New world mark at Rock

Our First Falcon N, who was driven superbly by Ron Cushing, established a new world record for the unorthodox harness racing distance of fifteen-sixteenths of a mile at Rockingham Park on Saturday.

The 6-year-old gelded New Zealand-bred crossed under the wire in 1:44.1 on a fast track in the $12,000 One For The Books Invitational Pace, and he took almost a full second off the previous world mark of 1:45 set on a one-mile track by Devil's Magic at Hoosier Park in Indiana on April 30, 2005.

"This is my first world record," said Cushing, a seasoned veteran who won three races on the card. "We'll be in the record books, at least for now or until somebody else breaks it."

"Yes, I could tell we were in good shape coming through the stretch because that horse of mine has got a great closing kick," he said. "He's just a great horse. The better the horse, the easier they are to drive."

Standardbreds almost always pace or trot at the standard distance of a mile over either a half-mile oval or a one-mile track like Rockingham's. Turning the distance back one-sixteenth of a mile necessitated that the race for the six-horse field begin right before the clubhouse turn.

"The start was very confusing, but we all got through it okay," said Cushing. "I didn't have any real concerns because this is a one-mile track, and I knew I'd have the whole stretch to work with. I had to put the unusual distance right out of my mind and try to be in a position to win the race."

Our First Falcon N, who is trained by John Gerow and owned by John Brophy of Castine, Maine, responded beautifully to Cushing's experience and expertise.

"This is a good horse," he said. "I bought him in Canada six weeks ago for around $50,000 because I've always liked him. Thankfully, the owner had faith in me. I knew this horse from three years ago. He was predicted to be the first foreign-bred to win the Meadowlands Pace. He didn't, but I didn't forget him. I found him hiding in the woodwork."

Our First Falcon N, who was the 7-5 favorite in the field and has won two of his five Rockingham starts while never finishing out of the money, returned $4.80, $3.00, and $2.20.

Driver Heath Campbell also had a stellar day, winning five races of the 10 in which he drove.

(Rockingham)

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