Foiled Again, the richest Standardbred all time with more than $7.6 million in career earnings, will race for the final time in his incomparable career on a special New Year’s Eve card at the Meadows.
Foiled Again faces mandatory retirement the next day when he turns 15. The Meadows’ December 31 program will begin at 5:30 p.m.
An official retirement ceremony will take place in the winners’ circle following the race, called “Foiled Again’s Last Call,” when his connections will pull his shoes for the final time. The ceremony also will feature a video of Foiled Again’s career highlights.
In addition, the action-packed program includes the finals of six Holiday Claiming Series and the “Night of Champions,” when the Meadows’ Horses of the Year are presented their awards. Patrons will receive New Year’s party hats and noisemakers and will be invited to participate in the holiday festivities in the casino.
The “Last Call” will not only conclude the great gelding’s career, but it also will wrap up his spectacular “Farewell Tour,” through which his connections — Meadows-based trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and JJK Stables — campaigned him across the continent to create special events for tracks and allow fans to see him compete one more time.
This was no mere star turn, as the son of Dragon Again-In A Safe Place has won 10 times this year with a personal season’s best 1:53 at Freehold Raceway. His career win total currently sits at 108.
Among Foiled Again’s many accomplishments:
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He was named U.S. Pacer of the Year in 2011 at the age of seven, thus becoming the only pacer older than four to receive that honour.
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In that 2011 campaign, he won six $100,000 events.
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He was named Best Older Male Pacer in the U.S. in three consecutive seasons (2011-2013); only Rambling Willie has matched that achievement.
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In 2013, at the age of nine, he won the Breeders Crown Open Pace to become the oldest horse to win a Breeders Crown event.
This year, he’s been nominated for the Proximity Award, one of harness racing’s most prestigious accolades.
Next week the Meadows will announce details of “Foiled Again’s Last Call.”
(With files from the Meadows)
There's been no announcement
There's been no announcement of who will be driving harness racing's all-time leading money winning horse in the final start of his illustrious career. How about harness racing's all-time leading money winning driver, John Campbell; wouldn't that be appropriate? Other than a qualifier 11 years ago, John has never driven Foiled Again, and although I'm sure that he let his driver's license lapse when he retired last year, would anyone really care if he was permitted come out of retirement to drive in one final race?
It would make the race even more memorable.