Margies Melody, dam of World Champion multi-millionaire Nihilator, who is known as one of the greatest pacers the sport of harness racing has ever seen, passed away this morning at the age of 33
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Margies Melody was by Bret Hanover and out of the Meadow Skipper mare Pretty Margie. As a racehorse she made $94,303 and paced in 1:55.4m. Nihilator was her first foal, by the World Champion Niatross.
Nihilator was the most successful son of Niatross, winning 12 out of 13 starts at two, losing only once to Dragons Lair, and winning 23 of 25 starts at three. As a three-year-old, Nihilator won the Meadowlands Pace, Little Brown Jug, Breeders Crown, Tattersalls Pace, Bluegrass Stakes and the James Dancer Memorial resulting in being named the 1985 Horse of the Year. By the end of his three-year-old season, Nihilator had a mark of 1:49.3m and made $3,225,653.
Margies Melody continued on as a broodmare, never quite topping her first efforts. In the winter of 1998, Winbak Farm purchased Margies Melody at a sale.
“She had not carried a foal for a few years, but we took a chance on her because she was such a nice mare," Winbak Farm owner Joe Thomson stated via release. "For some reason that year, she immediately caught and carried full term. We were only able to get two foals out of 'Margie' since we have had her, but she is such a classy, top mare, we could breed her to whatever we wanted."
One of those two foals is Winbak Stallion Veeza, by Western Hanover, which has a mark of 1:51.2s, but was lightly raced due to a training accident. The other is currently a Winbak mare, Margies Song, by Albatross.
Margies Melody, affectionately called Margie on the farm, was retired shortly after having Veeza, to Winbak Farm of Delaware, where she lived out her remaining years. Margie and the history that she brought to Winbak Farm will be sincerely missed.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Margies Melody
(With files from Winbak)