Albatross (horse)

Template:Infobox racehorse Albatross (1968–1998) was a bay Standardbred horse by Meadow Skipper. He was voted United States Harness Horse of the Year in 1971 and 1972. Albatross won 59 of 71 starts, including the Cane Pace and Messenger Stakes in 1971, earned $1,201,477.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was, however, as a sire that he really made his mark. Albatross's 2,546 sons and daughters won $130,700,280.<ref>Albatross lifetime record as a sire., The New York Times, August 6, 1998</ref>

Racing career

Trained and driven by Harry Harvey from the time he was a yearling until a week before his three-year-old season and later Stanley Dancer, he won 14 of 17 starts at age two in 1970<ref name="fame">Canadian Horse Racing Hall Of Fame</ref> including wins in the Lawrence Sheppard Pace, Roosevelt Futurity, Star Pointer Pace and Fox Stakes.

Early in 1972 he was syndicated for $1.25 million and Stanley Dancer became his trainer.<ref name=fame/> He won 25 of his 28 races as a three-year-old, including the Adios Pace, the Cane Pace, the Messenger Stakes, Battle Of The Brandywine, Prix d'Été, Shapiro Stakes and the American Classic against older horses.<ref>Albatross Top Pacer Of The Year, St Petersburg Times, December 8, 1971, Retrieved January 25, 2016</ref> As a three-year-old he also set a record for fastest race mile with two races in 1:54.4 at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky.<ref>Mighty Albatross to be featured in Reynolds Stake at Raceway West Seneca News, July 6, 1972, Retrieved January 25, 2016</ref> It was the first time a horse and set and equalled or lowered a world record the same day.<ref name=standardbredcanada>Albatross: racing's wonder horse</ref> He was denied the Triple Crown when beaten in the Little Brown Jug by Nansemond.<ref name=standardbredcanada/>

He broke his world record as a four-year-old with a race in 1:54.3 at Sportsman's Park in Chicago.<ref>Stats Albatross</ref><ref>Pedigree Albatross</ref><ref>Albatross sets world mark at Sportsman's, Chicago Tribune, July 2, 1972, Retrieved January 25, 2016</ref> Also in 1973 he won the Canadian Pacing Derby, National Pacing Derby, Realization Park and the American Classic for a second time.<ref>Classic Families, Retrieved January 25, 2016</ref>

Albatross set the single-season harness horse earnings record of $558,009 in 1971.<ref name="standardbredcanada"/><ref>Looney, Douglas S. "Wiping Out A Clean Sweep", Sports Illustrated, November 8, 1976. Accessed February 19, 2009.</ref> and was the sports richest horse at the time of his retirement.<ref name="fame"/>

Stud record

After his four-year-old racing season he retired to stud at Hanover Shoe Farms in Hanover, Pennsylvania. One of his sons Niatross was the winner of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers in 1980 and in that year was also a world champion with a mark of 1:49.1. Others were Fan Hanover, Merger, Colt Fortysix, and Jaguar Spur, all, like Niatross, winners of the Little Brown Jug. His sons and daughters made him the all-time leading stakeswinning sire.<ref>Great Pacer Albatross is dead at 30, Philly.com, August 6, 1998, Retrieved January 26, 2016</ref> He was also an outstanding broodmare sire.

In 1998, Albatross died at the age of 30 at Hanover Shoe Farm in Pennsylvania of complications from heart failure and colic. He was buried at the Hanover Shoe Farms horse cemetery.

Sire line tree

• Albatross<ref>Harness Racing Museum: Albatross</ref>
  • Niatross<ref>Harness Racing Museum: Niatross</ref>
    • Nihilator<ref>Harness Racing Museum: Nihilator</ref>

See also

• Harness racing
• List of racehorses