by Dean A. Hoffman

Artsplace, Horse of the Year in 1992 and a champion sire, was euthanized today after battling a persistent case of laminitis. The 18-year-old stallion had been undergoing treatment at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center this fall. Dr. Andrew van Epps said that the laminitis was irreversible and there was no hope for a recovery.

The offspring of Artsplace have earned $114,996,479 to date. That ranks him as the fifth behind his own sire Abercrombie as the leading sire in Standardbred history. Artsplace served a book of 182 mares this year, his largest book since 1994, his second year in the stud. He stood his entire stud career at Southwind Farm in New Jersey, and his 2006 stud fee was $12,500.

He currently ranks fourth in 2006 among all pacing sires as his sons and daughters have earned more than $8.5 million this year.

He sired 15 millionaires, headed by the stallion Art Major ($2,727,224) and the mares Glowing Report ($1,909,956), Worldly Beauty ($1,900,255), and Galleria ($1,814,453).

He is the sire of 487 pacers with records of 1:55 or faster.

His son Astreos won the 2000 Little Brown Jug, but died recently in New Zealand. Another son of Artsplace, Grinfromeartoear, sired Mr Feelgood, the winner of last month’s Little Brown Jug. Artsplace is also the sire of the successful young stallion Artiscape.

“We first noticed a problem with Artsplace in late August,” said Laura Young, manager at Southwind Farm. ‘He’d shown no previous problems, but one day we walked him out of the stall and he was ouchy. We called the vet and he took radiographs, The problem was almost unnoticeable.”

Young said that treatment began immediately on Artsplace and he showed gradual progress.

“He was sounder and improving,” she said. “Then literally almost overnight in late September he got worse. He spiked a temperature and we took him to New Bolton Center. He was being treated there ever since.”

Artsplace was a son of Abercrombie from the Albatross mare Miss Elvira. He was bred by George Segal and the late Brian Monieson, both of Illinois, and was owned by a syndicate at the time of his death.

In his three seasons at the races, Artsplace earned $3,085,083 while winning 37 of 49 career starts. He was unbeaten in 16 starts in his Horse of the Year campaign in 1992 while setting a new race record for Standardbreds at 1:49.2.

Artsplace was developed by Hall of Fame horseman Gene Riegle. As a 2-year-old, he won 11 of 15 starts, including a stunning 1:51.1f mile in the Breeders Crown at Pompano Park. Sixteen years later, that record still stands. He earned $1,180,271 in his freshman campaign.

He was driven in that race, and most of his career starts, by John Campbell.

As a sophomore, Artsplace won 10 of 18 starts, but faced a formidable duo in Precious Bunny and Die Laughing. He missed the Little Brown Jug because of sickness, but still earned $973,487 that season.

Segal and Monieson made the decision to bring Artsplace back to the races as a 4-year-old under the supervision of trainer Bob McIntosh. The mature Artsplace whirled through his season with 16 wins in 16 tries. In his fourth start of the season, Cat Manzi drove him to a 1:49.2 win at the Meadowlands, then the fastest race mile every by a Standardbred. On Hambletonian Day in 1992, he beat the tough mare Shady Daisy in a memorable 1:50 mile at the Meadowlands.

Career Summary