Left Bank (horse)
Encyclopedia
Left Bank was an American Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
.
, Marshesseaux, he was sired by Jerome Handicap
winner, French Deputy, a son of Deputy Minister
who was the 1981 Canadian Horse of the Year and two-time Leading sire in North America
.
English
horseman Michael Tabor
purchased Left Bank as a two-year-old for $600,000 at a February 1999 Fasig-Tipton
sale at Calder Race Course
. Tabor turned him over to trainer Todd Pletcher to race in the United States. However, the colt suffered from colic
that necessitated surgery
which resulted in the removal of twelve feet of small intestine
.
at New York's
Aqueduct Racetrack
.
races. He first beat the betting
favorite Squirtle Squirt
to capture the September 22 Vosburgh Stakes
at Belmont Park
, clocking the second-fastest time in the race's 62 year history. Then, on November 24 at Aqueduct Racetrack
, Left Bank won the Cigar Mile Handicap
by defeating top-rated challengers, Graeme Hall and Red Bullet
. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/sports/horse-racing-a-big-farewell-afternoon-for-velazquez-and-pletcher.html
.http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2002/05/12/2002-05-12_the_day_at_the_races.html After a poor showing in the May 27 Metropolitan Handicap
, on July 4 Left Bank set a Belmont Park track record for seven furlong
s in winning the Grade 2 Tom Fool Handicap
by six and a quarter lengths. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2002/07/05/2002-07-05_the_day_at_the_races.html Moving up from sprint race
distances, Left Bank followed his record-setting win in the Tom Fool by equaling the Saratoga Race Course
track record for 1⅛ miles (9 furlongs) in his victory in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap
. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/04/sports/horse-racing-left-bank-ties-record-in-winning-the-whitney.html
After his win in the Whitney, Left Bank was being prepared to run in the Woodward Stakes
at Belmont Park but suffered another attack of colic. On August 10, 2002 the horse was rushed to the equine hospital at Tufts University
near Boston, Massachusetts where he underwent emergency surgery. Following his surgery, Left Bank was sent to recover at Ashford Stud
in Versailles, Kentucky
but had to undergo further operations from which he was unable to recover and died on October 7, 2002.
when he was voted the 2002 American Champion Older Male Horse. It marked the first Eclipse Award for trainer, Todd Pletcher. http://horseracing.about.com/library/weekly/aa012703a.htm
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
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...
.
Background
Out of the mareMare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
, Marshesseaux, he was sired by Jerome Handicap
Jerome Handicap
The Jerome Stakes is a Grade II race for thoroughbred horses run each fall at one mile on the dirt at Belmont Park. It is open to three-year-olds and carries a purse of $150,000. The race is a prep race to several races of the Breeders' Cup....
winner, French Deputy, a son of Deputy Minister
Deputy Minister (horse)
Deputy Minister was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred horse racing Champion. At age two, he won eight out of his nine starts and was voted the 1981 Sovereign and Eclipse Award winner as North American Champion 2-Yr-Old, and was also voted Canada's Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year...
who was the 1981 Canadian Horse of the Year and two-time Leading sire in North America
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
.
English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
horseman Michael Tabor
Michael Tabor
Michael B. Tabor is a businessman and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses.-Thoroughbred racing career:...
purchased Left Bank as a two-year-old for $600,000 at a February 1999 Fasig-Tipton
Fasig-Tipton
The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an auction house for Thoroughbred horses founded in 1898 by William B. Fasig and Edward A. Tipton. It is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America....
sale at Calder Race Course
Calder Race Course
Calder Casino & Race Course is a casino and horse racetrack in Miami Gardens, Florida in the United States.-History:In the mid-1960s, real estate developer Stephen A. Calder envisioned summertime racing in Florida; in 1965, on the advice of Mr. Calder, the Florida Legislature approved a bill...
. Tabor turned him over to trainer Todd Pletcher to race in the United States. However, the colt suffered from colic
Colic
Colic is a form of pain which starts and stops abruptly. Types include:*Baby colic, a condition, usually in infants, characterized by incessant crying*Renal colic, a pain in the flank, characteristic of kidney stones...
that necessitated surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
which resulted in the removal of twelve feet of small intestine
Small intestine
The small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract following the stomach and followed by the large intestine, and is where much of the digestion and absorption of food takes place. In invertebrates such as worms, the terms "gastrointestinal tract" and "large intestine" are often used to...
.
2000: Three-year-old season
Recovered, Left Bank was able to race the following year notably winning the 2000 Discovery HandicapDiscovery Handicap
The Discovery Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the latter part of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York...
at New York's
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
.
2001: Four-year-old season
At age four in 2001, Left Bank got off to a slow start but in the fall won two Grade 1Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
races. He first beat the betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
favorite Squirtle Squirt
Squirtle Squirt
Squirtle Squirt is an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was out of the mare Lost The Code, by the multiple Grade I winner, Lost Code. He was sired by the 1991 Hollywood Gold Cup winner Marquetry who also sired the 1999 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner, Artax...
to capture the September 22 Vosburgh Stakes
Vosburgh Stakes
The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender...
at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
, clocking the second-fastest time in the race's 62 year history. Then, on November 24 at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
, Left Bank won the Cigar Mile Handicap
Cigar Mile Handicap
The Cigar Mile Handicap is an American race for thoroughbred horses at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York. Run annually in late November, it is named in honor of the U.S. Hall of Fame horse Cigar, who won the race in 1994 when it was known as the NYRA Mile. Renamed in 1997 following Cigar's retirement,...
by defeating top-rated challengers, Graeme Hall and Red Bullet
Red Bullet
Red Bullet is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2000 Preakness Stakes. Bred and raced by auto parts magnate Frank Stronach, he was sired by Unbridled, the 1990 American Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse and winner of that year's Breeders' Cup Classic...
. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/sports/horse-racing-a-big-farewell-afternoon-for-velazquez-and-pletcher.html
2002 Championship year and death
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 3 Bold Ruler HandicapBold Ruler Handicap
The Bold Ruler Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the end of October at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. A Grade III event, it is contested on dirt at a distance of six furlongs....
.http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2002/05/12/2002-05-12_the_day_at_the_races.html After a poor showing in the May 27 Metropolitan Handicap
Metropolitan Handicap
The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile," is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile .The Met Mile was first...
, on July 4 Left Bank set a Belmont Park track record for seven furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s in winning the Grade 2 Tom Fool Handicap
Tom Fool Handicap
The Tom Fool Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It was formerly held at Belmont Park. The race is a Grade III event open to horses age three and up who are willing to race the six furlong distance on dirt.The...
by six and a quarter lengths. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2002/07/05/2002-07-05_the_day_at_the_races.html Moving up from sprint race
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
distances, Left Bank followed his record-setting win in the Tom Fool by equaling the Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
track record for 1⅛ miles (9 furlongs) in his victory in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap
Whitney Handicap
The Whitney Handicap is an American Grade 1 handicap race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of 1⅛ miles. In 2007, the Breeders' Cup Ltd...
. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/04/sports/horse-racing-left-bank-ties-record-in-winning-the-whitney.html
After his win in the Whitney, Left Bank was being prepared to run in the Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
at Belmont Park but suffered another attack of colic. On August 10, 2002 the horse was rushed to the equine hospital at Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
near Boston, Massachusetts where he underwent emergency surgery. Following his surgery, Left Bank was sent to recover at Ashford Stud
Ashford Stud
Ashford Stud in Versailles, Kentucky is the American arm of the international commercial Thoroughbred horse breeding operation Coolmore Stud of County Tipperary in the Republic of Ireland.Twelve stallions will stand at Ashford Stud in 2011....
in Versailles, Kentucky
Versailles, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,511 people, 3,160 households, and 2,110 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.18% White, 8.67% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.35%...
but had to undergo further operations from which he was unable to recover and died on October 7, 2002.
Assessment
Left Bank posthumously earned the Eclipse AwardEclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
when he was voted the 2002 American Champion Older Male Horse. It marked the first Eclipse Award for trainer, Todd Pletcher. http://horseracing.about.com/library/weekly/aa012703a.htm