Highlights of the 2001 Harness Racing Season

Gallo Blue Chip becomes the 5th pacer in history to have consecutive million dollar seasons. He also became the richest pacer ever, and his $3.7 million bankroll will be added to as he rests and then preps in Florida for his 5-year-old season. The other 4 pacers who had back to back $1 million campaigns were On The Road Again, Nihilator, Die Laughing and Matts Scooter.

Varenne's 1:51.1 mile. He then backed that up with a Trot De Mondial win and was 2-2 in the Unitd States. He will get some serious consideration for Horse of the Year honors as well.

Scarlet Knight, the U.S.-bred, Sweden-conditioned trotter--and a passenger on that same plane that brought Varenne to the States, won the 2001 Hambletonian. For Stephan Melander, it marked the first time in 26 years that the winner of the Hambletonian was driven-trained AND owned by the SAME person. The last was Stanley Dancer who conditioned, owned and drove 1975 winner Bonefish.

Mini Me, the Illinois-bred freshman pacing sensation, who paced to a world record mile of 1:50.4 in the $15,000 Robb Ranger Final at Balmoral Park on August 2, lowering the pacing standard for two-year-olds by almost a full second, and tying the colt record set by Real Desire at The Red Mile in the fall of 2000. That new world mark also knocked one and four-fifths seconds off the previous track record for freshman pacing geldings at Balmoral. Armbro Vaudeville had set the previous world freshman gelding pacing record of 1:51.3 at Lexington in the fall of 2000 as well.

The top four winningest horses this year were ALL three-year-olds. For the first time since 1994, the Horse Of The Year is a son or daughter of a Horse Of The Year. Cams Card Shark-1994 was a son of 1982-83 winner Cam Fella, and Bunny Lake is a daughter of 1991 victor, Precious Bunny.

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