Escort dies

Escort, winner of the first Meadowlands Pace in 1977, died Wednesday at the Concorde Stud Farm in Cream Ridge, NJ, which had been his home since being retired from stallion duty in 1990. He was 31.



According to farm owner David A. Meirs III, Escort laid down in tall grass on the farm, where he was tending to the newest weanling foals and just couldn't get up again.



"Escort means a great deal to us at Concorde, because he made this farm possible," said Meirs. He noted that with Escort's racing success, the farm was purchased by his principal owners, the late Bernard Mann and his widow, Rosalind Mann, for Meirs and his family to operate. Meirs has since purchased the majority ownership of Concorde.



Escort, foaled on April 16, 1974, took a mark of 1:54.4 winning the Meadowlands Pace, was in the money 24 of 36 starts, with 10 wins, 10 seconds and four thirds, earning $211,975 in a two-year period when purses were not as high as now.



Escort, trained and driven during his racing career by Carl Le Cause, was retired to stud at Walnridge Farm in Cream Ridge, where he was a registered New Jersey Sire Stakes stallion for 13 years.



His 676 foals earned $21.5 million in purse money, including the $1-million winner Perfect Out, second-highest money earner Alvoc ($728,977), 1982 SBOANJ Pacing Classic winner Pitt Boy ($387,624) and Brief Affair, the only horse ever to sweep three New Jersey Sire Stakes Championships in one year. (NJSS)

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