Triple Crown champ retired

Trainer Blair Burgess raised some eyebrows following Glidemaster’s win in the Yonkers Trot when he hinted that a 2007 campaign couldn’t be ruled out, but co-owner Bob Burgess said Tuesday that the Triple Crown champion has been officially retired and will head to stud duty at Walnridge Farm in Pennsylvania.

“We’ve done the preliminary (fertility) testing on him and we’ve decided to continue on the stud path,” Burgess told harnessracing.com. “Some people have depended on the original announcement (that Glidemaster would be retired) and that is frankly playing a part in this decision. He has some of the greatest mares in the world booked to him and it wouldn’t be fair to them.

“The opportunity to race at four, with (richer) purses and the (International Trot) coming back, it was a unique opportunity (to race) and a way to go to stud too,” he explained. “(Blair) hasn’t stopped with a 3 year old since Frugal Gourmet in 1987, but we decided it was too much (for Glidemaster to race at four). He is absolutely sound and ready to go, but to also get him ready for Europe and a couple of races before the Prix d’ Amerique to get him climatized, it was too much.”

Burgess shares ownership of Glidemaster with Blair’s wife, Karin, Marsha Cohen and breeder Brittany Farms. The son of Yankee Glide set a single-season earnings mark for a trotter with $1,918,701 in purses.

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