Trainer Nick Gallucci gives update on 2024 Canadian Horse of the Year Chantilly
by Melissa Keith
Six months into 2026, Canada’s 2024 Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year has yet to surface for her 4-year-old season. Because Chantilly (p, 3, 1:49.4s; $949,732) is a homebred mare owned by prominent breeder Millar Farms of Stouffville, ON, it’s natural to wonder whether the O’Brien 2- and 3-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year is beginning a new life as a broodmare.
But on Tuesday (July 8), Chantilly’s trainer ended speculation about her future plans, for now. Nick Gallucci told HRU that the daughter of Big Jim—Shiraz Seelster would not be joining divisional rival Miki And Minnie on the track anytime soon.
“Chantilly is doing well,” Gallucci said. “We started her back this week. She has been off since April with nagging soundness issues.”
The “nagging soundness issues” mentioned by Gallucci have kept Chantilly sidelined from even qualifying this year, after an interrupted start to training back at age 4.
“If she stays sound, we are hoping to have her back racing sometime in September,” he said.
There were no plans to retire or breed Chantilly this year.
“We will see how she comes back,” said her trainer. “She is still eligible to everything.”
Chantilly was sustained to, but missed, the Grade 1 Roses Are Red, won on June 13 by Miki And Minnie over The Last Martini in 1:48.1, the co-fastest mile by a female pacer in Canada this year.
The Grade 2 Milton Stake has eliminations slated for Aug. 28 at Mohawk, which is likely too early for Chantilly’s anticipated return. She is also among the 22 distaff pacers eligible to the Grade 1 Breeders Crown Mare Pace at Scioto Downs on Oct. 24, with eliminations on Oct. 17 if required.
As a 2-year-old, Chantilly first qualified on June 28, 2024 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. She won the non-wagering debut in 1:59.4 for driver James MacDonald and made an eye-catching pari-mutuel start on July 9, 2024. The filly opened up late to win by over four lengths in 1:54 in an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots leg 1 at Mohawk. It was all the proof needed that Chantilly was actually an OSS Gold filly.
The Gallucci trainee won by 2½ lengths in OSS Gold company at Mohawk on July 16, 2024, lowering her personal best to 1:50.4. Chantilly went undefeated at her home track the remainder of the season, dominating in OSS Gold, while also winning the Grade 3 Eternal Camnation, plus the Grade 1 She’s A Great Lady elimination and final over two-time place finisher The Last Martini.
The win margins were usually striking: Chantilly concluded her freshman year with a 6½ length victory in the Oct. 12, 2024 OSS Gold Super Final at Mohawk, winning in 1:50.2 for regular driver MacDonald. It was the fastest mile by a 2-year-old pacing filly that year.
Owner George Millar was so convinced of his filly’s ability that he nominated and sustained Chantilly to the Grade 1 Pepsi North America Cup, where she would have made history had she gone into the eliminations against colts and geldings. She started the year by wiring in back-to-back Mohawk qualifiers on April 25 and May 2, 2025 and won her first sophomore start on May 17 in an SBOA final for Ontario-sired 3-year-old filly pacers. At the time, Gallucci told this publication that she “wasn’t really in tip-top Chantilly form.”
Chantilly took her lifetime mark in OSS Gold leg 1 on May 24, 2025 at Mohawk, opening up by over four lengths on runner-up Wickedpace. But Millar had decided that she would aim for the Grade 1 Fan Hanover on June 14, not the North America Cup. Chantilly won going away in 1:50.1 over The Last Martini in their June 7 elimination, but ended up scratched sick from the final, won by Miki And Minnie in 1:48.2. On June 21, she was scratched from OSS Gold leg 2.
July 11, 2025, Chantilly bounced back with a 1:51 flat qualifier at Mohawk, beating the only other horse entered (9-year-old gelding Highlandbeachlover) by over nine lengths and pacing a :25.4 last quarter. Although she romped again in OSS Gold leg 3 on July 22, the O’Brien champion faced her first defeat in a controversial Mohawk filly and mare preferred on Aug. 8.
Chantilly finished second to Miki And Minnie, 2024 Dan Patch 2-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year, in the Aug. 16 James M Lynch Memorial at Pocono Downs. On Aug. 24, at Rideau Carleton, post 8 proved too much to overcome for 1-9 favorite Chantilly, who ended up sixth in OSS leg 4. She was scratched sick from the Sept. 5 Simcoe Stakes at Mohawk.
After two winning qualifiers on Sept. 19 and 26, Chantilly found redemption in OSS Gold leg 5 on Oct. 2 and the Oct. 11 OSS Gold Super Final, where the 1:50 victory sealed her second divisional O’Brien Award. She finished off the board in the Grade 1 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Pacing Filly elim and final at Mohawk, however, and has not had a charted line since Oct. 25, 2025.
Meanwhile, Chantilly’s 2-year-old full sister will not launch her racing career on the same note as her precocious older sibling.
“Little Darlin won’t race this year,” Gallucci said. “She’s shut down for the season.”
Little Darlin is the second foal of Shiraz Seelster and has been retained by three-time Armstrong Breeder of the Year Millar Farms. The 9-year-old Bettors Delight mare was bred back to Big Jim in March 2025.
