Arnold Manders’ harness pony, Cherokee Ironman, set a new world record for a three-year old on a half-mile track in Goshen, Indiana at the weekend.The speedy colt broke the previous record (0:59.3) that had stood for a year after running a 0:58.4 at the Goshen Half Mile with American trainer Dale Miller in the sulky.Cherokee Ironman now holds world records for a three-year old for the half-mile and five, sixteenth (1:02.4) race tracks as well as all the two -year- old colt records he achieved last year in Indiana.Cherokee Ironman’s most recent milestone arrived at the Mid-West Big Four Stakes Race which followed closely on the heels of his record breaking performance at the ITPA Stakes Race at Nappannee earlier this month.Cherokee Ironman is the full brother of Manders’ mare, IC’s Amberock, that currently holds the records on all the tracks in Indiana as well as the world record (1:02.2) on a quarter-mile track.Both racing ponies are based in Indiana.Heading into last weekend’s stakes races, newly installed Driving Horse and Pony Club (DHPC) president Manders said breaking records was the furthest thing from his mind.“I wasn’t thinking about breaking world records,” he told The Royal Gazette. “But I knew he had prepped well because he ran a 1:02.4 in the last stakes race at Nappannee and the driver and trainer were quite optimistic he could.“When I got to the track and saw all the horses going like two or three seconds faster than they usually run I knew then we had a chance and he didn’t let me down — he broke the three-year old record.”Former top cricketer Manders took over the helm of DHPC after predecessor Michael Rodrigues stood down at the association’s annual general meeting last month.Manders, who ran unopposed for the top post, hopes to achieve a number of objectives during his watch with the help of his fellow committee members.“We have a good and energetic committee that has already started off on a good foot,” he said. “We’re just trying to give the sport a boost and run it like a business.”One of Manders’ top priorities is to secure more funding for the stakes races to provide added incentive for his association’s membership.“The drivers spend a lot of money on these horses so we want to try and raise funds for the stakes races to give something back to them,” he said. “Last year they raced for nothing except I think for the Champion of Champions and that wasn’t the purse it usually is.”The DHPC executive now consists of president Manders, vice-president Colin Mello, secretary Robin Manders, assistant secretary Stacey Young, treasurer Heather Adams and committee members Joey Trott, Charles Whited Jr, Joe Viera and Cameron Harris.The 2012-13 harness season will commence September 21 at Vesey Street.