| Left Bank | |
|---|---|
| Sire | French Deputy |
| Grandsire | Deputy Minister |
| Dam | Marshesseaux |
| Damsire | Dr. Blum |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1997 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | John Youngblood & Fletcher Gray |
| Owner | Michael B. Tabor |
| Trainer | Todd A. Pletcher |
| Record | 24: 14-2-0 |
| Earnings | US$1,402,806 |
| Major wins | |
| Discovery Handicap (2000) Cigar Mile Handicap (2001) Vosburgh Stakes (2001) Bold Ruler Handicap (2002) Tom Fool Handicap (2002) Whitney Handicap (2002) | |
| Awards | |
| American Champion Older Male Horse (2002) | |
Left Bank (May 9, 1997 – October 7, 2002) was an AmericanChampionThoroughbredracehorse.
Out of themare, Marshesseaux, Left Bank was sired byJerome Handicap winner, French Deputy, a son ofDeputy Minister who was the 1981Canadian Horse of the Year and two-timeLeading sire in North America.
English horsemanMichael Tabor purchased Left Bank as a two-year-old for $600,000 at a February 1999Fasig-Tipton sale atCalder Race Course. Tabor turned him over to trainerTodd Pletcher to race in the United States. However, the colt suffered fromcolic that necessitatedsurgery which resulted in the removal of twelve feet ofsmall intestine.
Recovered, Left Bank was able to race the following year notably winning the 2000Discovery Handicap atNew York'sAqueduct Racetrack.
At age four in 2001, Left Bank got off to a slow start but in the fall won twoGrade 1 races. He first beat thebetting favoriteSquirtle Squirt to capture the September 22Vosburgh Stakes atBelmont Park, clocking the second-fastest time in the race's 62 year history. Then, on November 24 atAqueduct Racetrack, Left Bank won theCigar Mile Handicap by defeating top-rated challengers,Graeme Hall andRed Bullet.[2]
Rested since his win in November's Cigar Mile, Left Bank began his five-year-old campaign on May 12, 2002 with a win in the Grade 3Bold Ruler Handicap.[3][permanent dead link] After a poor showing in the May 27Metropolitan Handicap, on July 4 Left Bank set a Belmont Park track record for7⁄8 mi (7.0furlongs; 1.4 km) in winning the Grade 2Tom Fool Handicap by six and a quarter lengths.[1] Moving up fromsprint race distances, Left Bank followed his record-setting win in the Tom Fool by equaling theSaratoga Race Course track record for1+1⁄8 miles (9.0 furlongs; 1.8 km) in his victory in the Grade 1Whitney Handicap.[2]
After his win in the Whitney, Left Bank was being prepared to run in theWoodward Stakes at Belmont Park but suffered another attack of colic. On August 10, 2002 the horse was rushed to the equine hospital atTufts University nearBoston, Massachusetts where he underwent emergency surgery. Following his surgery, Left Bank was sent to recover atAshford Stud inVersailles, Kentucky but had to undergo further operations from which he was unable to recover and died on October 7, 2002.
Left Bank posthumously earned theEclipse Award when he was voted the 2002American Champion Older Male Horse. It marked the first Eclipse Award for trainer, Todd Pletcher.[3]
| Sire French Deputy | Deputy Minister | Vice Regent | Northern Dancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Regina | |||
| Mint Copy | Bunty's Flight | ||
| Shakney | |||
| Mitterand | Hold Your Peace | Speak John | |
| Blue Moon | |||
| Laredo Lass | Bold Ruler | ||
| Fortunate Isle | |||
| Dam Marshesseaux | Dr. Blum | Dr. Fager | Rough'n Tumble |
| Aspidistra | |||
| Due Dilly | Sir Gaylord | ||
| Lord Matron | |||
| Loboette | Good Counsel | Hail To Reason | |
| Polylady | |||
| Chanderelle | Graustark | ||
| Chandalle |