Niatross
| Niatross | |
|---|---|
| Breed | Standardbred |
| Sire | Albatross (US) |
| Grandsire | Meadow Skipper (US) |
| Dam | Niagara Dream (US) |
| Damsire | Bye Bye Byrd (US) |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | March 30, 1977 |
| Died | June 7, 1999 |
| Country | United States |
| Color | Bay |
| Breeder | Mrs. Elsie Berger (US) |
| Owner |
|
| Trainer | Clint Galbraith (US) |
| Record | 39:37-0-0 |
| Earnings | US$2,019,213 |
| Major wins | |
|
Bluegrass Stakes (1979) Little Brown Jug (1980) Cane Pace (1980) Messenger Stakes (1980) |
|
| Awards | |
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| Honors | |
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| Last updated on 2016-01-23 | |
Bluegrass Stakes (1979)
Woodrow Wilson Pace (1979)
American Pacing Classic (1980)
Prix d'Été (1980)
Meadowlands Pace (1980)
James Dancer Memorial (1980)
Battle Of The Brandywine (1980)
Oliver Wendell Holmes Pace (1980)
Niatross (1977–1999) was an American champion standardbred race horse that many believe was the greatest harness horse of all time.
The son of Albatross out of the mare Niagara Dream, Niatross was foaled on March 30, 1977. He was trained and driven by co-owner Clint Galbraith.
In September 1979, after Niatross won his first six races, a half interest in him was sold to Stockbroker Lou Guida and the Niatross syndicate for $2.5 million. He was unbeaten in 13 starts in his 2-year-old season, when he was named Harness Horse of the Year. His earnings of $604,900 were a two-year-old record for either the Standardbred or Thoroughbred breed.
In 1980, Niatross won The Meadowlands Pace, which was the first million dollar race in either standardbred or thoroughbred racing history. He also won the Triple Crown. In a time trial at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky he beat the world record by three seconds, setting a mark of 1:49.1. In addition to his time trial he paced the fastest race miles on one mile (1.52.1) and half mile (1.54.4) tracks. The 1980 season brought Niatross 24 wins from 26 starts.
Early in the 1980 season Niatross won the Cane Pace before racing at the Saratoga Standardbred track in Saratoga, NY, where he spooked and fell over the inside hubrail and was defeated for the first time. In an elimination for the Meadowlands Pace, he broke stride, lost valuable ground, regained his gait and, in what Stanley Dancer described as the greatest performance he had seen, recovered and finished 4th, qualifying for the final. In the Meadowlands Pace final, Niatross went right to the front and never looked back, winning by 4 1/2 lengths from Storm Damage in 1.53.1 as the 2-5 favourite. He set a world record for his age and was only 1/5 of a second outside of the overall world record. Trainer Clint Galbraith described the race as being more important than any race in Niatross' career. Niatross went on to beat all of his competition easily in future starts, frequently setting track records, including a new race, track and Canadian record during the prestigious Prix d'Été at Blue Bonnets racetrack in Montreal, Quebec. He also won the Gaines Memorial at Vernon Downs, the Oliver Wendell Holmes Pace at the Meadowlands, the Dancer Memorial at Freehold and the American Classic at Hollywood Park. In the Little Brown Jug Niatross recorded wins in straight heats of 1.55 and 1.54.4 setting six world records before a record Jug crowd of 45,621. He then won the Messenger Stakes to complete the Triple Crown. A December appearance at Pompano Park, his last career race, brought a crowd of more than 23,000.
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