Niatross' last start

Nearly 24 years ago, harness racing fans in southern Florida were treated to a belated Christmas present from one of the greatest athletes of all time. Just two days after Christmas, those who were fortunate enough to get in the door at Pompano Park that Saturday night in 1980 saw the final racetrack appearance of the great Niatross.



"It was a phenomenal night," remembers John Cashman, who was at Pompano that night and also oversaw getting the horse from Florida to Castleton Farm in Lexington, where Cashman served as president, and where Niatross would be standing at stud. "There were cars and people everywhere. People parked all the way to I-95, and some cars looked like they were just abandoned."



The first Standardbred ever to reach $2 million in just two seasons, Niatross raced for the final time that evening before a Pompano Park record crowd of 18,451. Gates opened 30 minutes earlier than usual and traffic began to pile up for miles- - to the Florida Turnpike in one direction and I-95 in the other - -and more than 5,000 were turned away at the gate.



That evening, the son of Albatross delivered to the audience precisely what they came to see in the $3,500 Invitational Pace. With Clint Galbraith driving, Niatross began his final quest from the far outside and wasted no time in doing what he did best. Niatross took the lead at the quarter pole and was 10 lengths ahead of the field by the half. The racing great pressed on to the wire, crossing the finish for the final time with a 15-length win and a track record time of 1:54.3.



Although it may appear that Niatross put on an exhibition, his competition that evening was a very respectable group of horses, the including top older stallion Wizard Almahurst.



At the conclusion of the winner's circle presentation, Galbraith fought back tears as he said goodbye to his once in a lifetime champion. "The thing that makes this a great horse is that he wants to be a great horse. He knows he's a great horse," he said.



That night Niatross ended his remarkable racing career with 37 wins in 39 starts and a world record time of 1:49.1. At the time of his retirement, Niatross was the fastest and richest Standardbred of all time.



Niatross flew on a charter jet from Florida to Lexington, with the plane landing in a snowstorm. From there he was trucked over to Castleton and stabled in a small barn for quarantine purposes with a security guard standing by.



"There was still some dispute between the owners, Lou Guida and Clint Galbraith, so we had to have extra security, but as for Niatross, he was the nicest horse in the world," said Cashman. "You could have put him in your bedroom."

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