Rocknroll Hanover, 2002-2013 Rocknroll Hanover Euthanized By
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Friday, March 15, 2013 Rocknroll Hanover Euthanized As good as he was as a 2 year old, he was much better at By Bill Finley three. He was sensational that year, winning three huge Among the top sires in the history of the sport, Rocknroll events, the Meadowlands Pace, the North America Cup Hanover died yesterday after undergoing gastric problems. and the Breeders Crown. With those wins on his record, he He was only 11. was named 2005 Horse of the Year. He was at his new He retired with a career record of 15 for 26 and earnings home, a Perretti Farm's of $2,754,038. His lifetime mark was 1:48.3, set in the satellite facility in Meadowlands Pace. Pennsylvania, and had "The best I ever had? Yes," Pelling said yesterday by been showing no signs phone. "He was unreal. He was a big horse with high, high of problems until speed. Rocknroll could really get it and that's what you yesterday when it was look for. The big ones are usually big and slow and but apparent he was could get it. That's what he passed on to his prodigy. He suffering from stomach obviously was a great sire and being so young it's a big discomfort. He was loss for the industry. He's was basically the last great taken to Mid-Atlantic horse that I had. I'm in my office now and I'm looking at his Equine in Ringoes, New picture on the wall. For me, it feels like the end of an era." Jersey, where the Perretti Farm, a powerhouse in the breeding industry, decision was made to particularly in the early part of the 2000s,was looking for a put him down. new pacing stallion and Marks and the Perretti team "People are with him focused in on Rocknroll Hanover. 24 hours in "We were supposed to get Western Ideal and didn't get Rocknroll Hanover, 2002-2013 Pennsylvania," said Perretti's Bob Marks. "They noticed he wasn't acting right. Also his stomach was kind of bloated, so they took him right to Mid-Atlantic and from there the vets took over. Once they got in there and saw what they were dealing with it was not a close call about euthanizing him. They called it a gastric impaction. What that means is he was eating fine but it was not going past the stomach into the intestines. Consequently the stomach kept blowing up." Rocknroll Hanover, bred by Hanover Farms, sold for $190,000 at the 2001 Harrisburg Yearling Sale. He is by Western Ideal out of the Direct Scooter mare Rich N Elegant. Campaigned by Jeff Snyder and trained by Brett Pelling. His first big win came in the 2004 Metro, where he scored an upset win at 31-1 with Brian Sears driving. Track Race Purse Meadowlands 3rd, A1/FFA $30,000 pps Meadowlands 7th, A-2/FFA, FM $30,000 pps Yonkers 6th, Open $35,000 pps Yonkers 8th, Open FM $35,000 pps Past Performances courtesy of www.trackmaster.com HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 3/15/13 PAGE 2 of 9 Reports of His Death Were Greatly... Dewey did not defeat Truman and Rock N Roll Heaven did not die yesterday. In our rush to get the news out on the death yesterday of top stallion Rocknroll Hanover HRU misidentified him as Rock n Roll Heaven in a “news bulletin” edition. Rock N Roll Heaven, a son of Rocknroll Hanover, is alive, well and standing at stud at Blue Chip Farms in Wallkill, NY. Massive apologies for the error and we will Saying Goodbye to a Superstar resume publishing if someone can talk us down the The death of Rocknroll Hanover on Thursday sent ledge. shockwaves through the Standardbred breeding industry, both in North America and around the world. The 11 year-old stallion was a major force at the sales scene and him, so we were looking to get one of his sons," Marks said. in major stakes events. He was a star attraction at Perretti "I went to watch his first baby race and he was horrible. But Farms in New Jersey since his retirement in 2005, but had he became a great 2-year-old. That sire line had always also been a shuttle stallion doing service in Australia in the worked in the first crop. So I thought that if Western Ideal off-season. was going to have a great horse it would probably come from Rocknroll Hanover established himself with his first crop his first crop. And that mare, Rich N Elegant, was a super which raced in 2009. From that group of 151 foals, he mare, So Rocknroll was the prime candidate." sired the 2010 Horse of the Year Rock N Roll Heaven and Perretti bought in and the the champion mare Put On A Show. They both earned in horse was sent to their farm in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. excess of $2 million, and Rocknroll Hanover has a total of 6 millionaires to his credit. Marks and the Perretti team were right. As far as stallions The stallion was euthanized on Thursday after suffering go, Rocknroll Hanover was a from intestinal distress. He was standing the 2013 home run. breeding season in Pennsylvania after serving 7 seasons From just four crops that have in the stud at Perretti Farms in New Jersey. hit the races so far, Rocknroll Rocknroll Hanover in Hanover's progeny have earned action at The Red Mile $45.6 million. His top performers include Rock N Roll Heaven, Put On A Show, Panther Hanover, A Rocknroll Dance, Rocklamation and Pet Rock. He has sired 104 horses that have made $100,000 or more. Based on money-earned, his was the leading pacing sire in North America in 2012 when his offspring earned $17,055,965. Bettor's Delight was second with $15.4 million. Rocknroll Hanover shuttled to Australia during our summers and stood there at Empire Stallions Corp. "He sired strong horses," Marks said. "He wasn’t a brilliant early 2-year-old as are some of his get, but by mid-summer of his 2-year-old season he set a world record in the Metro Pace. And from post 10, no less.” His death occurred in the middle of the breeding season and Marks estimated that he was bred to about 40 to 50 mares so far. He was bred to a full crop in 2012 and one of those babies was born yesterday. Rocknroll Hanover began his stud career in New Jersey but with the breeding program in the state suffering through tough times he was moved to Pennsylvania this year where he was standing for $15,000. "We did get some good news yesterday," Marks said. "Just about an hour after he died, Fox Valley Shaker, who is the dam of Pretty Katherine, delivered her foal and she's a nice looking filly. That's unusual because normally you don't see that happen at five in the afternoon. She looks like her father." HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 3/15/13 PAGE 3 of 9 winner's share of the purse. In that race he took his career mark of 1:48.3. He was the main attraction in a 3 horse entry from the Pelling Stable coming into The Little Brown Jug. The other members of the Pelling troika were Village Jolt and Cams Fool. In the Jug, he set the pace as the heavy favorite, but was caught in the stretch by P-Forty-Seven. In the Jug final, it was the same but Rocknroll Hanover faded to finish a well-beaten third. He gained revenge for his Jug loss with two commanding victories at The Red Mile and finished his career by winning both his elimination and final of the Breeders Crown at the Meadowlands. In his first crop, he greeted 189 well-bred beauties and from this group sired 82 pacers with marks of 1:55 or faster. Collectively, his first crop earned more than $20.9 million. The big star was Rock N Roll Heaven who, like his sire, put together a Horse of the Year campaign in 2010. That crop also included Put On A Show p,5,1:47.3, a winner of more than $ 2.4 million. Two other millionaire mares from Rocknroll Hanover's first crop are Rocklamation and Ticket To Rock . Rocknroll Hanover sired last season's Meadowlands Pace winner in A Rocknroll Dance, himself a winner of more than $ 1.9 million in his first two seasons at the races. Another outstanding colt from his 2009 crop was Simply Business, a winner of $844,540. Rocknroll Hanover sired 104 winners of $100,000 or more. Rocknroll Hanover's yearlings were always in great demand at the yearling auctions, despite the fact that their Last year he bred 149 mares, his smallest book since commercial appeal was not bolstered by a strong state entering the stud in 2006. His popularity was affected by the program in New Jersey. relatively weak New Jersey Sires Stakes, which does not His loss is reminiscent of the sudden death of trotting enjoy the support of slots funding. To date he has 876 Triple Crown winner Windsong's Legacy at age seven at registered foals, consisting of 487 colts and 389 fillies. They Perretti Farms in 2008. have earned more than $ 45.6 million. Rocknroll Hanover was born with a royal pedigree as his sire was Western Ideal and his dam was the remarkably successful Rich N Elegant.