Gallo Blue Chip

Gallo Blue Chip is a Standardbred harness racing horse who earned $4.2 million in total winnings during his racing career.[1][2] Gallo Blue Chip's sire was Magical Mike, and his dam was Camatross.[3][4] Magical Mike's sire was Tyler B., and his dam was Racing Date; Camatross' sire was Albatross, and her dam was Bye Bye Camille.[3][4]

Gallo Blue Chip
Breed	Standardbred
Sire	Magical Mike (1991) (1:50.2) ($1,682,080)
Grandsire	Tyler B. (1977) (1:55.1) ($887,338)
Dam	Camatross (1981)
Damsire	Albatross (1968) ($1:54.3)
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	1997
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Dan Gernatt Farms (Collins, New York)
Owner	Martin Scharf
Trainer	Mark Ford
Earnings	$4,260,959
Major wins
53
Awards
Best mile rate: 1:48.4 Leading Money Pacer of All Time World Champion on a 5/8 mile track American Harness Horse of the Year (2000) United States Pacer of the Year (2000, 2001)
Honours
United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame (2011)
Last updated on 2014-07-06

Background

Gallo Blue Chip was purchased by his owner, Martin Scharf, for $100,000[5] from Chris Oakes of Lockport, New York.[6] He was bred by Dan Gernatt Farms in Collins, New York.[2]

Career

Gallo Blue Chip won eight of eight starts in 1999, including seven New York Sires Stakes and the $150,000 championship.[7] In 2000, Gallo Blue Chip won the Meadowlands Pace horse race at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey with a time of 1:50.4.[8][9] The same year, he also won the Breeder's Crown Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace at Mohawk Racetrack in 1:51.1.[10] Winning the North America Cup (1:50.1; $1 million),[5] Tattersalls Pace, and Art Rooney Pace were additional major victories for him that year. He set the world record for three-year-old pacers on a 5/8 mile track in his win at the Little Brown Jug Preview with a time of 1:50, becoming World Champion.[7]

Gallo Blue Chip's owner, Martin Scharf, described his feelings about the horse's North America Cup victory, saying, "Winning the North America Cup was a thrill and a relief. Even if you know a horse is good, he has to prove it. I've been in this business for 10 years and you never really know if you have that caliber of a horse.[5] The horse's trainer, Mark Ford, said of him in July of 2000, "He's a little hard to train. You won't be impressed if you train him in the middle of the week, but he is good when he races."[5]

He was a great horse - a big horse. If you sat behind him and he was going slow you would never think that he was a great horse. He felt like a horse with not a lot, but when you got him going there was nothing like him. He was so powerful in the Meadowlands Pace and especially the Jug Preview. Those are the races that I will always remember most. In the Jug Preview, he was parked the whole mile. You know, not many horses can do that, and the way he did it is very hard to describe. (Daniel Dube, February 21, 2008)[11]

At the close of 2000, Gallo Blue Chip had won more than $2.4 million, becoming the Standardbred record holder for winning the most money in any single racing season.[7] Gallo Blue Chip won additional awards early in his career, including being named 2000 American Harness Horse of the Year; and 2000 and 2001 Pacer of the Year in the United States and Canada.[7] He also won the United States Trotting Association and Canadian (O’Brien) Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year awards in 2000.[7]

Gallo Blue Chip became the all-time leading money-winning pacer in 2001 with $3,227,861 by winning the Canadian Pacing Derby Prep.[7] That year, he won 10 out of 19 starts, including the Battle of Lake Erie, Graduate Pace, Canadian Pacing Derby, and American-National.[7] He was the first pacer in the history of harness racing to earn more than $4 million in winnings, having done so in 2003 as a six-year-old at the Presidential Series final.[7]

As an eight-year-old in 2005, he was continuing to race prior to his retirement on March 12, 2005.[7][12] In 2005, Gallo Blue Chip retired "as the sport's leading money winning pacer" and Standardbred gelding of all-time.[1][4][7][13][14] He is the first horse to have won more than $4 million in the sport.[4][7]

Gallo Blue Chip was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame on July 3, 2011, having received 34% of the votes from members in good standing of the United States Trotting Association.[1][7] He had a total of 53 wins of 133 starts during his career.[12]

Retirement

Gallo Blue Chip is retired to Blue Chip Farms[15] in Wallkill, New York.[2]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Gallo Blue Chip (USA), Standardbred bay, 1997[3][4]

Sire Magical Mike 1991 p,2,1:51.4; p,3,1:50.2 $1,682,08 World Champion at 2	Tyler B. (1977) p,2,1:57.4; p,3,1:55.1, $687,338	Most Happy Fella (1967) p,3,T1:55, $419,033	Meadow Skipper (1960) p,3,1:55.1, $428,057
			Laughing Girl (1961) p,4,2:04h $19,546
		Tarport Cheer (1966) p,3,2:08.3	Tar Heel (1948) p,4,T1:57m $119,148
			Meadow Cheer (1956) p,2,2:05h $16,083
	Racing Date (1977) p,3,T1:57.2, $18,865	Race Time (1961) p,3,1:57, $486,955	Good Time (1946) p,1:57.4m $318,792
			Breath O Spring (1953) p,3,T2:01.1 $3,144
		Tarport Martha p,2,2:06.2f, $1,009	OBrien Hanover (1955) p,6,1:59.2m $302,255
			Adios Betty (1951) p,2,T1:58.4m $34,171
Dam Camatross 1981	Albatross (1968) p,4,1:54.3	Meadow Skipper (1960) p,3,1:55.1, $428,057	Dale Frost (1951) p,1:58m $204,117
			Countess Vivian (1950) p,3,1:59m $43,262
		Voodoo Hanover (1964)	Dancer Hanover (1957) p,4,T1:56.4m $87,746
			Vibrant Hanover (1960)
	Bye Bye Camille (1974)	Bye Bye Byrd (1955) p,T1:56.1, $554,272	Polar Byrd (1944) p,T1:59.3m $69,300
			Evalina Hanover (1946) p,1:59.2m $12,420
		Cathy J. Hanover (1959) p,3,2:02h $76,557	Tar Heel (1948) p,4,T1:57m $119,148
			Kaola Hanover (1949) p,4,2:05.3h $14,600

References

1. "Gallo Blue Chip". Blue Chip Farms (Wallkill, New York). Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
2. "Former breeder Dan Gernatt Sr. dies at 97". Harness Racing.com/Horseman Publishing Co. (Lexington, Kentucky). 8 May 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
3. "Gallo Blue Chip, G, 1997". Select Web Ventures, LLC. 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
4. Reid, J. "Gallo Blue Chip". ReoCities. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
5. Yannis, A. (12 July 2000). "Horse racing: Gallo Blue Chip is favorite for Pace". New York Times (New York, New York). Retrieved 5 July 2014.
6. Summers, B. (23 December 2000). "Who wants to be a millionaire? Chris Oakes says don't ask". Buffalo News (Buffalo, New York). Missing or empty |url= (help)
7. Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame (5 January 2011). "Gallo Blue Chip, Eternal Camnation elected to Hall of Fame". United States Trotting Association (Columbus, Ohio). Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
8. "2000 Meadowlands Pace - Gallo Blue Chip & Daniel Dube". YouTube/Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment. 15 July 2000. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
9. Popper, S. (16 July 2000). "Harness Racing; Gallo Blue Chip triumphs in Meadowlands showdown". New York Times (New York, New York). Retrieved 5 July 2014.
10. "Breeder's crown: 1984-2009" (PDF). Hambletonian.org. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
11. Mattia, D. "Daniel Dube remembers Gallo Blue Chip". United States Trotting Association (Columbus, Ohio). Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
12. "Gallo Blue Chip retired". Harnessracing.com (Lexington, Kentucky). 13 March 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
13. "Dan Gernatt Sr. passes". Standardbred Canada (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada). 9 May 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
14. "Dan Gernatt Sr., 97, dies". United States Trotting Association (Columbus, Ohio). 8 May 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
15. "Blue Chip Farms". Blue Chip Farms. 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.

External links

• Gallo Blue Chip and Daniel Dube winning 2000 Meadowlands Pace (video)