ROCHESTER, MN – In sad news out of Nebraska, Canterbury Park Hall of Famer, multiple divisional champion and horse of the year, Heliskier, was found dead in his paddock Tuesday night on the Von Seggern Farm where he was living.
“I went out to do chores last night and he was dead,” said Mary Von Seggern. “No sign of struggle or anything.”
The fourteen-year-old gelding was the last homebred broken by legendary South Dakota horseman, Robert “Bun” Colvin. Colvin said from the time ‘Skier was a baby that he was the special one he and wife, Marlene, had been waiting for all their lives in racing.
Bun passed away on December 4, 2010 and never saw Heliiskier race, but he sure proved Colvin prophetic.
Making his first start in August of 2011, ‘Skier easily dispatched a field of statebred maidens and was then pointed to the Northern Lights Futurity by trainer Mac Robertson. Heliskier dominated at odds on to win by 10 lengths.
Heliskier remained undefeated throughout his 3-year-old campaign, winning the Vic Myers, the MTA Laddie and the Minnesota Derby in the process.
He won three out of five races his four-year-old season, only losing in open company over the grass (2ndplace finish) and in an optional claimer after stumbling badly at the break. He bookended that season with wins in the 10,000 Lakes Stakes and the Minnesota Sprint Championship. He even had his own “walk up” music, AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells.”
The son of Appealing Skier and Plana Dance (Northern Flagship) retired in 2016 with nine wins in nineteen starts and hit the board 13 times with earnings of $277,918. He was elected to the Canterbury Hall of Fame in 2018.
“Eric Von Seggern has had Skier all this year,” said owner Marlene Colvin. “He called me yesterday to tell me Skier had died. Of course, it was a hard message to do. We all loved Skier so much. He was always such a healthy horse all through his growing years.”
“He was also such an easy horse to get along with the other horses,” she lovingly continued. “To me he was a savior to help me with my grieving after Bun’s passing. After over 50 years of being with these beautiful thoroughbreds, he was one in a million in every way for me. He will be so very much missed.”
Our love and prayers go out to Marlene, the Von Seggern Family, Mac Robertson and all who were connected to and loved Heliskier, including his thousands of fans at the track.
