by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Freehold, NJ — Five-year-old pacer Hypnotic Blue Chip, who won $1.53 million in his career, has been retired, trainer Kevin McDermott announced today.
USTA/Mark Hall photo
Hypnotic Blue Chip has been retired with $1.53 million in career earnings.
Owned by Francis Azur, Hypnotic Blue Chip won four of 24 races this year and earned $172,455. His top triumph came in the $130,000 Spring Pacing Championship at Woodbine Racetrack. On Monday, he finished seventh in the Bobby Quillen Memorial at Harrington Raceway.
Last season, Hypnotic Blue Chip won his $182,500 division of the U.S. Pacing Championship with world-record 1:47.2 mile. He also won the $100,000 Battle of Lake Erie with a track-record-equaling 1:49.4 effort around Northfield Park’s half-mile oval and was second in the Canadian Pacing Derby, William Haughton Memorial and Bettor’s Delight.
Hypnotic Blue Chip, by Art Major out of the mare A Traceofmagic, ended his career with 24 wins in 88 races.
“We feel in our hearts that Hypnotic has not performed as we hoped this year,” McDermott said. “We have not decided if Fran will breed him or sell him. We will weigh our options and then make a decision.
“The horse has given Fran and I thrills we can’t explain and we only want what’s best for the horse. He is a once-in-a-lifetime horse. With his speed and gait, I look forward to breeding our good mares to him and racing them for a long time to come.”