American Lion (horse)

Last updated
American Lion
Sire Tiznow
Grandsire Cee's Tizzy
DamStorm Tide
Damsire Storm Cat
SexColt
Foaled2007
Country United States
Colour Chestnut
Breeder WinStar Farm
Owner WinStar Farm, Casner Racing
Trainer Eoin Harty
Record9: 3-1-1
Earnings$417,800
Major wins
Hollywood Prevue Stakes (2009)
Illinois Derby (2010

American Lion (Foaled February 10, 2007) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and former stallion. A graded stakes winner, he was a contender in the 2010 Kentucky Derby. However, he did not finish in the money.

Stallion Term for a male horse that has not been castrated

A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to female horses, known as mares, and castrated males, called geldings.

2010 Kentucky Derby 136th running of the Kentucky Derby

The 2010 Kentucky Derby was the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 1, 2010, and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network. The post time was 6:32 p.m. EDT. The stakes of the race were US$2,185,200. The race was sponsored by Yum! Brands and hence officially was called Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.

Contents

Background and Family

American Lion, a bay horse, is sired by Horse of the Year, Tiznow, who is the only horse to date to win the Breeders' Cup Classic twice. He is out of the mare Storm Tide, a daughter of Storm Cat. [1]

The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Horse of the Year" is not an official national award.

Tiznow American Thoroughbred racehorse

Tiznow is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2000 and 2001, becoming the only horse to win this race twice. He was the 2000 American Horse of the Year and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2009.

Breeders Cup Classic American Thoroughbred horse race

The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of 1 1⁄4 miles (2,000 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October or early November. All of the races to date have been held in the United States except for the 1996 edition held at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

He was owned by WinStar Farm during most his racing career, and was also bred by them in partnership with Dr. William Lockridge. He was later owned by Casner Racing, the personal stable of Bill Casner, a partner of Winstar Farm. [2]

WinStar Farm sports venue, horse stud farrm in United States

WinStar Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing farm near Versailles, Kentucky, owned by Kenny Troutt. It is the owner of Justify, winner of the 2018 Triple Crown, along with Super Saver, winner of the 2010 Kentucky Derby; Drosselmeyer, winner of the 2010 Belmont Stakes; and Creator, winner of the 2016 Belmont Stakes.

Racing career

American Lion finished second in his debut race as a juvenile in 2009, and broke his maiden in his second start. He went on to win the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes to close out his season. [3]

As a three-year-old, American Lion was second in the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes and fourth in the San Felipe Stakes. [4]

The Robert B. Lewis Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Raced over a distance of ​1 1⁄16 miles on dirt, the Grade III race is open to three-year-old horses. The Robert B. Lewis Stakes is one of the key prep races leading to the Santa Anita Derby each year.

The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The San Felipe is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in mid-March, it is raced at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on dirt and currently offers a purse of $400,000. It is listed as an official prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

He then won the Grade 3 Illinois Derby for his second graded stakes victory. [5] After the Illinois Derby, he contested the 2010 Kentucky Derby, finishing 11th. [6]

The Illinois Derby is a race in the United States for Thoroughbred horses for three year olds run over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, just west of Chicago in early April each year. The event was first run in 1923 at the Hawthorne Race Course. The purse is $250,000.

American Lion was initially retired from racing, and spent a year away before returning to the track in 2011. [7] He finished fourth in his return race in June of that year, and made his final start afterwards in the Wickerr Stakes, finishing 10th. [8]

Retirement

American Lion retired to stud in 2012 at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, where he stood for five years until being relocated to River Oaks Farm in Sulphur, Oklahoma in 2017. [9]

American Lion found little success as a stallion, with his best runner being Extinct Charm, a graded-stakes placed stakes winner.

American Lion was slated to be sold in the 2018 Keeneland November Sale as a stallion prospect, but was withdrawn after falling ill. “He came in with a little bit of a temperature, which is not unusual for horses shipping a distance, but very soon he was going downhill very rapidly,” recalls Tony Lacy of Four Star Sales, the consigner of American Lion. “We called Hagyard [Equine Medical Institute], and Luke Fallon and his staff came out. The horse had severe pneumonia, with some really significant side-effects. We knew, at that point, we had to get the horse into the hospital. He was very ill, very quickly. The conversation was no longer will the horse be able to return to the sale. It was basically will he make it?” [10]

Through the aid of many veterinarians and the donations of veterinary workers, American Lion recovered from his illness. Breeder and former owner WinStar Farm housed American Lion during recovery.

American Lion was pensioned from stud duty and gelded, and was retrained for second career through New Vocations, a retirement facility dedicated to the retraining of retired racehorses. [11]

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References

  1. ↑ "American Lion Horse Pedigree". www.pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  2. ↑ "Grade III Winner American Lion Retired". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  3. ↑ "American Lion Tames Foes in Hollywood Prevue". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  4. ↑ "Equibase | Profiles". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  5. ↑ "American Lion Wire-to-Wire in Illinois Derby". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  6. ↑ "Super Saver Wins the Derby!". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  7. ↑ "Grade III Winner American Lion Retired". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  8. ↑ "Equibase | Profiles". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  9. ↑ "American Lion to River Oaks Farm in OK". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  10. ↑ "» Lion Taming Shows Even Stallions Can Start Over". Thoroughbred Daily News. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  11. ↑ "» Lion Taming Shows Even Stallions Can Start Over". Thoroughbred Daily News. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
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