Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Kikikatie Retires

July 25, 2005

Kikikatie, who was voted harness racing’s best two-year-old filly pacer in 2003 and earned more than $1 million lifetime, has been retired. Trainer Joe Seekman said on Monday that the four-year-old daughter of Real Artist-Katies Lucky Lady, who last appeared on the track July 13 in winning a qualifier at Balmoral Park near Chicago, developed a fracture in her left front ankle. She is owned by Lee and Linda DeVisser of Holland, Michigan.

"It was a sad decision," Seekman said. "But to compete at the level she was competing at, you can’t keep them patched together and expect to do well. She was a heck of a horse. She’s a great filly. She’s still got a lot of career ahead of her, punching out babies."

As a two-year-old, Kikikatie won her first 14 races, including a dramatic victory by a nose over Artbitration in the She’s A Great Lady at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. The triumph was doubly rewarding for the DeVissers, who also owned She’s A Great Lady. Seekman said it was the most memorable race of Kikikatie’s career.

"To see a filly lay it out on the line like she did, as rough a trip she got, was incredible," Seekman said. "That’s one of those nights where you think, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s never going to quit.’ It was special. There’s really no big secret to her. She’s just a horse that loves to win.""

In addition to the She’s A Great Lady, Kikikatie won the Matron, a division of the Bluegrass and the American-National. She was second, beaten by a neck by Pans Culottes, in the Breeders Crown. As a three-year-old, she won the Mistletoe Shalee and was second to Horse of the Year Rainbow Blue in the Fan Hanover and Nadia Lobell.

Kikikatie was bred by Arlene and Jules Siegel and named for the song "K-K-K Katy," written and composed in 1918 by Geoffrey O’Hara, and performed by several artists including Billy Murray (aka the Denver Nightingale), Buddy Clark and Mitch Miller. For her career, she won 19 of 31 starts, hit the board 26 times, and earned $1.26 million.