Ruler on Ice
Ruler on Ice in July 2011
Sire	Roman Ruler
Grandsire	Fusaichi Pegasus
Dam	Champagne Glow
Damsire	Saratoga Six
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	April 2, 2008
Country	United States
Colour	Chestnut
Breeder	Liberation Farm and Brandywine Farm
Owner	George and Lori Hall
Trainer	Kelly J. Breen
Record	23:4–5–3
Earnings	US$ 1,709,566
Major wins
Belmont Stakes (2011)
Last updated on May 20, 2013

Ruler on Ice (foaled April 2, 2008) is aThoroughbredracehorse that won the2011 Belmont Stakes. He was bred and foaled inKentucky by Brandywine Farm in partnership with Liberation Farm on. He is achestnutgelding sired byHill 'n' Dale Farms'Roman Ruler out of the Saratoga Six-bred mare, Champagne Glow.^[1] The colt was consigned as lot 988 at the 2009 Keeneland September yearling auction,^[2] where he was purchased by George and Lori Hall for $100,000.^[3] Ruler on Ice only won one minor race after winning the Belmont and was retired from racing in July 2014. He lives in Versailles, Kentucky at the farm of his owners.

Ruler on Ice raced thirteen times on ten different tracks, and of his three wins, two were over sloppy tracks. His trainer for all of his starts wasKelly J. Breen who was based out ofMonmouth Park.

Racing as a two-year-old, Ruler on Ice made his first start was in a maiden race atMonmouth Park on September 19, 2010. He finished fifth in a field of seven horses and was ridden by jockeyJoe Bravo.^[4] In his next start, a six-furlong maiden race atDelaware Park on October 4, 2010, he won by a head over four other horses and collected $22,800.^[5]

Racing as a three-year-old, Ruler on Ice was second at an optional claiming race^[6] and won an allowance race on February 22, 2011.^[7] On May 7, he was a fast-closing second in theFederico Tesio Stakes atPimlico, beaten by Concealed Identity.^[8] On March 27, 2011, he finished third in theGrade IIISunland Derby to Twice the Appeal and Astrology.^[9]

Ruler on Ice went into the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of theUS Triple Crown, on June 11, 2011, without running in theKentucky Derby or thePreakness Stakes. He was a 24–1 longshot to the favorites,Animal Kingdom andIrish coltMaster of Hounds, and he was wearing blinkers for the first time. The colt won the 2011Belmont Stakes in the slop, beating both Animal Kingdom (winner of the 2011Kentucky Derby) and Shackleford (winner of the 2011Preakness Stakes), who finished sixth and fifth, respectively. With this victory, Ruler on Ice became one of the few geldings to ever win the Belmont.^[10]

On July 31, 2011, Ruler on Ice finished third in theHaskell Invitational to Coil andShackleford by two and a half lengths. He ran with his stablemate, Pants On Fire, in a duo dubbed "Fire and Ice" by the press. Pants On Fire finished out of the money in fifth place.^[11] On August 27, 2011, Ruler on Ice came in fourth in the 2011Travers Stakes.^[12] On September 24, 2011, he finished second to To Honor and Serve in the 2011Pennsylvania Derby.^[13] He was third at the 2011Breeders' Cup Classic behind Game on Dude and the 2010Belmont Stakes winner,Drosselmeyer.^[14]

Ruler on Ice finished eighth out of eleven horses in theDonn Handicap run atGulfstream Park on February 11.^[15] Five months later on July 25 at Saratoga, Ruler finished seventh in an allowance race and was second toWin Willy in a similar race at Delaware Park in August. Entered in theJockey Club Gold Cup, his only graded race of the year, Ruler challenged the front runners until a half-mile into the race when his gait became more choppy and his jockeyAlan Garcia eased him out of the race.^[16]

On January 30, Ruler on Ice won an optional claiming race atAqueduct Racetrack, his first since the Belmont.^[17] He was fifth out of seven starters in the Grade 3Excelsior Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack in March.^[18] Ruler finished fourth in an allowance race atParx Casino and Racing in April.^[19]

Ruler on Ice was retired from racing in July 2014 and lived at the farm of his owners inVersailles, Kentucky until December 2022 when he was pensioned to Old Friends equine retirement facility.^[20][21]

Ruler on Ice's sire,Roman Ruler (2002 – 2017), was the winner of the 2004Norfolk Stakes andBest Pal Stakes and won theHaskell Invitational Handicap as a three-year-old, accumulating $1,220,800 in his racing career. Roman Ruler was sired by 2000Kentucky Derby winnerFusaichi Pegasus out of the unraced mare Silvery Swan by Silver Deputy. Silvery Swan also produced the 2000Cigar Mile Handicap and multipleDel Mar Mile Handicap winner El Corredor. Roman Ruler was the leading second-crop sire by cumulative earnings in 2010 and siredChampagne Stakes winnerHomeboykris in his first season at stud.^[22]

His dam, Champagne Glow (1988 – 2019), was second in the 1990Frizette Stakes and won the Schuylkill Stakes. Ruler on Ice was her thirteenth foal. She also produced the fillies Lost on Champagne and Champagne d'Oro (winner of the 2010 Grade IAcorn Stakes and Grade ITest Stakes), and both fillies were third-place finishers in theCinderella Stakes.^[2] Champagne Glow was sired by Saratoga Six, who was undefeated as a two-year-old and was the 1984Del Mar Futurity winner. He also sired the Grade I winner Toga Toga Toga and Saratoga Gambler before dying in a 2006 barn fire at the JEH Stallion Station inHondo, New Mexico, that also claimed the life of 1997 Horse of the YearFavorite Trick.^[23] Champagne Glow's dam, Champagne Ginny, was a winner in eight of her starts and won the Boiling Springs Handicap. She produced five foals, four of which were winners.^[24] Champagne Glow was euthanized in October 2019 at 31-years-old.^[25]

• Ruler on Ice, partial stats and pedigree

• Belmont Stakes winners
• 2008 racehorse births
• Racehorses bred in Kentucky
• Racehorses trained in the United States
• Thoroughbred family 14-a

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata