from the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame

Goshen, NY — Stanley Bergstein, chairman of the Living Horse Hall of Fame nominating committee of The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, has announced the results of recent balloting that determined the 2011 members of The Harness Racing Living Horse Hall of Fame.

Annual members (in good standing) voted for the two horses they felt exemplified greatness. Their choices are racehorse Gallo Blue Chip who received 34 percent of the vote and racehorse Eternal Camnation who received 20 percent of the votes cast. The other nominees were Rainbow Blue (17 percent), Garland Lobell (15 percent) and Real Desire (11 percent).

Gallo Blue Chip and Eternal Camnation will be inducted on Hall of Fame Day, Sunday, July 3, 2011. The ceremonies for these two extraordinary Standardbred racehorses will take place during The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame’s annual dinner. For information on the Hall of Fame weekend and other festivities surrounding this important occasion visit www.harnessmuseum.com from April 2011 onward or call or write the Museum at 240 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924. Phone: 845.294.6330.

Standardbreds are only eligible for nomination to harness racing’s highest accolade if they comply with the following strict criteria:

They must be retired from racing for five years and had a drug-free career. In addition, racehorses must have won 75 percent of their lifetime starts, or gone undefeated in a single season campaign of 12 or more races, or been the winner of $3 million lifetime or named Harness Horse of the Year (US and/or Canada).

Stallions must rank among the 10 all-time leading money-winning sires at their gait or have sired at least 100 $200,000 winners or been a leading money-winning sire at his gait in three or more seasons.

Broodmares are automatically elected if they have produced a $1 million winner and two other winners of $500,000 or produced a Harness Horse of the Year (US and/or Canada) and another $500,000 winner.

The 2011 Living Horse Hall of Fame inductees

Gallo Blue Chip
(Nominated as Race Horse)
p,4,1:48.4 ($4,260,959) Bay Gelding, 1997
(Magical Mike-Camatross-Albatross)

Gallo Blue Chip is the leading moneywinning pacer of all time, and the all-time leading moneywinning Standardbred gelding.

Gallo Blue Chip banked $4,260,959 in his career.

Gallo Blue Chip was undefeated in all eight starts of his freshman season of 1999, sweeping all seven of his New York Sire Stakes contests including the $150,000 final.

By the end of his 3-year-old campaign in 2000, Gallo Blue Chip had become the richest single-season moneywinning Standardbred of all time by earning more than $2.4 million. Major victories that year included the North America Cup, Meadowlands Pace, Art Rooney Pace, Tattersalls Pace and the Breeders Crown. In his Little Brown Jug Preview win, Gallo Blue Chip set a world record for 3-year-old pacers on a five-eighths-mile track (1:50). Gallo Blue Chip was voted 2000 Horse of the Year and Pacer of the Year, and also won both the USTA and Canadian (O’Brien) 3-year-old Pacing Colt of the Year awards.

As a 4-year-old in 2001, in a victory at the Canadian Pacing Derby Prep, Gallo Blue Chip became the leading moneywinning pacer of all time with $3,227,861 to his credit. On his way to winning the 2001 Pacing Horse of the Year award in both the U.S. and Canada, Gallo Blue Chip would win 10 out of 19 starts, including the Graduate Pace, Battle of Lake Erie, American-National and the Canadian Pacing Derby.

In winning the Presidential Series final as a 6-year-old in 2003, Gallo Blue Chip became the first pacer in history to break the $4 million mark in earnings. He would continue to race into 2005 as an 8-year-old.

Gallo Blue Chip was retired on March 12, 2005. He enjoys a well-deserved life of leisure and fame in Slate Hill, N.Y.

Eternal Camnation
(Nominated as Race Horse)
p,5,1:49.2 ($3,748,574) Bay Mare, 1997
(Cam Fella-Cool World-Nihilator)

Eternal Camnation ranks as the leading moneywinning pacing mare of all time, the third-leading moneywinning pacer of all time, and the tenth-leading moneywinning Standardbred of all time.

USTA photos

Eternal Camnation retired as the richest pacing mare in history.

In 1999 Eternal Camnation finished second in her first race but went on to win her next 12 freshman contests, culminating with a Breeders Crown victory and both the USTA and Canadian (O’Brien) 2-year-old Pacing Filly of the Year awards.

During her 2000 sophomore season, “Cammie” won the Fan Hanover and the Jugette as her earnings topped the $1 million mark.

As a 4-year-old in 2001, Eternal Camnation won the Lady Liberty, her second Breeders Crown, and the Milton Stakes. With her triumph in the Roses Are Red final, Eternal Camnation became the richest distaff pacer ever. She finished the year a nose shy of $2 million in lifetime earnings and was voted 2001 Pacing Mare of the Year in both the U.S. and Canada.

In 2002, 5-year-old Eternal Camnation won her second Roses Are Red Pace and Milton Stakes, again receiving U.S. and Canadian Pacing Mare of the Year honors.

In 2003, Eternal Camnation would win her last nine races, including her third Breeders Crown and Milton Stakes as well as the Classic Distaff. That year she set the world record for 5-year-old and older pacing mares on a five-eighths-mile track and earned $908,346, bringing her lifetime earnings to over $3 million. For the third time, she was voted Pacing Mare of the Year in the U.S. and Canada and also won Canada’s 2003 Horse of the Year award.

Eternal Camnation’s greatest victory in 2004 was her Classic Distaff win. She garnered her fourth consecutive Canadian Older Pacing Mare of the Year award and retired with $3,748,574 in lifetime earnings.

“Cammie” is currently performing her broodmare duties in Ohio.