Victory Dream euthanized at age 17

Victory Dream, who won the 1994 Hambletonian and later went on to become the sire of 1999 Hambletonian winner Self Possessed, was euthanized Tuesday morning at Walnut Hall Ltd. after suffering from neurological problems at the age of 17.

A son from the first crop of Valley Victory out of the Speedy Crown mare Crown Dream, Victory Dream won three of five starts as a 2 year old in 1993 and then the following year won nine of 17 starts, including the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands. Also that year he won the first elimination of the World Trotting Derby before finishing fifth in the second heat and then second in the three-horse race-off behind Bullville Victory.

Victory Dream posted his career best of 1:53.2 while winning the first heat of the Kentucky Futurity, and after finishing third in the second heat he finished second in the two-horse race-off, also behind Bullville Victory. He finished his sophomore season with $992,662 of his $1,016,537 in career earnings and honors as 3-Year-Old Colt Trotter of the Year.

Victory Dream was owned by Frank Antonacci’s FA Stable and was syndicated by the Victory Dream Stable on the eve of his Hambletonian victory. Upon his retirement from the racetrack, Victory Dream stood stallion duty at Walnut Hall Ltd. in Lexington, Ky.

As a sire, Victory Dream had less than perfect fertility but produced the winners of more than $7.7 million, including his richest and fastest offspring, world champion Self Possessed, 3, 1:51.3 ($1,346,390), voted the 1999 Three-Year-Old Colt Trotter of the Year. Among Victory Dream’s other most successful progeny are 1999 Two-Year-Old Filly Trotter of the Year Dream Of Joy, Raffaello Ambrosio and Dreamaster.

Victory Dream will be buried at the Walnut Hall cemetery, alongside the graves of the immortal sires Scotland and Volomite.

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