Human athletes in major league sports typically experience decline in their mid to late 30s, and only those in elite shape or possessing special talent make it into their fourth decade as full-time players. Going the distance in a career is difficult. It requires the right genetic makeup and most of all long-term health. It also takes a special horse that can remain on the track into what is their human equivalent of being over 40. According to multiple sites (including horseyhooves.com), a 14-year-old horse is approximately 45.5 years old in human terms. You would be hard-pressed to find many people still competing regularly in professional sports at that age. There are exceptions, like former quarterback Tom Brady (retired at 45), and eight other National Football League players to compete at 45 or older. Among the big four sports in North America (NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB), 58 total players (sources: Wikipedia and oldest.org) have gotten on the field, rink or court at age 45, with the overwhelming majority (42) coming from baseball. While human athletes technically do not have a mandatory retirement age, Standardbreds do. Rules mandate that Standardbreds can race until December 31 of their 14-year-old season with the exception of races with amateur drivers. In those events, the deadline is extended for a full year, and the connections of 14 horses took advantage. They earned $106,497 on the track in 2024 and won 14 races, 10 of which came from Marty Monkhouser and Mariner Seelster, who won five each. So Take That is the only one of the group to race past October, as he went to the track for the 400th time in his career at Rosecroft Raceway on December 11. Each year we honor the retiring 14-year-olds who have survived the wars of racing and made at least one start in what is expected to be their final year of racing. There were exactly 100 horses to qualify in 2024, and this year in particular includes standouts at the top of the heap, with five millionaires leading the way. Interestingly, four of the five sold at public auction and the highest price paid was $55,000. That's some return on investment! In fact, not one of the entire list of 14-year-olds sold for over $80,000 and four sold for under $5,000 while winning north of $475K. We must commence the conversation about 14-year-olds in 2024 with Southwind Amazon. Anyone who follows harness racing should be aware by now that he set the modern era record for career wins earlier this year. On November 5, Southwind Amazon won for the 138th time and passed Niffit to stand alone atop the wins leaderboard. Putting the record in further perspective, only 21 horses in the last 50 years have eclipsed 100 career wins. Southwind Amazon's name is ahead of historic war horses like Rambling Willie and Foiled Again. As with all of our potentially retiring 14-year-olds, Southwind Amazon began his journey in 2012. A son of Camluck out of an Artsplace mare named Artoonist, he was bred by Southwind Farm and sold for $35,000 at Harrisburg. The now gelding displayed some potential as a sophomore when he won a leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes, but he really began to prove his mettle a few years later when joining the barn of current trainer Paul Holzman in February of 2016. As the trainer recalls, he purchased the horse from a friend in Canada for about $25,000 and never dreamed he had a potential millionaire on his hands. "I was buying him to race as a conditioned horse down at Pompano, and he turned into a pot of gold," said Holzman, who described the moment when he knew he had something special. "He won his second start for us in 1:50 and change with Ricky Macomber driving, but it was a few starts later when George Nap [olitano Jr.] drove him for the first time, and he set a lifetime mark winning by five lengths under a choke hold in 1:49 2/5. After that he told me he could've gone 1:48 and he was right. Every start after that he just seemed to get better." For seven consecutive years Southwind Amazon would eclipse the $100,000 mark in earnings and paced in under 1:50 each year. That's an accomplishment even the great all-time earnings leader Foiled Again doesn't have on his résumé. Over his career he has competed in the top overnight conditioned races at tracks like the now defunct Pompano Park to his current stomping grounds of Northfield Park in Ohio. Southwind Amazon has also stepped up to compete in Invitationals at times. While he was never able to walk away victorious, he did pick up a second in the Kane Memorial at Batavia and third in the Battle of Lake Erie in 2019. "He is the Northville Downs track record-holder, and that will never be broken since the track is closed, which is pretty cool because I grew up there and that was my home base," said Holzman. Southwind Amazon has started at least 32 times each year for the last nine years. While he has tailed off some as a 14-year-old, he has still posted a very credible nine wins in 34 starts while earning $39,412 and remains sound. "He only had one little thing just after COVID [October 2021], but he ended up coming back. We never really identified what it was. He made a very nasty break at Northfield; Billy Davis was driving him and pulled him up. He never really acted like he was 'broken bone lame' and the x-rays were all negative, but I treated him like he had a hairline fracture that we weren't seeing. When I brought him back he came back like he hadn't missed time. Except for that, since the time I purchased him, he has raced year round every year - spring, summer, fall, winter," said Holzman. Like all horses his age, Southwind Amazon is of course eligible to consider amateur racing, but Holzman says that is not in his future. "No amateurs; I've been asked a thousand times. He deserves to ride off into the sunset. A buddy of mine that I grew up with has his own farm in Michigan close to where my family is, and the owner's [Ameer Najor] family is, and he's got a spot waiting for him when he is done," said Holzman. "He has no idea [retirement] is coming. He thinks he is 5 years old. He likes doing what he is doing and is the happiest horse you ever want to come across. He's been in my stalls for eight years. It is going to be like losing a son." Almost in the same mold as Southwind Amazon is fellow 14-year-old The Real One. The son of Mach Three out of Elle Blue Chip has been with owner Helene Fillion almost since day one and been under the care of Patrick Lachance since 2014. "I purchased The Real One on the Standardbred Canada website after he had made two starts in Toronto," said Fillion, who sent The Real One to Lachance as a 4-year-old but housed the gelding from December to April each year except for the last two. "I didn't really know [Helene] but she is French Canadian and from the same town I was from in Montreal," said Lachance about the connection. Never dropped in for a claiming tag in his entire 349-start career, The Real One has basically been a regular in the Open ranks at tracks like Yonkers Raceway from 2014 to 2022. The gelding with 73 wins and $1.66 million in earnings was a whiz over smaller tracks and at one time held the track record at Yonkers in 1:50. Also like Southwind Amazon, The Real One dipped his toes in stakes company at times, winning an Ontario Sires Stakes leg in 2013 and finishing second in the Levy (now Borgata) Series back in 2016. On the year The Real One has a pair of wins from 31 starts and $62,690 in earnings. Lachance reports that the gelding remains in good shape and owes some of his longevity to his racing style. "He's still in good shape. He may've lost a step, but he's still sound and isn't hurting," said Lachance. "Once he gets to the lead and he's passed horses, he kind of gives up. With his closing style I was always one-running him and with that style it is much easier to last than being a front-runner." Next on the agenda for The Real One, once he's done racing at the end of the year, is a date back in Montreal with his owner. "She is going to retire him in her backyard in Montreal and will take care of him until he dies," said Lachance. "I'm sad to see him go but also I'm not. I think he deserves a good retirement and now he can go to a good home and I'll never have to worry about that." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter The Real One sits just a few thousand dollars behind the earnings leader from the crop of 2010. Doctor Butch ($1.67 million) only started twice in 2024 before returning to the breeding shed and hasn't been a big earner since 2018, but at one time he was one of the better horses in the sport. From 2012 to 2016 he averaged $242K earned per year and built up quite the résumé. A son of Art Major out of a Jenna's Beach Boy mare named Classical Yankee, Doctor Butch was a New York Sire Stakes champion at age 2. Under the care of Linda Toscano he also won the Art Rooney in his sophomore campaign and picked up checks in stakes with the Roll With Joe and Quillen Memorial in the following years. In 2017 Doctor Butch moved to the Richard Banca barn and stayed under his roof until moving to his current owner Ettore Annunziata Rev Trust. Trainer Michael Annunzaiata raced Doctor Butch exclusively for a couple of years before having the big guy switch to double duty in 2023, adding him to the stallion ranks in Virginia. For 2025 he has moved to New Jersey at Sunset Ridge. "I love the Meadowlands, it's the mecca of harness racing and where Butch is most known," said Annunziata about Doctor Butch, who won 57 of 345 starts in his career. "People were saying they wanted to breed to him but didn't want to ship down to Virginia, so it made sense to switch to New Jersey. His first crop of foals are all huge, so it looks like they'll be able to handle the big track." The fastest retiree is also a millionaire and former stakes winner. Lucan Hanover competed in most of the big dances as a 3-year-old and was able to pick up a victory in the New Jersey Classic, as well as third-place checks in the Little Brown Jug and Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt pace in 2013. He also set his 1:48 lifetime mark while winning at elimination of the Crown at Pocono Downs. While more than a third of his career earnings came that year, he eclipsed six figures four more times. Those very successful years came while Lucan Hanover was under the care of Casie Coleman and Andrew Harris. The gelding changed hands a couple of times and eventually landed with Aaron Hall in 2021 and has done good work on the New England circuit, winning 19 races since 2022 and increasing his career record to 75 victories from 339 starts. "Lucan is just a cool horse, everything he does is done with class. He carries himself with a well-earned chip on his shoulder," said Hall, who added that the 14-year-old loves bananas and powdered donuts. "On the track he's the ultimate pro; drives like a Cadillac. Over the past two seasons he's taken care of himself and been more selective on when he puts in big efforts. He'll be an impossible horse to replace." Hall said he won't be selling Lucan Hanover to someone looking for an amateur horse, and the only way the gelding will leave his barn is if he can locate a good permanent home. "Life after racing is still up in the air. He'll stay here at the farm until a great opportunity presents itself for him. There will be no rush to have him leave, but I'll also be happy to see him go onto his next chapter. It will just need to be a great situation to hand him over to," said Hall. Closing out the retiring millionaires list is Windsong Jack at $1,039,713. Unlike most of the aforementioned group, "Jack" called it a career back in April after making 12 starts, but he made his mark with multiple Ontario Sires Stakes victories at ages 2 and 3, as well as 47 career wins from 297 starts. Our list of 100 includes so much more than just big on-track earners. There is Dusto, a son of Stand Forever with an amazing 466 career starts. That is an average of 35.8 starts per year for 13 years. Dusto is joined by six others who have eclipsed the 400 barrier and five more horses sit in the 390-399 range. If there is a common theme for longevity and durability among the horses with the most appearances behind the starting gate, it is sire Jereme's Jet. Three of the top eight on the "most starts" list are sired by the late stallion who won a Dan Patch Award in 2005 and did his breeding work in Ontario and Indiana. Perhaps more impressive than 466 starts in a career is being able to answer the call to the post more than 40 times at age 14. A quartet of horses have accomplished the feat this year, led by New Zealand import Machtu, an 11-time winner in 45 starts for owner/trainer Tammy Sowers. "Knock on wood Mach has remained sound," said Sowers, who saw Machtu finish second on Dec. 12 at Monticello. "He has a great personality! He is cranky at times but loves treats and being turned out. It's so much so that we only jog him three days a week and he gets pasture time for the rest. I think this helps with his longevity. He is very competitive and doesn't like to lose!" Machtu, who has won 47 of 282 races in North America and 17 more before his arrival from Down Under in 2016, is one of the 14-year-olds that will continue his career at age 15 before settling down with the Sowers family. "He will race in the amateurs in Maine at 15 if he continues to stay sound. After that he will retire with us," said Sowers. Also on the 40+ starts list is another New Zealander who came stateside in 2016. Provocativeprince not only has made 43 starts on the year but he also leads all 14-year-olds in wins with 15 and sits second in earnings at $69,108. Topping him in the money-earned category at an astonishing $93,054 is an Australian named Major Crocker.   Brought here in 2019 after earnings well over $500K in his homeland, Major Crocker finished off 2024 just shy of his fourth six-figure season in North America. The son of Art Major was also the fastest 14-year-old of the year with a 1:50 3/5 mark taken at Harrah's Hoosier Park. "He's just a classy horse," said trainer Walter Haynes Jr., who claimed Major Crocker for $15,000 in August for owners Matthew Miller and Darin Miller. "He hardly missed getting a check for us. We dropped him down to the 10 claimers knowing no one would take him, and he was able to sit last and roll by them." Major Crocker finished his year and career on November 15 with a second-place finish at Harrah's Hoosier Park and has moved on to his next journey. "He's at New Vocations in Kentucky," said Haynes. "They are going to teach him how to be a riding horse and give him to some kid." This was a rare year when pacers totally dominated the leaders from the 14-year-old class, but we can't ignore the trotters completely. Penn, a son of Master Glide, is the fastest retiring trotter with a 1:52 3/5 mark. He won 64 of 195 races and $492K during a career that ended in September. Far and away the most accomplished trotter from the group is Crazy About Pat. The son of Crazed made $977K during his time on the track and did more than a third of that earning as a 3-year-old when he won the New York Sire Stakes final for colts. It takes all kinds of horses to put together racing programs across the continent. For every stake-caliber or Open horse, there are dozens of low-level conditioned types competing weekly and giving their all on the track. While they all deserve their due, below we highlight two. Certainly almost no one has heard of Culpepper, a son of Camluck who made only $25,539 in his life to finish as the lowest earner, but he did answer the call 173 times in 13 years of racing and made at least 20 starts each of the last four years. Gotfaithincowboys made slightly more at $42,003 but was able to make her way to the track an impressive 280 times, including 10 straight years over 22 starts and 19 as a 14-year-old. Most of the 100 horses have already retired or plan to do so by December 31. Some will continue on to amateur races in 2025 and continue to do what they love. Regardless of their futures, we salute what they have accomplished in the past and thank them for their service to the daily racing wars for more than a decade. Enjoy retirement!