The Buckeye bullet

An exceptional racehorse at 2, BF Coaltown was then set back by virus infection a month ahead of hte Hambletonian which he seemingly never really recovered from. The Ohio-born stallion went on to exceed all expectations at stud when he became one of the best stallions ever seen in his home state.

The story of BF Coaltown starts in 1951 when his breeder Ben Falter bought the dam, Sis Rodney, for a moderate $1,500. Two years later she set a two-heat world record for freshman trotting fillies and won 13 of 14 career starts. When entering the breeding shed she was first bred twice to Darnley, then The Intruder, the latter producing the relatively good dual-gaited Replica Herbert before being bred to Galophone in 1959, with BF Coaltown – the “BF” comes from his breeder’s initials – born the next year.

A spectacular debut season

Trainer Harry Short broke the youngster and at 2 he turned out to be a big and early talent. Winning the first division of the WN Reynolds Memorial on Jun 19, 1962, BF Coaltown set a track record at the Buffalo Raceway when he won in 2:08 (1.19,6), a time that was also a seasonal record at the time. Despite the date, there was no bad luck on Friday Jul 13, when BF Coaltown convincingly won both his elimination and final of the Challenge Stakes at Scioto Down. The latter win was the brown colt’s seventh in eight starts, and the winning time of 2:03.3 (1.16,8) was a seasonal best to that point.

The colt kept winning during the summer, and when he won his elim in the Ohio State Trot for 2-year-olds in 2:05 (1.17,7) at Columbus on Aug 27 it was BF Coaltown’s 16th consecutive win. But virtually all winning streaks come to an end, and BF Coaltown’s streak ended a few hours later when Fred Walker and George Sholty nipped him at the wire in the final. He suffered another loss in the final of the Ohio Standardbred Futurity over the track at Delaware on Sep 20 when Filter and Digg’s Dell both overtook him 50 feet from the finish. In his elimination, BF Coaltown had set a seasonal record for the age group trotting 2:04 (1.17,1) over the half-mile track – the clocking was just half a second off Titan Hanover’s world record.

Going to Lexington, he easily brushed off ten challengers, including Floris, Fred Walker and Cheer Honey, to win the Walnut Hall Trot in two straight heats. After an impressive 21-2-1 in 27 starts at 2, BF Coaltown was easily picked as the Ohio two-year-old of the year, and almost received national honors, too. In the poll for two year old trotter of the year he received 36 votes and was only beaten by Speedy Scot’s 45 votes. Cheer Honey was third with 17 votes.

A good start at 3

Upset by longshot April Fool in his two first starts at 3, BF Coaltown was then sold mid-June for $50,000. According to a little paragraph in the Dayton Daily News, “Falter was ordered by his doctor to give up his interest in the horses because of a heart condition.” The buyer, Charlie Hill, a former president of the Columbus Trotting Association, was also the owner of Scioto Downs, Ohio, the Hill Farm in Hilliard, Ohio (just outside of Columbus) as well as many racehorses including accomplished pacer Falcon Almahurst. After the purchase BF Coaltown was moved to Carl Larsen, personal trainer for Hill. Larsen had started out as a groom for Curly Smart at Roosevelt and then worked for Charlie Fleming, Frank Safford and Billy Haughton before starting up by himself in Canada in 1954. Returning to the US six years later, he was then hired by Charlie Hill after being introduced to him at the Harrisburg sale.

BF Coaltown and Larsen got off to a good start with a win in a $2,500 invitational at Monticello on Jun 28, 1963. A week later the horse was somewhat disappointing, fading a bit in each heat as he finished 3-6 in the two heats of the Historic Dickerson Cup. He bounced back with easy win in the Scioto Downs Challenge Stakes, though the opposition was several steps down from his previous race, and then impressed in the Stars And Stripes at Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania. BF Coaltown could leave quickly, had very high top speed and excellent technique. He rarely went off-stride and, according to trainer Larsen, “put every foot in the right place every time,” something that his trainer found somewhat surprising: “that was unusual because his sire – Galophone – trotted like a dog – one hind foot to the outside and one in the middle. And BF Coaltown was out of a Rodney mare, and the Rodneys weren’t known for being slick gaited.”

Oxygen treatment

BF Coaltown was then a clear favorite in the Trenton Trot at Liberty Bell on Aug 3, one of the last races ahead of the Hambletonian. However, he was a shadow of himself as Rodare, Amkey and Noel finished ahead of him. Though just as good at his best as he was at 2, BF Coaltown was a bit more inconsistent at 3 – and soon Larsen found out why; the excellent trotter struggled with a virus infection in his throat and had to be treated with 15-minute doses twice daily of a oxygen-antibiotics mixture. To avoid doping accusations, the treatment was not administered on racedays.

He bounced back in style at Urbana, winning both heats of the Champaign County Futurity on Aug 7 in 2:02.1 and 2:04.2 (1.15,9 and 1.17,3), the former being a track record and tied the season’s record on a half-mile track. Heading to DuQuoin early, BF Coaltown worked out at 2:02.3 (1.16,2) there a week prior to the race. He was seen as the dark horse among the 14 horses were entered, but other than being a frontrunner at the half in all three heats he wasn’t much of a factor.

Coming off an infection, BF Coaltown was driven aggressively but it seemingly backfired as the son of Galophone showed he seemingly wasn’t entirely fit for fight in the latter two heats. In the first heat he quickly moved to the front at the half, making the distance in a blistering 57.3 (a 1.11,6 tempo) but was immediately overtaken by Speedy Scot. He couldn’t quite keep up with Speedy Scot and Florlis down the final stretch but kept going to the line and finished fourth. The second heat was more of the same, with BF Coaltown taking the lead around the half but yielding to Florlis shortly after. Reaching the final stretch, BF Coaltown was already fading and he finished tenth. At the half in the third heat, BF Coaltown was outside leading Captain’s Boy and applying pressure. Going to the lead, BF Coaltown was passed by Florlis at the top of the stretch and again fading in the final stretch. Finishing seventh in the third heat, he also finished seventh overall.

Still struggling

The average form continued in the Horseman Futurity, won by Speedy Scot ahead of Cheer Honey and Florlis, while BF Coaltown was seventh after 5-5 placings in the two heats. Not eligible to the Kentucky Futurity, Larsen then opted to take BF Coaltown to New York for some easier races there. However, the colt was still clearly affected by the virus and still struggled against presumably easier opposition. Despite this, after 8 wins in 21 starts at 3, BF Coaltown was second in the poll, again behind Speedy Scot, for three-year-old trotter of the year. While it had been relatively close the previous year, this time Speedy Scot received 166 votes, BF Coaltown 7, Florlis 4 and Cheer Honey 3. In the vote for Ohio Harness Horse of the Year, BF Coaltown tied with the outstanding pacer Coffee Break.

Returning to the track at 4, BF Coaltown was initially a bit sluggish, and his first win of the season came in his fifth start. That was in the $4,000 Old Line Trot at Rosecroft Raceway, which he won in 2:03 (1.16,4). Overall, the season was a disappointment as the trotter never regained his form and style prior to the infection. When Larsen retired from training and driving in 1965, the 5-year-old BF Coaltown was moved to Joe O’Brian after the stud season. He picked up a couple of wins, but was still a shadow of his old self and was retired at the end of the season.

An excellent stallion

BF Coaltown entered stud at the Hill Farm in Columbus, Ohio, and began servicing mares in 1965. Standing in Ohio he did not have access to the best broodmares but quickly became the state’s premier stallion. Since the Ohio Sires Stakes was created after BF Coaltown went to stud he never raced in it but his name quick became synonymous with the Ohio Sires Stakes for a long time.

Even though his foals were generally known for being hot-headed he produced many good horses like International Stallion Stakes winner and world champion Cami Almahurst, Sonata Hill, Hambo Oaks runners up Selena Lobell, Summit Hill and Soda Hill. He was also the damsire of horses like Peter Haughton winner Keyser Lobell, Overcomer, Spotlite Lobell (a prolific sire in Sweden), Kentucky Filly Futurity winner Doin the Town, Elliott’s Express, Uptown, Quick Trip, Cindy’s Action, Crown’s Cristy and last but not least the New Zealand breed changer Sundon. Furthermore, stars like Algiers Hall, American Lane, Chapter Seven, Crazed, International Trot-winner Cruzado dela Noche, Kadabra, Marion Marauder, Passionate Kemp, Victory Dream and Wild Honey are examples of other excellent trotters who go back to a daughter of BF Coaltown on their maternal line.

When he passed away on March 1, 1979 at the Hilliard breeding farm he had stamped his mark on Ohio breeding like no other stallion before.