nihilator
Foaled in 1982 by Niatross out of Margie's Melody, Nihilator was purchased by Bob Boni and Lou Guida. Trained by the Haughton Stable, as a two-year-old he won 12 of 13 races with purses totaling $1,361,367. By 1985 Nihilator was the dominant force in harness racing. On Hambletonian Day at the Meadowlands in 1985 he paced in 1:49.3, the fastest mile to that date. He ended the 1985 racing season winning 23 of 25 starts under the reins of Bill O'Donnell. Nihilator was a major stakes winner, and won 35 of his 38 starts with purse earnings totaling more than $3.2 million, ranking him as one of the richest pacers ever. He serviced over 1,131 mares, producing 361 offspring with 2:00 times. In 1991 Nihilator was humanely destroyed after a fatal bout with Potomac Fever. He is buried at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1995 book, The 1995 Immortals