Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

                   On The Road Again


                                      Happy Motoring--Bye Bye Mollie
                                             Chestnut Horse
Foaled: 1981, Died: 2006
Owners: Gordon and Illa Rumpel
Trainer: Harry Poulton
Driver: Buddy Gilmour

During his three racing seasons (1983-84-85), On The Road Again won 44 of his 61 starts and paced to a 1:51.4 mark. His earnings came to $2,819,102. He was admired as a game and gutsy racehorse that traveled widely and took on all comers---and usually left them in his dust.

On The Road Again was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1999 and into the Living Hall of Fame at the Harness Racing Museum in 2001.

In January 1982 owner Gordon Rumpel, a car dealer from Calgary, Alberta, attended a sale at the Meadowlands. He paid $10,000 for a chestnut colt by Happy Motoring from Bye Bye Mollie. The youngster was the 13th foal from his unraced dam and she’d never produced a 2:00 performer.
As a 2-year-old in western Canada, On The Road Again won four of his five starts, and gave his dam her first 2:00 credit when he won in even time at Calgary.

It was as a sophomore that On The Road Again soared to the pinnacle of the sport, winning 18 of his 26 starts, including the $1,293,000 Meadowlands Pace. He was not eligible for the Little Brown Jug, but still was voted champion colt in his class on earnings of more than $1.75 million.

He took the tough leap into the free-for-all ranks as a 4-year-old, making 30 starts all over North America and winning 22 of them. He was second four times and third three times, so he was on the board in 29 of his 30 starts. That was good for another million bucks, bringing his career total to more than $2,8 million.

He retired to Blue Chip Farm where he served 139 mares in his first season and from that first crop came Delinquent Account, a Breeders Crown winner of $1,038,997 in her career. From that first crop also came C K S p, 6, 1:51.2 ($956,418), Road Machine p, 3, 1:54.4h ($910,717), and Shipps Schnoops p, 3, 1:51.4f ($658,123).

From his second crop came Sara Loren Rd p, 5, 1:53.4f ($963,768) and from his third crop came Silent Spring p, 5, 1:50.1 ($981,177).

“As a stallion, he will live on through his daughters, not his sons,” said Jean Brown of Blue Chip Farm, where On The Road Again was a resident for 20 years and four days.

His daughters have produced such outstanding pacers as Four Starzzz Shark p, 6, 1:47.4 ($2,537,267), two-time Breeders Crown winner Artiscape p, 3, 1:49.3z ($1,469,461), and 2004 Horse of the Year Rainbow Blue p, 3, 1:49.2s ($1,428,934).

He also sired the dam of this season’s brilliant freshman filly Isabella Blue Chip p, 2, 1:51.2 ($658,583) and such top pacers as Paradise Lover Boy, Space Shuttle, and Tavern Talk.

In 2004, he served a book a 32 mares and was then retired from breeding service.

“He had lots of personality and we’ll miss him a lot,” said Jean Brown. “He was part of our lives here at Blue Chip for so long. He was a special horse.”

She said that when On The Road Again was withdrawn from public service, he had to be moved away from the stallion barn because he was jealous of the other stallions.

“He wanted to be the king,” she said. “He wanted to be the center of attention.”

On The Road Again was euthanized at Blue Chip Farm after suffering a bout of colic on December 19, 2006. The chestnut pacing stallion was 25 and had been operated after a bout with colic in 2001. At the time of his death, On The Road Again’s offspring had earned more than $68.7 million and he had 224 offspring with marks of 1:55 or faster.