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$100,000 Magical Mike Draws
Top Pacers
By Tom White
Delaware, Ohio--The richest pacer of all-time Gallo Blue
Chip, Breeders
Crown champion Goliath Bayama, and Breeders Crown and Meadowlands Pace
winner
Real Desire are among the world class pacers who are eligible to the
$100,000-estimated Magical Mike Pace. The Magical Mike, named for the 1994
Jug champion, will be raced Jug Day afternoon, Thursday, September 19th at
the Delaware, Ohio County Fair.
"We are really excited about this first group of horses
that were
nominated to the Magical Mike," said Delaware Racing Secretary Tom Wright.
"We received nominations for 37 of the best older pacers in North America.
Almost like a Who's Who." There are $300 sustaining payments due on
April
15 and $500 payments due May 15. The starting fee is $750.
The Magical Mike pace is the result of a three-year
agreement between
Delaware County Fair officials and Thomas J. Walsh, Jr. Walsh is co-owner of
Magical Mike who stands at stud at Blue Chip Farms in New York. A total of
$65,000 will be added to the event for four-year-olds and older pacers. The
Magical Mike had been raced from 1995 through 2001 as an invitational pace.
The six day Delaware Grand Circuit will begin Saturday
afternoon,
September 14th and continue through Thursday, September 19th.
Gallo Blue Chip, a son of Magical Mike, made his 2002
debut on April 6th
at Mohawk Racetrack with a 1:51.1 victory in a $55,000 Pace. His share of
the
purse pushed his lifetime earnings to $3,721,436 for owner Martin Scharf of
Lawrence, N.Y. Gallo Blue Chip is the richest pacer, regardless of sex, in
the history of the sport. His earnings surpassed the $3,225,653 won by
Nihilator in 1984-85. Gallo Blue Chip was "Horse of the Year" in 2000 and
"Older Pacer of the Year" in 2001. He has a record of 1:48.4.
"What can I say, this horse is just special," said
trainer Mark Ford.
"In every sport there is a Michael Jordan and he's ours. He came here off a
six-month layoff and paced a tough mile. He's three starts away from being
his best and when that happens look out. Like I've said all along, we'll
keep racing him at the top level as long as he can compete and if he's at
his
best."
Four-year-old Real Desire will meet Gallo Blue Chip later
this season.
The son of 1991 Jug winner Life Sign finished second to Bettor's Delight in
the 2001 Jug. However, Real Desire, trained by Blair Burgess, defeated his
arch rival in the $781,000 Breeders Crown and $1,009,000 Meadowlands Pace.
He
is owned by Brittany Farms, Robert Burgess, Perretti Farms and Karin
Olsson-Burgess. Real Desire comes into 2002 with $2,100,024 in winnings and
a
record of 1:49.
Goliath Bayama won both his elimination and final of the
$600,000
Breeders Crown and the $400,000 U.S. pacing Championship in
2001. The son
of Abercrombie has earned $1,493,633 with a record of 1:l48.4. He is owned
by
Serge Godin and trained by Yves Filion.
Other top challengers are Bagel Beach Boy (1:50.1 --
$655,951); Comotion
(1:50 -- $1,220,260); and Royalflush Hanover (1;49.3 -- $2,110,047). There
are 13 Jug starters among the nominees: Bagel Beach Boy, By A Length, Elmo's
Blaze, Four Starzz Shark, Gallo Blue Chip,
Hawaiian Cowboy, Lotsa Clout, McGuire, On Line Service, Real Desire,
Royalflush Hanover, Whosurboy and Willy Hanover.
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