Lord Avie
Encyclopedia
Lord Avie was an American Thoroughbred
Champion
racehorse
.
through his sire Lord Gaylord, his mare, Avie, was a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee, Gallant Man
. In March 1980 he was bought as a two-year-old at a Hialeah Park Race Track
sale for $37,000 by a consortium of twelve investors from New Jersey
who raced him under the name, SKS Stable. Trained by former jockey Daniel Perlsweig
as American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
Racing at age three, on February 4, 1981, Lord Avie won the Hutcheson Stakes
at Florida's Gulfstream Park
. The colt went on to win the Florida Derby
and was then installed by odds makers as the favorite for the Kentucky Derby
. However, Lord Avie came out of the Florida Derby with a pulled suspensory ligament
and did not race in any of the Triple Crown
races. Lord Avie returned to racing in mid-July win an allowance race win at Monmouth Park Racetrack
followed by a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational Handicap
and then a third in August's Travers Stakes
at Saratoga Race Course
. In the Travers Lord Avie reinjured his leg and on August 24, 1981 his retirement from racing was announced. By the time he retired, Lord Avie had won eight races, placed 4 times and showed 4 times in 16 starts, with career earnings of $705,977.
at Spendthrift Farm
in Lexington, Kentucky
, having been syndicated for $10 million, with the potential to escalate to $20 million.. He was the successful sire of seventy-four stakes winner including Grade 1 winners Magical Maiden, Fly For Avie and multi-millionaire Cloudy's Knight
who was voted 2007 Canadian Champion Male Turf Horse
. From his daughters, he is the damsire of 2007 American Champion Older Male Horse, Lawyer Ron
. Lord Avie was pensioned after the 2002 breeding season at Lane's End Farm
near Versailles, Kentucky
where he had stood since 1989. With advancing age and declining fertility, Lord Avie was retired from breeding in 2002, by which time he had sired 578 starters, whose 429 individual winners had earned a total of $35,058,780 in their careers
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
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...
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
A descendant of the great NearcoNearco
Nearco was an Italian bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by Thoroughbred Heritage as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He was not only unbeaten, winning 14 races at distances from 5 furlongs to 1 mile 7 furlongs ,...
through his sire Lord Gaylord, his mare, Avie, was a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee, Gallant Man
Gallant Man
Gallant Man was a thoroughbred racehorse, named for a horse in a Don Ameche movie.- Career at Kentucky Derby:Gallant Man is remembered primarily for his upset loss in the 1957 Kentucky Derby...
. In March 1980 he was bought as a two-year-old at a Hialeah Park Race Track
Hialeah Park Race Track
The Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic site in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
sale for $37,000 by a consortium of twelve investors from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
who raced him under the name, SKS Stable. Trained by former jockey Daniel Perlsweig
Daniel Perlsweig
Daniel Perlsweig is a retired American trainer in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. Among his successful horses, Perlsweig is best known for training Lord Avie, the 1980 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. Lord Avie won the 1981 Florida Derby and was favored to win the 1981 Kentucky Derby...
Racing Career
Lord Avie won top races at age two, including the Young America Stakes, Cowdin Stakes and Champagne Stakes. He was voted the 1980 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...
as American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
Racing at age three, on February 4, 1981, Lord Avie won the Hutcheson Stakes
Hutcheson Stakes
The Hutcheson Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. A Grade II event raced on dirt, it is open to three-year-old horses. Run over a distance of seven and a half furlongs, it currently offers a purse of $150,000.Inaugurated on...
at Florida's Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
. The colt went on to win the Florida Derby
Florida Derby
The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida on the Saturday closest to the end of March or the first of April. Added to the racing schedule in 1952, the Grade 1 race is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt...
and was then installed by odds makers as the favorite for the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. However, Lord Avie came out of the Florida Derby with a pulled suspensory ligament
Suspensory ligament
Suspensory ligament describes any ligament that supports a body part, especially an organ. Types include:* In humans** Suspensory ligament of thyroid gland or Berry's ligament** Suspensory ligament of clitoris...
and did not race in any of the Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
races. Lord Avie returned to racing in mid-July win an allowance race win at Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.Monmouth Park's marquee event...
followed by a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational Handicap
Haskell Invitational Handicap
The Resorts Casino & Hotel Haskell Invitational is an American Grade I race for thoroughbred horses. In 1968, the Board of Directors of Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey honored its former President and Chairman Amory L. Haskell with the Amory L. Haskell Handicap, a race for older...
and then a third in August's Travers Stakes
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
at 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...
. In the Travers Lord Avie reinjured his leg and on August 24, 1981 his retirement from racing was announced. By the time he retired, Lord Avie had won eight races, placed 4 times and showed 4 times in 16 starts, with career earnings of $705,977.
Stud Career
Lord Avie was sent to stand at studStud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
at Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion, Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor, Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather of Man o' War.- Famous...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, having been syndicated for $10 million, with the potential to escalate to $20 million.. He was the successful sire of seventy-four stakes winner including Grade 1 winners Magical Maiden, Fly For Avie and multi-millionaire Cloudy's Knight
Cloudy's Knight
Cloudy's Knight is an American Thoroughbred racehorse.Out of Northern Dancer's grandadaughter, Cloudy Spot, he was sired by the 1980 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Lord Avie...
who was voted 2007 Canadian Champion Male Turf Horse
Sovereign Award for Champion Male Turf Horse
The Canadian Champion Male Turf Horse is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honor that is part of the Sovereign Awards program awarded annually to the top 2-Year-Old male Thoroughbred horse competing in Canada...
. From his daughters, he is the damsire of 2007 American Champion Older Male Horse, Lawyer Ron
Lawyer Ron
Lawyer Ron was an American thoroughbred race horse. He was bred and owned by James T. Hines, Jr., an entrepreneur who started his first company, Premium Allied Tool, in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1966, and it became a multi-million dollar business...
. Lord Avie was pensioned after the 2002 breeding season at Lane's End Farm
Lane's End Farm
Lane's End Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Versailles, Kentucky established in 1979. The original land was part of Bosque Bonita Farm which means beautiful woods and was originally owned by Abraham Buford, a Confederate Army General. The land was later bought by leading...
near 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%...
where he had stood since 1989. With advancing age and declining fertility, Lord Avie was retired from breeding in 2002, by which time he had sired 578 starters, whose 429 individual winners had earned a total of $35,058,780 in their careers