The American Pacing Classic is a defunct three-race series in

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

for Standardbred pacers aged three and older. It was run annually between 1955 and 1981 at three different racetracks with the final hosted by Hollywood Park Racetrack in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

. During the same period, these tracks also offered the corresponding American Trotting Classic. The American Pacing Classic replaced the Golden West Pace which had been run from 1946 through 1954 under the auspices of the Western Harness Racing Association with races at both Santa Anita Park and Hollywood Park.

Historical race events

In the inaugural American Pacing Classic series, Hillsota, Diamond Hal and Times Square each won a heat of the Pacing Classic in the identical time of 1:59 flat. As a result, Hillsota and Times Square were awarded a tie for the series based on their final standing in a summary of the three heats. Los Alamitos Race Course created a short-lived one mile race they called the American Pacing Classic which was run from 1990 to 1992.''Los Angeles Times'' June 14, 1990 article titled "Los Alamitos Takes a Page From Past With the American Pacing Classic"
Retrieved September 19, 2016

Records

; Most wins by a driver: * 4 – Joe O'Brien (1959, 1963, 1975, 1979) ; Most wins by a trainer: * 3 –

Stanley Dancer Stanley Franklin Dancer (July 25, 1927 – September 9, 2005) was an American harness racing driver and trainer. He was the only horseman to drive and train three Triple Crowns in horse racing. In total, he drove 23 Triple Crown winners. He ...

(1965, 1971, 1972) ; Stakes record: * 2:07 3/5 –

Niatross Niatross (1977–1999) was an American champion standardbred race horse that many believe was the greatest harness horse of all time. Background The son of Albatross out of the mare Niagara Dream, Niatross was foaled on March 30, 1977. He wa ...

(1981) at 1 1/8 miles * 1:55 3/5 – Adios Butler (1960) at 1 mile

Winners of the American Pacing Classic

References

{{Reflist Santa Anita Park Hollywood Park Racetrack Harness races in the United States Sports in Los Angeles