by Bob Heyden

Gallo Blue Chip, the oldest living Horse of the Year (2000), is gone at the age of 28.

“He was the horse of a lifetime,” said trainer Mark Ford. “He’ll never know how many lives he changed, how many kids he put through college, how many careers he’s responsible for. I’m not sure why he landed with me. He’s the reason for this farm and so many things.”

The Magical Mike gelding was purchased by Martin Scharf after his very first start in 1999 for $100,000 and went on to a $4,260,959 all-time pacing record career. He moved into the No. 1 spot in 2001 and held it for 10 years until Foiled Again took over in the summer of 2011.

He was the 2000 Horse of the Year with a then single-season earnings mark of $2,428,716 (bettered only by Somebeachsomewhere in 2008).

He won the Meadowlands Pace and the North America Cup in 2000 with a powerhouse season that included a 10 7-3-0 mark after his grueling Jug Day (second).

Bred by Dan Gernatt Farms, “Gallo” is the first horse to follow up a $2 million season (2000, $2,428,816) with a $1 million year in 2001 ($1,123,940).

That year of 2001 was highlighted by a win in the $850,000 Canadian Pacing Derby and the $300,000 Graduate. With a career chock-full of highlights, the 2000 Breeders Crown score in Canada by 7¾ lengths would certainly be one of them. (The other 10 Breeders Crowns that year were won by 12 combined lengths).

Another highlight would be the 2001 Canadian Pacing Derby, as irony would have it, it was the very same race a decade later, where Foiled Again assumed the top spot in earnings. Gallo ended Moni Maker’s two-year HOY reign in 2000 with a 156-40 vote. (187-14 over Western Ideal in the Pacer of the Year category).

It’s easy to forget that Gallo was undefeated at age 2 (eight-for-eight).

This year, 2025, marks the 25th anniversary of the Gallo Meadowlands Pace.

Just how odd was it that it was a Magical Mike gelding who spent pretty much the first decade of the new century as the earnings leader? There are 172 top pacers on the all-time list of earners into 2002. None of the other 171 were sired by Magical Mike!

RIP Gallo Blue Chip.

You did well… really well… on and off the track. Your extended goodness will definitely extend into the upcoming decades.

HOLLEY HAUGHTON TUFANO REMEMBERS HER BROTHER PETER HAUGHTON

It was 45 years ago, on Saturday (Jan. 25, 1980), that the harness racing world was rocked to its core when the news came that Peter Haughton was killed in an auto accident right outside The Meadowlands. At just 25, he was a bright shining light with a limitless future. He left behind his father, Bill, mother, Dorothy, and siblings Cammie, Tommy, Billy, Jr., and his only sister, Holley.

I caught up with Holley to help us understand what that time and that era was like for her and her family.

You were the only daughter/sister. Which brother was the most protective of you?

“Peter was the most protective, then Billy.”

Can you describe your relationship with Peter?

“My relationship with Peter was great. I’m pretty sure he was the favorite to each of us. He truly was very special, kind and caring.”

Did you see his horsemanship and desire early on?

“He always loved the horses from before I was born. Mom always said that if she couldn’t find Peter he was in the barn. One day after school he went out there and fell asleep on the horses’ hay.”

Is it true your mom was paddocking for him when he won his first race?

“Mom was on board all the way. Absolutely. Mom was totally on board with him following in dad’s footsteps. They made a great team and made her very proud.”

Note: Peter was 16 competing on the PASS circuit in 1971 when he won with Dr Dewars despite throwing a shoe with three-quarters-of-a-mile left. In his next start, Peter raced against his dad for the very first time winning while his dad was sixth.

Do you remember the outpouring of love/caring when we lost Peter?

“Absolutely incredible. But not surprising. Both dad and Peter had a way of touching people that they met far and near. Two extraordinary men taken way too early. It was one of the hardest things I ever experienced. I miss him so very much. “

What kind of statesman would Peter, born Sept. 22, 1954, have been today at 70 years old?

“He would have continued in the career he was in. He loved the horses, he loved the people, the traveling and everything involved. I know he would have had a beautiful family, probably a beautiful successful farm, and probably on many boards working to keep racing alive, prosperous and safe for all. Wouldn’t have been surprised if he had a son or sons following in his footsteps. What a tragic loss for many especially for us. He was a one-of-a-kind great young man.”

For those unfamiliar with Peter or even the name Haughton, “royalty” would best describe them. No name is more prevalent today in the stakes world than Haughton! Billy was the all-time winningest driver in wins and earnings when Peter started. Billy didn’t win the Hambletonian until he was 50, and then he won five in the next nine seasons, four as a driver. Peter got money in the Hambletonian at 21, 22, and 23; unprecedented. To this day Peter remains the youngest driver to win a Triple Crown race, when at 22, he captured the 1976 Kentucky Futurity with Quick Pay. Peter was also the youngest to win the Roosevelt International, twice, his last two times in it at 23 and 24, with Cold Comfort (1978) and Doublemint (1979).

“I miss him more than you can ever imagine,” Holley said. “He was such a very special guy. He treated all women as if each and every one of us was a queen. A gentleman of gentlemen. Absolutely the greatest brother a girl could ever have. I just didn’t get to see him too much.”