Fanfreluche (horse)
Encyclopedia
Fanfreluche was a Canadian-bred
Champion Thoroughbred
racehorse
. She was named by her French Canadian
owner for the title character of a popular children's television
show on the French-language division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Successfully raced in Canada
as a two-year-old, at age three Fanfreluche's performances in both Canada and the United States
earned her the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Filly
and the Sovereign Award
for Canadian Horse of the Year
.
At the end of her three-year-old racing season, Fanfreluche was sold as a broodmare prospect to prominent American horseman Bertram R. Firestone for a then world-record price of $1.3 million. Bred to notable stallion
Buckpasser
, in 1972 she produced the two-time Canadian Horse of the Year L'Enjoleur
.
, Fanfreluche was abducted
from Claiborne Farm
near Paris, Kentucky
. In December, five months after her disappearance, the FBI located her 158 miles south near the small town of Tompkinsville
, not far from the Tennessee
border. Fanfreluche was being kept by a family who said they had found her wandering along the country road. Returned safely to Claiborne Farm, in the spring of 1978 Fanfreluche gave birth to her foal, a colt
given the French language
name "Sain Et Sauf", which in English translates as Safe And Sound.
A few years later, in February 1983, the Irish
racehorse Shergar
was also the victim of a kidnapping but unlike Fanfreluche, Shergar was never found.
Fanfreluche died in July 1999 of old age and was buried at Big Sink Farm in Midway, Kentucky
.
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...
Champion 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...
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...
. She was named by her French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
owner for the title character of a popular children's television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show on the French-language division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
Successfully raced in Canada
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...
as a two-year-old, at age three Fanfreluche's performances in both Canada and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
earned her the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Filly
Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Filly
The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971....
and the 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....
for Canadian Horse of the Year
Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year
The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honor given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honor in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing....
.
At the end of her three-year-old racing season, Fanfreluche was sold as a broodmare prospect to prominent American horseman Bertram R. Firestone for a then world-record price of $1.3 million. Bred to notable stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will 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...
Buckpasser
Buckpasser
Buckpasser was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won he won nine of his eleven race starts for international record winnings for a two-year-old of $586,090. Buckpasser was leading broodmare sire in 1983, 1984 and 1989....
, in 1972 she produced the two-time Canadian Horse of the Year L'Enjoleur
L'Enjoleur
L'Enjoleur was a Canadian Thoroughbred race horse. Bred and owned by prominent Montreal businessman Jean-Louis Lévesque, L'Enjoleur was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Buckpasser, a son of another Hall of Famer, Tom Fool...
.
The Kidnapping
In June 1977, while in foal to SecretariatSecretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
, Fanfreluche was abducted
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
from Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...
near Paris, Kentucky
Paris, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
. In December, five months after her disappearance, the FBI located her 158 miles south near the small town of Tompkinsville
Tompkinsville, Kentucky
Tompkinsville is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,660 at the 2000 census. The city was named after Vice President Daniel D...
, not far from the Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
border. Fanfreluche was being kept by a family who said they had found her wandering along the country road. Returned safely to Claiborne Farm, in the spring of 1978 Fanfreluche gave birth to her foal, a colt
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
given the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
name "Sain Et Sauf", which in English translates as Safe And Sound.
A few years later, in February 1983, the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
racehorse Shergar
Shergar
Shergar was an acclaimed Irish racehorse, and winner of the 1981 Epsom Derby by a record 10 lengths, the longest winning margin in the race's 226-year history. This victory earned him a spot in The Observer newspaper's 100 Most Memorable Sporting Moments of the Twentieth Century...
was also the victim of a kidnapping but unlike Fanfreluche, Shergar was never found.
Fanfreluche died in July 1999 of old age and was buried at Big Sink Farm in Midway, Kentucky
Midway, Kentucky
Midway is a city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 1,620 at the 2000 census. It is located midway between Frankfort and Lexington along the single-track railroad between them. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to a...
.