Here is a
brief tribute to a few of the high profile horses we lost this year. One that
you may recall is Armbro Goal, the blueblood son of Speedy Crown and Armbro
Flight. The 28-year-old winner of the 1988 Hambletonion was euthanized in
Denmark in February. He was voted three-year-old trotter of the year, having
won, in addition to the Hambletonion, the World Trotting Derby, Dexter Cup,
Beacon Course Trot and Zweig. The 135,000 yearling was lightly raced, only
making 18 lifetime starts, but he won eleven of the thirteen starts he made as
a sophomore. Armbro Goal never lost a race he didn’t break in.
Jan Johnson
trained him and Berndt Lindstedt did the driving most of the time, however, he was
sold to a Swedish group prior to the Hambletonion for 2.5 million and John
Campbell got the driving assignment. He won easily at a short price. Armbro
Goal was Jan Johnson’s first Hambletonion winner after trying with 24 other trotters.
Campbell, who won the previous year with Mack Lobell, was the first driver in two
decades to win in consecutive years.
Armbro Goal
stood at Castleton and produced the million dollar winner Winky’s Goal from his
first crop. Lawn Tennis, the dam of Credit Winner, was also from that crop. Other
good ones were the three million dollar winner Fool’s Goal and Legendary Lover
K.
**********
Twenty-five-year
old Giant Victory, a son of Super Bowl, died at Hanover Shoe Farms in
September. He was owned by Ted Gewertz and trained by Per Eriksson. Although he
earned more than 120,000 at two, he only managed to win one of 13 starts. He
had no gate speed and generally took the long road home. John Patterson Jr. was
his regular driver but Jack Moiseyev drove him when he won the Hambletonion in
straight heats in 1991, which was the first year that it wasn’t necessary to
win two. Giant Victory also won the Breeders Crown and the Canadian Trotting
Classic that year. He took 9 of 20 starts and earned more than a million
dollars at three.
He stood at
Hanover for several years beginning in 1992 before being shipped overseas. Giant
Victory returned to Hanover twelve years later as a retiree. He was no great
shakes as a sire, however, his daughter Aldyth Hanover did produce D Train, the
unraced daughter of Donerail who gave us Donato Hanover and Here Comes Herbie.
**********
Alf Palema,
the Speedy Somolli stallion who won the Hambletonion the year after Giant
Victory did, passed at Palema Farm in Sweden at the end of April. Unlike his
predecessor, he was a successful stallion over there. Alf was part of a
Swedish sweep on Hambo day. His trainer, Per Eriksson, also had the second
place finisher, King Conch, while Bjorn Berglund’s Herschel Walker finished
third. Alf was one for nine going into the race and not expected to win, but
Mickey McNichol got him home. Alf, who also won the World Trotting Derby, was
voted Trotter of the Year in 1991.
**********
A Go Go
Lauxmont, the 28-year-old Balanced Image stallion, also passed this year. He
was euthanized due to colic at the end of August. He didn’t function at the
level of the previous trio, banking about 300,000 and getting most of his wins
in the OSS. His best effort was probably a tough second to Armbro Goal in the
CTC. Another noteworthy performance was his 1:54.3 TT for Ron Waples at the Red
Mile. That turned heads and filled his book when he got back to Canada but he
had an up and down breeding career with more downs than ups. That
notwithstanding, A Go Go Lauxmont is the sire of the dam of Broadway Hall, so
without him there would be no Broad Bahn, Cooler Schooner, Pilgrim’s Taj,
Pilgrim’s Chuckie or Frau Blucher.
**********
The biggest
loss of all, of course, was 11-year-old Rocknroll Hanover, who was euthanized
in March due to a gastric impaction. The 2005 HOY was a great racehorse and an
even better sire. He gave us Rocknroll Heaven, Put On A Show, ARNRD, Nitelife,
Pet Rock, Rocklamation and so many more. Next season we should get some inkling
as to whether Heaven will follow in his footsteps. And Pet Rock and ARNRD will
join the stallion ranks in Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively, in 2014. Also,
Rocknroll’s mares will soon be turning out sons and daughters of SBSW.
**********
As Promised,
Alberta’s go to stallion for almost two decades, died at age 24 in August. He
overcame physical issues and became a rock solid pacer, and he overcame
geographical isolation to become a successful sire. He was inducted into the
Canadian HOF for his talent and tenacity on both fronts.
**********
The great
Peace Corps passed in November of 2012, but since, for some strange reason, it
wasn’t reported in the harness press in NA until June of this year we’ll treat
it like a 2013 loss. The 26-year-old daughter of Baltic Speed died on the
island of Mallorca, off of Spain. She was Trotter of the Year in 1989 and a
five-time division winner. This member of the Living HOF was also voted HOY
twice in Sweden. She won the Breeders Crown four times.
JF
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