Snow Chief
Encyclopedia
Snow Chief was an American
Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
.
and successful real estate investor Ben Rochelle bought a fifty percent interest in Grinstead's Blue Diamond Ranch thus becoming a half owner of the yearling, Snow Chief. From a less than stellar pedigree, no one could have predicted Snow Chief's success in racing.
Mel Stute
, Snow Chief made nine starts at age two, winning five, including the Norfolk Stakes
and the Hollywood Futurity
. His 1985 performances earned him California Horse of the Year
honors, but Tasso
, the 1985 Breeders' Cup Juvenile
winner was voted the Eclipse Award
for American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
where he won the important Florida Derby
. Back in California he established himself as the solid Kentucky Derby
favorite with a win in that state's most important race for three-year-olds, the Santa Anita Derby
.
Snow Chief was sent off at even money as the bettors'
choice in the Kentucky Derby but proved to be a major disappointment. In a sixteen-horse field, he finished eleventh to winner Ferdinand
. However, Snow Chief returned to form in the Preakness Stakes
, defeating runner-up Ferdinand by four lengths.
His handlers chose not to run him in the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes
, instead they later sent him to Monmouth Park Racetrack
where he won the Jersey Derby
. For his performances in 1986, Snow Chief was named California Horse of the Year for the second straight year and was voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse.
at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Arkansas
. He was voted California Horse of the Year for the third time.
duty, producing offspring that have met with modest success. He stood at Diane Rochelle's Eagle Oak Ranch in Paso Robles, California
, but finally passed away due to an apparent heart attack on the morning of May 18, 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
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
Bred by Carl Grinstead, in 1984 retired vaudevillianVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and successful real estate investor Ben Rochelle bought a fifty percent interest in Grinstead's Blue Diamond Ranch thus becoming a half owner of the yearling, Snow Chief. From a less than stellar pedigree, no one could have predicted Snow Chief's success in racing.
1985: two-year-old season
Conditioned by veteran California trainerHorse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
Mel Stute
Melvin F. Stute
Melvin Frederick "Mel" Stute is an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. On December 11, 2010 at Hollywood Park Racetrack he won the 2000th race of a career that includes a win in the second leg of the U.S...
, Snow Chief made nine starts at age two, winning five, including the Norfolk Stakes
Norfolk Stakes
Norfolk Stakes may refer to:*Norfolk Stakes , a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse.*Norfolk Stakes , a horse race held at Santa Anita Park.*Norfolk Stakes, the original title of the Flying Childers Stakes....
and the Hollywood Futurity
Hollywood Futurity
The Hollywood Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1981 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The Grade I race is open to two-year-old horses and run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles...
. His 1985 performances earned him California Horse of the Year
California Horse of the Year
The California Horse of the Year is an American horse racing honor awarded annually since 1973 by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association to a Thoroughbred racehorse bred in the state of California.-Winners:...
honors, but Tasso
Tasso (horse)
Tasso is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Out of the mare Ecstacism, he was sired by Fappiano, a son of the very influential Champion sire Mr. Prospector....
, the 1985 Breeders' Cup Juvenile
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships....
winner was voted the Eclipse Award
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...
for American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
1986: three-year-old season
As a three-year-old, Snow Chief made a further nine starts. In California he won two stakes races then was sent to FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where he won the important 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...
. Back in California he established himself as the solid 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...
favorite with a win in that state's most important race for three-year-olds, the Santa Anita Derby
Santa Anita Derby
The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $1 million. Inaugurated in 1935, it is considered the most important West Coast stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby...
.
Snow Chief was sent off at even money as the bettors'
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...
choice in the Kentucky Derby but proved to be a major disappointment. In a sixteen-horse field, he finished eleventh to winner Ferdinand
Ferdinand (horse)
Ferdinand was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1986 Kentucky Derby and 1987 Breeders' Cup Classic. He was voted the 1987 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.He entered stud in 1989 and was later sold to a breeding farm in Japan in 1994....
. However, Snow Chief returned to form in the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
, defeating runner-up Ferdinand by four lengths.
His handlers chose not to run him in the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
, instead they later sent him to 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...
where he won the Jersey Derby
Jersey Derby
The Jersey Derby is a $100,000 American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in late July/early August at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Since 1993 it has been raced on grass at a distance of 1 1/16 miles....
. For his performances in 1986, Snow Chief was named California Horse of the Year for the second straight year and was voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse.
1987:four year-old season
Snow Chief returned to racing as a four-year-old in 1987. From six starts he won two and earned three seconds. His wins came in the Charles H. Strub Stakes at Santa Anita Racetrack in California and the Oaklawn HandicapOaklawn Handicap
The Oaklawn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of April at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas....
at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. He was voted California Horse of the Year for the third time.
Stud career
He was retired to 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...
duty, producing offspring that have met with modest success. He stood at Diane Rochelle's Eagle Oak Ranch in Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Paso Robles is the fastest growing city in San Luis Obispo County: Its population at the 2000 census was 24,297; in 2010 it recorded some 29,793 residentsLocated on the Salinas River north of San Luis Obispo, California,...
, but finally passed away due to an apparent heart attack on the morning of May 18, 2010.