by Dean Hoffman

It’s already July and that means that the breeding season is over and that some farms are gearing up to prep their yearlings for the fall sales.

One truism in harness racing is that the offspring of first-crop sires always attract attention. Many people question the wisdom of such enthusiasm, saying it’s safer to select yearlings by proven sires, but that doesn’t deter buyers. Any yearling by a first crop sire is an intriguing prospect.

With that in mind, we’ll take a brief look at some of the most prominent stallions whose first foals will go to the sales this far. We’ve listed all the stallions with 20 or more foals in their first crops, but we’ll focus our attention on stallions with at least $500,000 in earnings and 50 foals.

TROTTERS

Pegasus Spur 3, 1:54 ($1,296,683)

USTA Photo

Dick and Buddy Stillings with Pegasus Spur.

This “gentle giant” won almost $1.3 million in a career that spanned three seasons of racing at the top of the sport. His biggest payday, of course, came when he finished second in the 2001 Hambletonian behind the legendary Scarlet Knight.

But Pegasus Spur did far more than just finish second in the Hambo. He finished 1-2-3 in 35 of his 50 lifetime starts that that type of consistency tells you a lot about a horse and his handlers.

His handlers were the brothers Stillings of western Pennsylvania: trainer Buddy and driver Dick Stillings. They know how to handle a good horse and Pegasus Spur benefited from their management.

They also benefited from his ability. Pegasus Spur closed from nowhere in the 2000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old to finish third. He then ended his freshman season with a come-from-behind win in the Matron at Dover.

He spent much of his sophomore season chasing SJ’s Caviar, another son of SJ’s Photo. He was second to that colt in the Beacon Course, then second in the Hambo.

Shipping to the Midwest, Pegasus Spur took his career mark of 1:54 winning the American-National. He was 3-4 in the World Trotting Derby and second, beaten only a head, that fall in the Breeders Crown.

As a 4-year-old, Pegasus Spur was tossed into the rough ‘n tumble world of the free-for-ranks, but he held his own against the best in the sport. In July he easily won the Dygert for Stillings.

He’s proved very popular in the stud at Hickory Lane Farm in Ohio, serving 155 mares in his first book and 126 mares in his second season.

Chip Chip Hooray 3, 1:53.3 ($1,149,626)

Everyone remembers Chip Chip Hooray for winning the Hambletonian, of course, but they shouldn’t overlook his 2-year-old season when he won 10 of 12 starts and pocketed $436,079.

As a 3-year-old, he served notice in the Hambop eliminations that he was ready to roll in the Big Dance the following week. He won his elimination in 1:54.1 by a head over Andover Hall despite coming first-over.

In the $1 million Hambo final, Eric Ledford kept him off the speed duel between Taurus Dream and ENS Snapshot and took control when they weakened. He scampered to the wire in 1:53.3 to give trainer Chuck Sylvester another Hambo winner on his resume.

Six weeks later Chip Chip Hooray entered the Old Oaken Bucket at Delaware and Sylvester pulled his shoes in anticipation of sending him after the world record on a twice-around.

When Ledford got to the half in 58.2, I remember thinking that the record was out of reach, but the smallish colt was just getting cranked up. He whirled through a final half in 56.1 to stop the timer at 1:54.3, destroying the world record.

Chip Chip Hooray has bred 131 in each of his first two seasons at Midland Acres and his proven ability the half-mile track should serve him well when his offspring hit the county fairs and raceways in the Buckeye State.

Like A Prayer 3, 1:52.2 ($1,118,504)

Like A Prayer, son of the recently-exported Lindy Lane, was a $26,000 yearling and paid for himself as 2-year-old by winning $30,000 in his only start for trainer Carl Conte. Things got a lot more profitable the following year as he became a millionaire in a single season. He was raced that season by Jan Johnson and Berndt Linstedt of Continental Farm until early July, then entered the Brett Pelling Stable.

Like A Prayer was second to Chip Chip Hooray in the Hambo, then took a nifty 1:52.2 mark in the World Trotting Derby defeating Kadabra. He couldn’t beat Andover in the raceoff at DuQuoin, but he whipped him and Civil Aciton in the Kentucky Futurity.

Like A Prayer closed out his career by finishing second to Kadabra in both his elimination and final of the Breeders Crown.

In 16 starts during his 3-year-old sseason, he compiled a 7-7-2 slate, impressive consistency for a colt racing at the top levels of the sport.

Like A Prayer went to stud at Walnut Hall Ltd., where he bred a book of 156 mares in his first season and 145 last year.

Andover Hall 3, 1:51.3 ($870,510)

USTA Photo

Andover Hall

Andover Hall bred 157 mares in each of his first two seasons at Hanover Shoe Farms and his foals are sure to benefit from the enthusiasm over the slots coming to the Keystone State.

It’s impossible to fault Andover Hall’s pedigree—he is, after all, a product of the magical cross of Garland Lobell on Amour Angus. That means his older brothers are Conway Hall and Angus Hall.

Note that I said older brothers, not “big” brothers because it’s hard to fathom Andover having a big brother. He is a long tall drink of water and he is really a striking individual After all, he didn’t fetch a $482,000 price as a yearling for nothing.

As a 2-year-old, Andover justified that sale price and more by winning everything in sight until he got tangled up going to the gate in the Breeders Crown. He dropped that decision, but he was still the overwhelming favorite to take the 2002 Hambo.

Andover’s star-crossed sophomore season is one that owner Erkki Laakkonen and trainer Bob Steward would probably rather forget. I say that despite the fact that Andover equaled the fastest trotting mile in history (1:51.3) when he won the World Trotting Derby.

A month earlier, a mix-up in the first turn cost Andover any chance at the Hambletonian.

He was 3-2 in the Kentucky Futurity on his home track at Lexington, but on the eve of the Breeders Crown, he escaped from his paddock in Ontario and ran loose on a very highway. The bizarre incident could have been much worse, but it caused him to be withdrawn from the Breeders Crown final.

Click here to read Part 1