GALLO BLUE CHIP, 28, DIES
Columbus, OH — Gallo Blue Chip, 2000 Dan Patch Horse of the Year and 2011 Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductee, died Wednesday (Jan. 22) at the age of 28.
“He was the horse of a lifetime,” said Gallo Blue Chip’s trainer, Mark Ford. “He’ll never know how many lives he changed, his many kids he put through college, how many careers he’s responsible for.”
Martin Scharf purchased Gallo Blue Chip for $100,000 after his very first start, and the Magical Mike-Camatross gelding went on to win 53 of his 133 starts through his seven-year career while driven primarily by Daniel Dubé. His $4,260,959 in career earnings made him the richest pacer in history until Foiled Again overtook him in 2011, and he currently stands as the third richest pacer in all-time North American harness racing history.
After going undefeated through eight starts as a rookie, Gallo Blue Chip made major headlines in his 3-year-old season, winning 19 of 29 starts and banking a then single-season record $2,428,816 (bettered only by Somebeachsomewhere in 2008). Among his wins as a sophomore were a pair of million-dollar races: the Pepsi North America Cup and the Meadowlands Pace.
He took his mark of 1:48.4 at the Meadowlands as a 4-year-old in a season that saw him exceed seven figures again with the help of wins in the Canadian Pacing Derby and Graduate, and he took divisional Dan Patch and O’Brien honors that year. He was retired in March 2005 after making seven starts as an 8-year-old.
- by James Witherite, editor, Hoof Beats magazine