When the pacing filly Summer In Fiji was sidelined by an injury during her two-year-old season after having gone five-for-five and having won the 2006 Indiana Sire Stakes summer championship, owner Frank Baldachino worried his fun might be ending. Instead, the good times would go on.
Baldachino, with the assistance of trainers Mickey and Ron Burke, purchased Go On BB as Summer In Fiji’s replacement on the Indiana circuit. Go On BB won the ISS fall championship – and much more.
During an eight-year career, Go On BB won 69 of 178 races and $1.46 million. She became the first Indiana-sired mare of any breed to surpass $1 million in purses and is the winningest pacing mare in harness racing history among million-dollar earners.
On Tuesday, Baldachino announced that Go On BB was retired and heading to Hanover Shoe Farms to begin her career as a broodmare. Go On BB raced twice in January, finishing second both times.
“I made the decision with Ronnie to retire her,” Baldachino said. “We were hoping she could get win No. 70, but I wasn’t going to cheapen her or hurt her. She’s been so good to me. She gave it her all every time she raced and had a fantastic career.”
Go On BB won a second ISS title as a three-year-old (and was runner-up to stablemate Summer In Fiji in another try) but saved her best performance for the end of that season. Baldachino supplemented Go On BB to the $206,000 American-National Stakes at Balmoral Park and the filly rewarded him with a two and a quarter-length win in 1:51.
2007 American National 3yoFP ($206,000) - Go On BB - 1:51
“I knew she was a nice filly and took a shot,” Baldachino said. “That showed she was not only a good Indiana filly, but a horse capable of competing on the Grand Circuit. That was a special moment.”
Another special moment came when Go On BB surpassed $1 million in May 2010 at Hoosier Park.
“I was proud of her,” Baldachino said. “She was an iron horse. Even today she’s as sound as ever. She looks fantastic. It was tough to make the decision to retire her because she was still racing at a fairly high level.”
In addition to winning the American-National, Go On BB captured the 2007 Blossom Series final at the Meadowlands and a total of six Indiana Sire Stakes crowns. She competed in the Breeders Crown twice, finishing sixth both times.
Baldachino does not worry about the fun ending now. With Go On BB’s foals, he hopes it will continue to go on.
“I got (Go On BB) just to have a horse to race in the second round of the sire stakes because I had so much fun with Summer In Fiji,” Baldachino said. “The rest, as they say, is history. And what a pretty good history to write.”
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.
All the Best to Go on BB in
All the Best to Go on BB in your new career