Hall of Fame mare Graceful Touch passes

Graceful Touch (Pine Chip), a stakes-winning harness racing filly and Hall of Fame broodmare who made a mark in trotting bloodlines, has died at the age of 24 at Hunterton Farm in Paris, Ky.

Graceful Touch was of royal trotting parentage, a daughter of world champion Pine Chip and Act Of Grace, a filly who took on the colts in the Hambletonian for Hall of Famer Stanley Dancer. The maternal family includes several stakes-winning fillies and Graceful Touch’s third dam, Peridot, produced the great Green Speed, the 1977 Horse of the Year.

Trained by Chuck Sylvester and frequently driven by John Campbell, Graceful Touch took a record of 1:56.1 at age two and earned $161,893. Her 2-year-old season was her best as she won four of eight starts and finished second in an elimination for the Breeders Crown.

During her racing career, Graceful Touch was owned by Perretti Farms, which naturally added her to its broodmare band when she was retired from the track. She produced 13 foals, among them her first-born, Muscle Mass 2, 1:53.4 ($229,000), and her third, Hambletonian champion Muscle Massive 3, 1:51 ($1,239,138). In addition to their racing accomplishments, both also became successful sires. She also produced six daughters which include the Merrie Annabelle winner Thatsnotmyname 2, 1:55 ($340,730). Today several major breeders, including Hunterton, have her daughters and/or granddaughters in their broodmare bands to carry on her maternal lineage.

Hunterton Farm’s Steve Stewart, Black Creek Farm and Maumee River Stables purchased Graceful Touch in 2014. She was buried on Hunterton Farm.

From Hunterton Farm