Pureform Olympia

Pureform Olympia, a six-year-old mare by the doublel-gaited Valley Victory stallion Valet Victory and out of the Cams card Shark mare, Triptonic Hanover, has won seven consecutive races on the trot since leaving an unsuccessful pacing career behind in Western Canada and moving into trainer Gordon Remmen’s barn in Ontario. The mare had only won twice in 34 starts as a pacer, banking less than $8,000. Last night she beat NW20 (F&M25) at Flamboro by five lengths for Billy Davis Jr.

The fact that her dam is by Cams Card catches your eye, because recent upside down bred trotting sensation Googoo Gaagaa, who is now standing in Maryland, is by the Cams Card Shark sire Cams Rocket. In Goo’s case his dam, Koras Trotter, was bred to trot. Why Cams Card Shark? Who knows? Interesting—but no more—that he’s up close to Meadow Skipper on the top and bottom, and that one, who produced the trotting star Skipper Walt, is half to dual-gaited sensation Countess Adios. Del Miller described the latter, who beat the boys in both the Messenger and the Cane, as the perfect mare. The free-legged miss always warmed up on the trot. She made a dozen starts on the trot at age four and took a mark of 2:01.2.

Bill Haughton had a Romeo Hanover colt named Speedy Romeo in the early 1970s, who banked $35,000 on the pace in the NYSS at two but hated wearing hobbles so Haughton discarded them and found him to be a natural trotter. He promptly won a $43,000 NYSS trot at three. All told Speedy Romeo earned almost $500,000. In that case his dam’s granddaddy was Worthy Boy, who gave us trotting stars like Stars Pride and Trader Horn and pacers like Winning Worthy and Harold J.

Lively Anne, who appears in the pedigree of Frau Blucher, is another accomplished trotter by Romeo Hanover. She won her division at six. Her dam was by Duke Of Lullwater. Another daughter of the Duke produced Yankee Bambino, who makes his presence felt on the top line to this day.

The trotting bred pacer, once common, has become a rarity. The Armstrong Brothers and Joe O’Brien’s Horton Hanover was one of the best. Pacing bred trotters have always been less plentiful and less likely to crack the top tier. Skipper Walt was good, but he was no Horton Hanover. Productive dual-gaited types like Pureform Olympia or Crocket, a switch hitter by Diller Hanover who won a lot of money in the 60s, are dreams come true for track publicity departments.

Joe FitzGerald

[Allan should be back on the beat in a day or two.]