A Bit O'Gold
Encyclopedia
A Bit O'Gold is a Canadian
Thoroughbred
Champion
racehorse
.
Out of the mare, Annasan, A Bit O'Gold was sired by Grade I winner Gold Fever
, a son of the 1987 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Forty Niner
.
Equally effective racing on both dirt and grass, A Bit O'Gold began racing at age two in 2003 for owner/trainer Catherine Day Phillips. He won his first three starts, including the important Coronation Futurity Stakes
in early November. At age three, the gelding
won two of the three races comprising the Canadian Triple Crown
series. After winning the Plate Trial
, A Bit O'Gold finished second in the Queen's Plate
, then won the Prince of Wales Stakes
and on turf, the third leg iof the Triple Crown, the Breeders' Stakes
. A Bit O'Gold's 2004 performances earned him the Sovereign Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse
.
At age four, A Bit O'Gold won important Canadian races on dirt and on grass that resulted in three Sovereign Award
s, including for Canadian Horse of the Year.
In May 2006, A Bit O'Gold was retired to Kingfield Farms in Maple, Ontario
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
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...
Champion
Sovereign Award
The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing.The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Year....
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
.
Out of the mare, Annasan, A Bit O'Gold was sired by Grade I winner Gold Fever
Gold Fever
Gold Fever was the name of a BBC documentary shown in August 2000, which followed Steve Redgrave and his coxless four team in the years leading up to the Sydney Olympics, where Redgrave was looking to claim his fifth consecutive gold medal...
, a son of the 1987 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Forty Niner
Forty Niner (horse)
Forty Niner is an American champion thoroughbred Stallion racehorse. By Champion sire Mr. Prospector and out of the mare, File, Forty Niner was the U.S...
.
Equally effective racing on both dirt and grass, A Bit O'Gold began racing at age two in 2003 for owner/trainer Catherine Day Phillips. He won his first three starts, including the important Coronation Futurity Stakes
Coronation Futurity Stakes
The Coronation Futurity Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old horses foaled in Canada. It is run annually in early November at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario at a distance of 1 1/8 miles on dirt...
in early November. At age three, the gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and 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...
won two of the three races comprising the Canadian Triple Crown
Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Canadian Triple Crown is a series of three Thoroughbred horse races run annually in Canada which is open to three-year-old horses foaled in Canada...
series. After winning the Plate Trial
Plate Trial Stakes
The Plate Trial Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred flat horserace for three-Year-Olds, foaled in Canada run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario...
, A Bit O'Gold finished second in the Queen's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
, then won the Prince of Wales Stakes
Prince of Wales Stakes
The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and three sixteenths . In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the...
and on turf, the third leg iof the Triple Crown, the Breeders' Stakes
Breeders' Stakes
The Breeders' Stakes is a Canadian stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses first run in 1889. Since 1959 it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds...
. A Bit O'Gold's 2004 performances earned him the Sovereign Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse
Sovereign Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse
The Canadian Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada, it is part of the Sovereign Awards program and is awarded annually to the top 3-Year-Old male Thoroughbred horse competing in Canada.Past winners:...
.
At age four, A Bit O'Gold won important Canadian races on dirt and on grass that resulted in three Sovereign Award
Sovereign Award
The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing.The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Year....
s, including for Canadian Horse of the Year.
In May 2006, A Bit O'Gold was retired to Kingfield Farms in Maple, Ontario
Maple, Ontario
Maple is a high-growth suburban community northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, part of the city of Vaughan in York Region.-Geography:The west branch of the Don River rises to the northwest and flows 1 km west of Maple. Several creeks are to the east and the Black Creek begins slightly west...
.