McDynamo
Encyclopedia
McDynamo is a thoroughbred
gelding
who is a five-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase
at the Far Hills Races
and a three-time honoree with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse
. McDynamo was sired by Dynaformer
.
Owner Michael Moran bought McDynamo for $82,000 at the Keeneland yearling sale
in September 1998.
in May 2000 in his debut race. He won his next start at Pimlico at 1½-miles, but had just two more starts before being sidelined for a year after surgery to remove a hind ankle chip. He won only one of five races as a four-year old. After unsuccessful efforts at Saratoga Race Course
(ridden by Pat Day
) and Belmont Park
, Moran turned McDynamo to Sanna Hendriks, who specializes in training steeplechasers. McDynamo won his first jump race by 4¼-lengths at Far Hills Races
on October 20, 2001.
The 2004 running of the Grade 1 $175,000 Breeders' Cup Steeplechase saw McDynamo, then a 7-year-old gelding coming back for his first race in 11 months after recovering from hock
surgery, win the race for a second consecutive year, defeating Hirapour by 1½ lengths in a finishing time of 5:06.8. The race covered a 2⅝-mile distance and jumps over 14 fences. The crowd was estimated at 45,000.
The 2007 running saw McDynamo running for a fifth consecutive title, one of nine horses running for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National, with a purse of $300,000. At the age of 10, McDynamo was the oldest of 43 horses competing at Far Hills that day. All starters in the race carried 156 pounds.
McDynamo was named Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
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...
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...
who is a five-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase
Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase
The Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase is an American Grade I NSA sanctioned steeplechase race run each fall over the rolling hills of Moorland Farms in Far Hills, New Jersey. Set over a 2⅝ mile course during the one day Far Hills Races, it has 14 national fences, and a purse of $300,000...
at the Far Hills Races
Far Hills Races
The Far Hills Races is a steeplechase horserace held annually in Far Hills, New Jersey, United States. The October 2010 event was the 90th running, and race day purses can equal up to or more than $1,000,000, with six races offering the highest purses on the National Steeplechase Association...
and a three-time honoree with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse
The American Champion Steeplechase Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded as part of the Eclipse Award program since its inception in 1971. It is awarded annually to the top horse in steeplechase racing....
. McDynamo was sired by Dynaformer
Dynaformer
Dynaformer is a thoroughbred stallion, currently standing at stud at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky. Sired by Epsom Derby winner Roberto out of Andover Way , Dynaformer's pedigree includes some legendary names: Nashua, Ribot, Bull Lea, Blue Larkspur, Nearco, and Johnstown among others.Bred by...
.
Owner Michael Moran bought McDynamo for $82,000 at the Keeneland yearling sale
Keeneland Sales
The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...
in September 1998.
History
As a three-year-old, McDynamo came in seventh at the Pimlico Race CoursePimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
in May 2000 in his debut race. He won his next start at Pimlico at 1½-miles, but had just two more starts before being sidelined for a year after surgery to remove a hind ankle chip. He won only one of five races as a four-year old. After unsuccessful efforts 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...
(ridden by Pat Day
Pat Day
Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...
) and 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...
, Moran turned McDynamo to Sanna Hendriks, who specializes in training steeplechasers. McDynamo won his first jump race by 4¼-lengths at Far Hills Races
Far Hills Races
The Far Hills Races is a steeplechase horserace held annually in Far Hills, New Jersey, United States. The October 2010 event was the 90th running, and race day purses can equal up to or more than $1,000,000, with six races offering the highest purses on the National Steeplechase Association...
on October 20, 2001.
The 2004 running of the Grade 1 $175,000 Breeders' Cup Steeplechase saw McDynamo, then a 7-year-old gelding coming back for his first race in 11 months after recovering from hock
Hock (zoology)
The hock, or gambrel, is the joint between the tarsal bones and tibia of a digitigrade or unguligrade quadrupedal mammal, such as a horse, cat, or dog...
surgery, win the race for a second consecutive year, defeating Hirapour by 1½ lengths in a finishing time of 5:06.8. The race covered a 2⅝-mile distance and jumps over 14 fences. The crowd was estimated at 45,000.
The 2007 running saw McDynamo running for a fifth consecutive title, one of nine horses running for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National, with a purse of $300,000. At the age of 10, McDynamo was the oldest of 43 horses competing at Far Hills that day. All starters in the race carried 156 pounds.
McDynamo was named Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse in 2003, 2005 and 2006.