Treasure Blue Chip, dam of 14 foals with collective earnings of $2.6 million, was euthanized Wednesday morning at the age of 34 at her birthplace and the only home she’s known away from the racetrack, Blue Chip Farms
, in Wallkill, New York.
She was an accomplished race mare, with 18 wins and $170,335 in earnings. Treasure Blue Chip was the dam of Pershing Square, a stablemate of Nihilator, and winner himself of 29 races and $812,277. She had four other foals with more than $200,000 in earnings, including Tibet (1:51.3, $653,680).
Treasure Blue Chip, owned by Shelia Baird of New York City, found companionship late in life from 13-year-old Olivia Kimelman, daughter of Blue Chip President Mike Kimelman, and a pair of miniature donkeys, Bailey and Brodie.
“She’d been having problems for a few days,” said Mike Kimelman. “She doesn’t have much in the way of teeth, so eating is a problem. She had some respiration issues and I think she’s been aspirating her food. I made her up a mash last night and she ate it, but she had some trouble gagging. In the end, she had pneumonia and it was just not something she could overcome.”
Kimelman says that Olivia is taking the passing of her daily companion gracefully.
“We’re all a little sad,” said Kimelman, “but with as many animals as we have here, this is not something new to Olivia.”
Treasure Blue Chip has been buried in the farm’s cemetery.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.
My condolence to Blue Chip
My condolence to Blue Chip farms - I had the pleasure of owing and caring for one of Treasures foals, Battery Park. One of my favourite horses and one of my best times in life.