

Beach Glass started the race in fifth place, slowly working her way to the front of the pack. He was neck and neck with another horse, I Did It Myway, until the last bend.

MacGrath said the three-year-old Beach Glass was not very experienced compared to some of his competitors. However, he said he often took the lead towards the end of the race.

« I was pretty confident he was going to pull it off, » MacGrath said.

MacGrath formed Somebeach in Truro. After his racing career, Somebeach became a breeding stallion, siring over a thousand foals.

Beach Glass was the last of these colts to be born.

Somebeach died in 2018, but MacGrath still had a vial of his frozen semen. In North America, he said breeders are allowed to use semen for up to a year after a stallion dies.

« So we were lucky enough to breed our mare at Somebeachsomewhere with frozen semen, and [Beach Glass] is the resulting colt,” he said.

MacGrath said Beach Glass, born in 2019, isn’t following exactly the same career path as his father.

Somebeach was bred in Ontario and raced under a program designed for Ontario horses. Since he was a stallion in Pennsylvania, Beach Glass is considered bred there.

Most Beach Glass races are held in the United States. In three weeks, he will race again on the same track in New Jersey.

“We love sports and we love horses, so we got really lucky playing a game that we love to play,” he said.

MORE STORIES