Meadow Skipper (May 8, 1960 – 1982) was a Standardbred racehorse and sire. He earned $428,057 as a racehorse.[1]
Background
Meadow Skipper was a brown horse foaled in 1960 by Dale Frost out of the U. S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame mare Countess Vivian by Kings Council.[2]
Career
Trained and driven by Earle Avery, Meadow Skipper was a world or season champion during each year that he raced.[3] He won the 1963 Cane Pace, and placed second in the Little Brown Jug.[1]
Stud record
When he retired to the breeding farm, Meadow Skipper sired more than 1,700 progeny.[1] As a stud, his progeny earned $66 million. He sired 456 two-minute pacers, including Triple Crown winners Ralph Hanover and Most Happy Fella;[1][3] plus Albatross, sire of Niatross,[4] Chairmanoftheboard, and Naughty But Nice.
The winnings of the 2,546 progeny of Albatross, Meadow Skipper's son, earned $130,700,280.[5] Niatross is believed by many to be the greatest harness horse of all time. He was Harness Horse of the Year as a two- and three-year-old in 1979 and 1980, won the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers, and obliterated the world record by three full seconds with a mile time of 1:49.1.[4]
Retirement
Meadow Skipper retired to Stoner Creek Farm in Kentucky, and died there in 1982.[1]
In 1983, Meadow Skipper was inducted into the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame.[6]
^"Meadow Skipper". Harness Racing Australia, Inc. 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
^ abHoffman, D.A. (2012). "Harness racing in New York State: A history of trotters, tracks and horsemen". The History Press (Charleston, South Carolina). {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
