by Jeff Zidek, for the MSOA

Washington, PA — Hidden Viggorish, arguably one of the top trotters ever to race at The Meadows, died Thursday (Feb. 24) at the age of eight while delivering her first foal, a filly by Muscles Yankee. The foal survived, and is currently under the care of a veterinary clinic in Somerset, Pa.

Owned by the Miller family’s Harmony Spring Stable, and trained throughout her career by Bill Zendt, Hidden Viggorish retired as a triple track record holder at The Meadows.

Unraced at two except for winning a qualifier in 2:05.3, she set a world record with a 1:53.1 performance as a 3-year-old in 2006, a year in which she won 12 of 15 starts and banked just under a quarter of a million dollars.

The next season, she set her second track record, 1:54.1, a new standard for 4-year-old trotting mares.

After winning just two races in 13 starts in 2008, the daughter of SJ’s Caviar-Tia Maria (Giant Victory) showed that she could still set records, posting a 1:53.2 victory, the fastest in Meadows history for an older mare, in 2009. She rebounded to win 10 of 27 starts and earned more than $196,000, ultimately winning top honors as the track’s Horse of the Year for 2009.

Hidden Viggorish earned $537,029 in her career, with 28 victories in 75 career starts.