Meadow Skipper (May 8, 1960 – 1982) was a

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing where they compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace its bloodline ...

racehorse and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" an ...

. He earned $428,057 as a racehorse.

Background

Meadow Skipper was a brown horse foaled in 1960 by Dale Frost out of the U. S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame mare Countess Vivian by Kings Council.

Career

Trained and driven by Earle Avery, Meadow Skipper was a world or season champion during each year that he raced. He won the 1963 Cane Pace, and placed second in the Little Brown Jug.

Stud record

When he retired to the breeding farm, Meadow Skipper sired more than 1,700 progeny. As a stud, his progeny earned $66 million. He sired 456 two-minute pacers, including Triple Crown winners Ralph Hanover and Most Happy Fella; plus

Albatross Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Paci ...

, sire of

Niatross Niatross (1977–1999) was an American champion standardbred race horse that many believe was the greatest harness horse of all time. Background The son of Albatross out of the mare Niagara Dream, Niatross was foaled on March 30, 1977. He was t ...

, Chairmanoftheboard, and Naughty But Nice. The winnings of the 2,546 progeny of Albatross, Meadow Skipper's son, earned $130,700,280. Niatross is believed by many to be the greatest harness horse of all time. He was

Harness Horse of the Year The Harness Horse of the Year is an honor recognizing the top harness racing horse in the United States. The award is selected by the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), which issues the annual Dan Patch Award, Dan Patch Awards. T ...

as a two- and three-year-old in 1979 and 1980, won the

Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers The Pacing Triple Crown is a series of three major harness races for three-year-old Standardbred pacers. It consists of the Cane Pace, the Messenger Stakes, and the Little Brown Jug. It was inaugurated in 1956, one year after the Trotting Tri ...

, and obliterated the world record by three full seconds with a mile time of 1:49.1.

Retirement

Meadow Skipper retired to Stoner Creek Farm in Kentucky, and died there in 1982. In 1983, Meadow Skipper was inducted into the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame.

Sire line tree

*Meadow Skipper ** Most Happy Fella ***Oil Burner ****No Nukes ***** Western Hanover ***Tyler B ****Magical Mike *****

Gallo Blue Chip Gallo Blue Chip (1997 – January 22, 2025) was an American Standardbred harness racing horse who earned $4.2 million in total winnings during his racing career. Gallo Blue Chip's sire was Magical Mike, and his dam was Camatross. Magical Mik ...

*** Cam Fella **** Precious Bunny **** Cam's Card Shark *****

Bettor's Delight Bettor's Delight is a former champion American Standardbred race-horse and one of the World's greatest stud stallions. Bettor's Delight was foaled on 4 May 1998 and bred by Winbak Farm of Chesapeake City, Maryland. He was purchased for $65,000 ...

***

**** NihilatorHarness Racing Museum: Nihilator
/ref> ** Ralph Hanover

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2 1960 racehorse births 1982 racehorse deaths United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees Harness racing in the United States American Standardbred racehorses Cane Pace winners