The horse Adios Butler, also known as "The Butler" (1956–1983), was a North American

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

champion.

Background

Sired by the great

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

Adios and out of an obscure broodmare named Debby Hanover, Adios Butler was trained by Paige West and driven by Clint Hodgins in 1959.

Racing career

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

, Adios Butler won the

Cane Pace The Cane Pace is a harness horse race for standardbred pacers run annually since 1955. The race was first run as the William H. Cane Futurity in 1955 at Yonkers Raceway in New York. In 1956 the race joined with the Little Brown Jug and the Messe ...

, then the Little Brown Jug, where he was the first horse to win with a sub-two-minute mile, and finally the

Messenger Stakes The Messenger Stakes is an American harness racing event for 3-year-old pacing horses. It was organized in 1956 at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York (on suburban Long Island) to join with the Cane Pace and the Little Brown Jug to create ...

, doing it in track and stake record time to become the first pacer to capture the

Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers The Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers consists of these horse races: #Cane Pace, held at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey #Messenger Stakes, held at Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, New York # Little Brown Jug, held at t ...

. In 1960 Adios Butler was sold in part to Ohio interests and while he remained in the care of Paige West he was driven throughout the rest of his career by Eddie Cobb. He stood at stud at Fair Chance Farms in Washington Court House, Ohio. The following year, he lost only one race on a muddy track and later recorded a 1:54.3 mile, the then-fastest time in harness racing history. Adios Butler was named "

United States Harness Horse of the Year The Harness Horse of the Year is an honor recognizing the top harness racing horse in the United States. The award is selected by the United States Trotting Association and the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), which issues the a ...

" in 1960 and 1961 by the U.S. Trotting Association and the U.S. Harness Writers Association.

Stud record

After his racing career, he was retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

. Adios Butler went on to sire such notable pacers as Honest Story, Pantry Man, El Patron, Escondido, Van Kirk, Uncle Frank, Ocean Mouth, Dean Butler, Lord Butler, Trial Lawyer, Starboard Butler and many others. This despite facing fertility problems throughout his career as a stallion.

References

American Standardbred racehorses Harness racing in the United States 1956 racehorse births 1983 racehorse deaths American Champion harness horses Horse racing track record setters Harness Horse of the Year winners United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees Little Brown Jug winners Cane Pace winners Messenger Stakes winners Triple Crown of Harness Racing winners {{racehorse-stub

Background

Racing career

Stud record

See also

References