Late horseman honored

Carl Allen, whose life was exemplary on and off the racetrack, has been selected for the prestigious Proximity Award by the U.S. Harness Writers Association (USHWA).



Allen, who passed away this past year at age 74, got into the harness game after the riots in Detroit in 1967. That prompted Allen to change his vocation from selling vacuum cleaners to training trotters and pacers, with which he was modestly involved as a hobby.



After starting with raceway horses, Allen, aided by his sons Rod, Mike and Marty, switched his focus to stakes-caliber colts and fillies in the late 1970s, and in the quarter century since the Allen stable always seemed to produce a top stakes winner every year--sometimes campaigning multiple champions in one season.



Among the Allen champions, many driven by son Rod, were the brilliantly fast filly CR Kay Suzie (the "CR" stood for Carl and Rod), Royal Troubador, CR Commando, Superior Sweep, Somollison, and CR Renegade. And those were just the trotters – top Allen pacers would include CR Daniella, Carlsbad Cam, Carl's Bird, No Smoking and It's Fritz. Many of his champions emerged from his own modest broodmare band, and several of the CR campaigners went on to successful stallion careers.



Allen was one of the last of the true "all-around" horsemen--he trained and drove his own horses, and he also bred many of them, shod most of them, and owned quite a few, again some in partnership with Rod.



"If it's good for the sport and I can help, I'll do it," could have been Carl Allen's motto. To that end, the Allens maintained an open door policy at tracks across the country and at their Golden Cross Farm in Ocala, Fla., a family-run racing, breeding and training operation.



The members of the extended Allen family will be on hand to honor Carl when the Proximity Award is given at USHWA's annual banquet and awards ceremony Sunday, Feb. 13, at Caesar's Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. That night will also feature the announcement of the Horse of the Year among award winners both human and equine.



Tickets for the dinner, priced at $100, are available from Judy Davis-Wilson at (302) 698-4610; laudatory ads in the dinner journal can be secured from Nicole Kraft at (614) 224-2291 through Monday, Jan. 10.

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