Strike The Gold | |
---|---|
![]() Strike the Gold. | |
Sire | Alydar |
Grandsire | Raise a Native |
Dam | Majestic Gold |
Damsire | Hatchet Man |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | 21 March 1988[1] |
Died | December 13, 2011(2011-12-13) (aged 23) |
Country | United States |
Colour | Chestnut |
Breeder | Calumet Farm |
Owner | BCC Stable |
Trainer | Nick Zito |
Record | 31: 6-8-5 |
Earnings | $3,457,026 |
Major wins | |
Blue Grass Stakes (1991) Nassau County Handicap (1992) Pimlico Special (1992) American Classic race wins: Kentucky Derby (1991) | |
Last updated on January 8, 2007 |
Strike the Gold (March 21, 1988 – December 13, 2011) was an AmericanThoroughbredracehorse best known for winning the 1991Kentucky Derby. Upon the death of 1987 Derby winnerAlysheba in March 2009, Strike the Gold became the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner, until his own death in 2011.
He was born onCalumet Farm. He was said to have barely survived birth and was born a "dummy foal", which is a condition that creates a lack of oxygen to the brain. He was on oxygen for the first three days of his life. He was orphaned at four months when his mother, Majestic Gold, died of colic. He was said to be the fastest at the farm as a yearling.[2] He is a son ofU.S. Racing Hall of FamerAlydar, Strike the Gold was purchased in 1990 for $500,000 from breederCalumet Farm by B. Giles Brophy, William J. Condren, and Joseph M. Cornacchia, who raced him under the name BCC Stable after Calumet Farm had financial issues.[2]
Competing at age three in theFlorida Derby, the colt finished second behind the 1990U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt,Fly So Free, and ahead of third-placeHansel. Two weeks later in mid April, Strike the Gold won theBlue Grass Stakes. However, for the first leg of theU.S. Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby, Hansel was thebetting favorite with Fly So Free the second choice. Fly So Free finished fifth and Hansel was tenth behind winner Strike the Gold. Second place went to the still lightly regarded, but future great,Best Pal.Mane Minister finished third, as he did in all three of the Triple Crown races.
Strike the Gold finished sixth in thePreakness Stakes, which was won by Hansel. In the1991 Belmont Stakes, Strike the Gold drew the outside post and at one point was twenty lengths behind the frontrunner. He fought back to battle Hansel in the homestretch, losing by a head to finish second. Later that year, Strike the Gold finished third in both theJim Dandy Stakes and theJockey Club Gold Cup. In all, after his Kentucky Derby win, Strike the Gold lost twelve straight starts, which resulted in a bitter dispute between his three owners over his handling by trainerNick Zito.
In May 1992, the four-year-old horse was sold at auction for $2.9 million, bought by William J. Condren and Joseph M. Cornacchia, two of the original three partners. Five days after the sale, with Zito still his trainer, Strike the Gold won thePimlico Special overFly So Free and five other top horses. A few weeks later, he scored another victory in the Nassau County Handicap overPleasant Tap, then the two horses reversed their finishes in theJockey Club Gold Cup.
In 1993, Strike the Gold's best showing was a third in the Nassau County Handicap that he had won the previous year.
In mid 1993, he was retired tobreeding duty at Ben P. Walden Jr.'s Vinery nearMidway, Kentucky, but his progeny never met with much racing success. By 1997, his stud fee stood at only $15,000 and in 1999 he was sold to the Jockey Club of Turkey to serve as a stallion at theTurkish National Stud. There his mating with Free Trade, a daughter ofShareef Dancer, produced the 2001 coltSabirli, who set records inTurkish sprint and mile races and earned more than US$6 million. On September 15, 2010, Sabirli died in his barn. He has a couple of foals born in 2010.
Sire Alydar (USA) 1975 | Raise A Native (USA) 1961 | Native Dancer | Polynesian |
---|---|---|---|
Geisha | |||
Raise You | Case Ace | ||
Lady Glory | |||
Sweet Tooth (USA) 1965 | On-and-On | Nasrullah | |
Two Lea | |||
Plum Cake | Ponder | ||
Real Delight | |||
Dam Majestic Gold (USA) 1979 | Hatchet Man (USA) 1971 | The Axe | Mahmoud |
Blackball | |||
Bebopper | Tom Fool | ||
Bebop | |||
Majestic Secret (USA) 1969 | Pappa Fourway | Pappageno | |
Oola Hills | |||
Secret Session | Your Host | ||
Bravely Go (Family: 16-c)[3] |