December 16, 1999
Red Bow Tie and Galleria, the best older pacers in the country, parlayed victories in some of the Meadowlands’ premier events into post season honors.
The winners of the pacing division championships were announced Wednesday by the United States Trotting Association based on balloting of the members of the United States Harness Writers Association.
Red Bow Tie won a quartet of Meadowlands’ stakes in 1999, beginning with the $100,000 Presidential Final on January 23, the $600,000 William Haughton Final on June 25 and the two late summer events, the $380,000 Breeders Crown on July 31 and the $131,000 United States Pacing Championship on August 7. The five-year-old gelding won Older Pacer of the Year honors for the second consecutive year.
Galleria, the Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly of 1998, added Older Pacing Mare of the Year honors in 1999 thanks in part to a world record 1:49.1 victory in the $100,000 mares invitational on closing day at the Meadowlands, August 7.
The 1999 Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year, Blissfull Hall, swept the Triple Crown races and also won his Meadowlands Pace elimination on July 10 but failed to pick up a check in the $1 million final the next week. Odies Fame, the Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year, made all her starts in Canada, including her Breeders Crown victory at Mohawk.
In the two-year-old division, the filly champion Eternal Camnation pursued a Midwestern campaign before annexing her Breeders Crown division. The colt champion, Tyberwood, made two starts at the Meadowlands, winning a $53,000 division of the Goshen Cup on June 24.
One of these divisional winners will go on to Pacer of the Year honors which will be announced along with Trotter of the Year and Horse of the Year, at the United States Harness Writers banquet at the Meadowlands on February 12, 2000. Live harness racing returns to the Meadowlands on January 7.