Description
So here is a RARE RARE BUFFALO RACEWAY'S BEST CLINT GALBRAITH HORSE RACING STABLE SIGN NIATROSS FAME. Stable sign is in aged used as is condition see pics measuring 30 by 30 by 1. Some background on Galbraith and Niatross see below- by the way the sign was bought at a bankruptcy sale of the stable's left over possessions. NiatrossFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaNiatrossBreedStandardbredSireAlbatross (US)GrandsireMeadow Skipper (US)DamNiagara Dream (US)DamsireBye Bye Byrd (US)SexStallionFoaledMarch 30, 1977DiedJune 7, 1999CountryUnited StatesColorBayBreederMrs. Elsie Berger (US)OwnerMrs. Elsie Berger (US)Clint Galbraith (US)TrainerClint Galbraith (US)Record39:37-0-0EarningsUS,019,213Major winsBluegrass Stakes (1979)Woodrow Wilson Pace (1979)American Pacing Classic (1980)Prix d'Été (1980)Meadowlands Pace (1980)James Dancer Memorial (1980)Battle Of The Brandywine (1980)Oliver Wendell Holmes Pace (1980)U.S. Pacing Triple Crown wins:Little Brown Jug (1980)Cane Pace (1980)Messenger Stakes (1980)Awards2 Year Old Colt Pacer of the Year, Pacer of the Year & Harness Horse of the Year (1979)3 Year Old Colt Pacer of the Year, Pacer of the Year & Harness Horse of the Year (1980)Triple Crown of Harness Racing for PacersHonorsFirst standardbred to win break the 1:52, 1:51 and 1:50 barriersFirst standardbred to win million dollarsUnited States Harness Racing Hall Of FameCanadian Horse Racing Hall of FameLast updated on 2016-01-23Niatross (1977–1999) was an American champion standardbred race horse that many believe was the greatest harness horse of all time.[1]Contents [hide] 1Background2Racing career3Time Trial4Stud career5Pedigree6References7See alsoBackground[edit]The son of Albatross out of the mare Niagara Dream, Niatross was foaled on March 30, 1977. He was trained and driven by co-owner Clint Galbraith.Racing career[edit]In September 1979, after Niatross won his first six races, a half interest in him was sold to Stockbroker Lou Guida and the Niatross syndicate for .5 million.[2] He was unbeaten in 13 starts in his 2-year-old season, when he was named Harness Horse of the Year. His earnings of 4,900 were a two-year-old record for either the Standardbred or Thoroughbred breed.In 1980, Niatross won The Meadowlands Pace, which was the first million dollar race in either standardbred or thoroughbred racing history.[3] He also won the Triple Crown. In a time trial at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky he beat the world record by three seconds, setting a mark of 1:49.1.[4] In addition to his time trial he paced the fastest race miles on one mile (1.52.1) and half mile (1.54.4) tracks.[5] The 1980 season brought Niatross 24 wins from 26 starts.Early in the 1980 season Niatross won the Cane Pace before racing at the Saratoga Standardbred track in Saratoga, NY, where he spooked and fell over the inside hubrail and was defeated for the first time. In an elimination for the Meadowlands Pace, he broke stride, lost valuable ground, regained his gait and, in what Stanley Dancer described as the greatest performance he had seen,[6] recovered and finished 4th, qualifying for the final. In the Meadowlands Pace final, Niatross went right to the front and never looked back, winning by 4 1/2 lengths from Storm Damage in 1.53.1 as the 2-5 favourite.[7] He set a world record for his age and was only 1/5 of a second outside of the overall world record. Trainer Clint Galbraith described the race as being more important than any race in Niatross' career.[8] Niatross went on to beat all of his competition easily in future starts, frequently setting track records, including a new race, track and Canadian record during the prestigious Prix d'Été at Blue Bonnets racetrack in Montreal, Quebec.[9] He also won the Gaines Memorial at Vernon Downs, the Oliver Wendell Holmes Pace at the Meadowlands, the Dancer Memorial at Freehold and the American Classic at Hollywood Park.[10] In the Little Brown JugNiatross recorded wins in straight heats of 1.55 and 1.54.4 setting six world records before a record Jug crowd of 45,621.[11]He then won the Messenger Stakes to complete the Triple Crown. A December appearance at Pompano Park, his last career race, brought a crowd of more than 23,000.[8]Time Trial[edit]Until 1980 the fastest mile recorded in harness racing was 1.52.0 by Steady Star. On October 1, 1980 Niatross time trialled at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky with a previous best of 1.52.4 recorded at Syracuse earlier in the year. At The Red Mile Niatross reached the quarter mile in 27.3 almost one second faster than Steady Star's record and the half mile in 54.3 equal with Steady Star. Reaching the three quarter mile in 1.21.4, a 27.2 last quarter resulted in a mile of 1.49.1, the fastest ever by 2 4/5 seconds.[4]Stud career[edit]By the time Niatross retired to stud at Castleton Farm, Kentucky, in 1981, he had earned more prize money than any other standardbred horse in history. He had been named Harness Horse of the Year in 1979 and 1980, the New York Post Athlete of the Year in 1980, and Harness Horse of the Decade for the 1980s. At stud, he commanded a top price for his services. Among his progeny were winners of the Little Brown Jug. One son, Nihilator, won Horse of the Year honors and his first two crops earned .6 million. Niatross was relocated to Pine Hollow Farm in New York in 1983 and to Saratoga Standardbred Farm in 1986 however he was not as successful in New York as he had been in Kentucky.[8]In 1996, when he was 19 years old, Niatross made a 20-city tour for his fans in Canada and the United States. In 1997, he was inducted as a member of the Living Horse Hall of Fame. In May 1999, he took ill and was transported to the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center where he was diagnosed with a large cancerous mass in his abdomen. On June 7, 1999, Niatross was humanely euthanized.[12] He was cremated with his remains interred at the Hall Of Fame Museum in Goshen, New York.[8]
Saturday, April 12, 2014
The Sad, Messy Tale of Barbara and Clint
Galbraith and Rodney Farms
By Bill Finley
Barbara Galbraith isn't asking for another Niatross or to
have 100 horses under the care of her and her Hall of Fame
husband, Clint. She doesn't want to be rich or famous. She
just wants to have a few horses, enjoy the sport she loves
and move on with her life. That won't be easy.
Worse yet, it appears that their horses suffered.
Investigators with Humane Society of Greater Rochester
visited Rodney Farms multiple times in recent years,
concerned about the conditions of some of the horses. The
situation intensified in early 2013 when the investigators
told Barbara Galbraith that the health of some horses
needed to improve significantly or else they would be
seized.
The last few years have
been sheer hell for Barbara
Galbraith, and whether or
not she is merely a victim of
bad luck, some poor
decisions and hard
economic times or guilty of
criminal charges that have
been alleged by the local
humane society is a matter
the courts will decide.
"Answer me this: it's our
whole family and this has
been our lives forever; ask
me how this could have
happened to us?" Galbraith
said. "Because I can't
answer that. I really can't
answer that. That has been
the worst part. How did this
happen?"
Barbara Galbraith says hello to one of her horses at the
former Rodney Farms (photo by Annette Lein, Rochester
Democrat and Chronicle)
By August, the Humane
Society had run out of
patience. Barbara Galbraith
was arrested for the animal
cruelty charge of failing to
provide sustenance for her
horses. She was arrested a
second time and hit with
similar charges for the
condition of horses she
owned that we are at a
different property. The
misdemeanor animal cruelty
charge carries a maximum
sentence of one year in jail.
"What precipitated the
arrests was that we showed
up and there was no potable
water for the horses," said
Adrienne McHargue, the
The answer, at least a part of it, isn't that hard to find.
From a financial standpoint, everything went wrong at once.
The Galbraiths' Rodney Farms was once a showcase
operation in New York State and one of the biggest breeders
in the state. The Galbraith name certainly helped the brand
as Clint trained and drove Niatross, to some the greatest
pacer ever.
But the Galbraiths seemed to take on more than they could
handle in terms of the number of horses they had and the
responsibilities of running a big farm, responsibilities that are
that more daunting when considering Barbara is 65 and Clint
76. There was a failed business partnership Clint had with
Arnold Rothschild and the struggles that all breeders went
through around the time of the 2008 economic meltdown.
With their income having all but dried up other than Social
Security checks and with some 83 horses under their care at
Rodney Farms the operation collapsed under the financial
strains and the mismanagement. They had no money to take
care of basic repairs at the farm, which is located in
Scottsville, New York, near Rochester. According to a report
in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle there were
massive holes in the roof of the main barn, most of the stalls
had broken doors and bent bars and only about 30 were
usable.
humane society's director of communications and
outreach. "They couldn't get to any water in the pastures."
Clint Galbraith was not charged with any wrongdoing.
The Humane Society seized seven horses it deemed to
be in particularly bad shape. One, an older horse stricken
with cancer, was immediately euthanized. After the visit in
which the Humane Society warned Galbraith it might take
serious action unless she reduced the number of horses
on the farm by about half. Of the 40 or so horses that
might have been left, McHargue said many were not in
great condition but only seven were so bad that the group
felt it needed to seize them.
Galbraith doesn't hide the fact that she and her husband
were going through very difficult financial times, but she is
adamant that the condition of the horses was not nearly as
dire as the Humane Society has alleged.
"The person they sent out, I'm told, was supposed to be
an expert in horses because they had taken an eight-hour
course on the subject," she said. "My husband and I have
been doing this for 50 years and we know better. The
Humane Society is a wonderful organization. They do
wonderful work. But working with them I can tell you they
don't know anything about taking care of horses. They
work with cats and dogs."
