| Steppenwolfer | |
|---|---|
 2006 Belmont Stakes | |
| Sire | Aptitude |
| Grandsire | A. P. Indy |
| Dam | Wolfer |
| Damsire | Wolf Power |
| Sex | Gelding |
| Foaled | 2003 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Gray |
| Breeder | Nursery Place & Partners |
| Owner | 1) Lawana and Robert Low 2) Polaris Stable |
| Trainer | 1) Daniel Pietz (flat) 2) Sanna Hendriks (steeple-chasing) |
| Record | 23: 3-3-5 |
| Earnings | $653,459 |
| Last updated on August 10, 2007 | |
Steppenwolfer (March 16, 2003 - June 21, 2018) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by Aptitude, who in turn was the son of the 1992 U.S. Horse of the Year and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, A.P. Indy, out of the mare, Wolfer.
The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered "hot-blooded" horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit.
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been unchanged since at least classical antiquity.
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He was a contender for the Triple Crown in 2006, but fell short by finishing third to Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby.
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, comprises three races for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment in thoroughbred racing. The term originated in mid-19th century England and nations where thoroughbred racing is popular each have their own Triple Crown series.
Barbaro was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who decisively won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but shattered his leg two weeks later in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, which ended his racing career and eventually led to his death.
The Kentucky Derby is a horse race that is held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of one and a quarter miles (2.0 km) at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds and fillies 121 pounds.
Steppenwolfer was gelded in 2009 and was retrained for steeplechasing. He did not win any of his starts in 2009 or 2010. Steppenwolfer was sold to Gail Thayer of Unionville, Pennsylvania and was re-trained as a foxhunter. The stipulations of his sale to Thayer state that he may never be re-sold. [1]
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine, such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally-driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday working animal. The gerund and participle "gelding" and the infinitive "to geld" refer to the castration procedure itself.
A steeplechase is a distance horse race in which competitors are required to jump diverse fence and ditch obstacles. Steeplechasing is primarily conducted in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia and France. The name is derived from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside.
Unionville is an unincorporated community in East Marlborough Township in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was originally known as Jacksonville. The Unionville Village Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
