Spain (horse)
Encyclopedia
Spain is an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who retired as the richest mare in North America
n racing history.
Bred and raced by Prince Ahmed bin Salman's
The Thoroughbred Corp.
, Spain was out of the race-winning mare, Drina. Her sire
was Thunder Gulch
, a winner of five Grade I
races including the 1995 Kentucky Derby
and Belmont Stakes
.
Spain was conditioned for racing by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
trainer
, D. Wayne Lukas
. At age two, she made six starts, winning once. At age three, Spain had her best year. She got her first Grade I win in the La Brea Stakes
at Santa Anita Park
then capped off her year with a win in the 2000 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs
. Given little chance by bettors
of defeating notable fillies such as Surfside and the heavily-favored Riboletta, Spain was sent off at odds or more than 55:1. Her victory resulted in a winning $2 bet paying $113.80, the second-highest in Breeders' Cup history. For jockey Victor Espinoza
, it marked his first Breeders' Cup
win.
Spain returned to racing at ages four and five. In 2001 she notably won the La Cañada Stakes
and ran second to Unbridled Elaine in the 2001 Breeders' Cup Distaff. As a five-year-old in 2002, at Churchill Downs Spain won the Louisville Stakes
and, while in foal
to Storm Cat
, won the Fleur de Lis Handicap
. She was retired after that race having earned a record $3,540,542.
for $5.3 million at the November 2003 Keeneland Sales
while carrying her second foal by Storm Cat who would be named Calcaria. During the same auction, Gerry Dilger also paid a North American record price for a weanling
colt when he paid $2.4 million for Spain's first foal by Storm Cat, named Carpocrates. For her new owner, Spain produced another foal by Storm Cat in 2005. A colt named Plan, he won in Ireland
for owner Michael Tabor
before being sold to IEAH Stables
for whom he races in the United States. Plan came in second in his only race in the United States, the grade one Secretariat Stakes. In 2006, Spain produced Dreamtheimpossible by Giant's Causeway
who raced at age two in 2008 in Ireland and England
for owner Susan Magnier.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
who retired as the richest mare in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n racing history.
Bred and raced by Prince Ahmed bin Salman's
Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Prince Ahmed bin Salman was a member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia and a media executive who also was a major figure in international Thoroughbred horse racing....
The Thoroughbred Corp.
The Thoroughbred Corp.
The Thoroughbred Corporation is a Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation established in 1994 by principal partner Prince Ahmed bin Salman of the Saudi Arabian royal family...
, Spain was out of the race-winning mare, Drina. Her sire
Sire
Sire may refer to:* Father, the counterpart of a dam, particularly in animal breeding. See also stallion* James W. Sire, author on worldviews* Sire Records, a record label* Sire Advertising, an advertising agency...
was Thunder Gulch
Thunder Gulch
Thunder Gulch is a Champion American thoroughbred racehorse who left the starting gate at 25-1 odds in 1995 and went on to win the Kentucky Derby in 2:01.2 from post 16. He was ridden by jockey Gary Stevens. D...
, a winner of five Grade I
Graded 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 including the 1995 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...
and 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...
.
Spain was conditioned for racing by 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...
trainer
Horse 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...
, D. Wayne Lukas
D. Wayne Lukas
Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...
. At age two, she made six starts, winning once. At age three, Spain had her best year. She got her first Grade I win in the La Brea Stakes
La Brea Stakes
The La Brea Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1974 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to three-year-old fillies, it was raced over a distance of seven furlongs on dirt until the track's new synthetic Cushion Track surface was installed in time for the...
at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
then capped off her year with a win in the 2000 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
. Given little chance by 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...
of defeating notable fillies such as Surfside and the heavily-favored Riboletta, Spain was sent off at odds or more than 55:1. Her victory resulted in a winning $2 bet paying $113.80, the second-highest in Breeders' Cup history. For jockey Victor Espinoza
Victor Espinoza
Victor Espinoza is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding in his native Mexico and earned his first win there in 1992 before moving the following year to compete at racetracks in California....
, it marked his first Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
win.
Spain returned to racing at ages four and five. In 2001 she notably won the La Cañada Stakes
La Canada Stakes
The La Cañada Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
and ran second to Unbridled Elaine in the 2001 Breeders' Cup Distaff. As a five-year-old in 2002, at Churchill Downs Spain won the Louisville Stakes
Louisville Stakes
The La Troienne Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1986 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Formerly the Louisville Distaff Handicap, the Grade II event run in early May is open to fillies and mares, age three and older...
and, while in foal
Pregnancy (mammals)
In mammals, pregnancy is the period of reproduction during which a female carries one or more live offspring from implantation in the uterus through gestation. It begins when a fertilized zygote implants in the female's uterus; and ends once it leaves the uterus.-Fertilization and implantation:A...
to Storm Cat
Storm Cat
Storm Cat was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in the world. As such, he was one of the few horses with a 24-hour armed guard....
, won the Fleur de Lis Handicap
Fleur De Lis Handicap
The Fleur de Lis Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is open to filles and mares, age three and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt...
. She was retired after that race having earned a record $3,540,542.
As a broodmare & her sale
Following the death of Prince Ahmed bin Salman in 2002, Spain was sold to Gerry Dilger of Dromoland Farm in Lexington, KentuckyLexington, 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...
for $5.3 million at the November 2003 Keeneland Sales
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...
while carrying her second foal by Storm Cat who would be named Calcaria. During the same auction, Gerry Dilger also paid a North American record price for a weanling
Weanling
A weanling is an animal that has just been weaned. The term is usually used to refer to a type of young horse, a foal that has been weaned, usually between the ages of 6 months and a year. Once a year old, the horse is referred to as a yearling.-References:...
colt when he paid $2.4 million for Spain's first foal by Storm Cat, named Carpocrates. For her new owner, Spain produced another foal by Storm Cat in 2005. A colt named Plan, he won in Ireland
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...
for owner Michael Tabor
Michael Tabor
Michael B. Tabor is a businessman and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses.-Thoroughbred racing career:...
before being sold to IEAH Stables
IEAH Stables
IEAH Stables operates a thoroughbred horse racing stable in the United States. It is based in Garden City, New York.IEAH was formed in 2003 by Michael Iavarone, Michael Sherack and Richard Schiavo. Current IEAH employees include Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens as a bloodstock agent and Mike...
for whom he races in the United States. Plan came in second in his only race in the United States, the grade one Secretariat Stakes. In 2006, Spain produced Dreamtheimpossible by Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway (horse)
Giant's Causeway is a Kentucky-bred thoroughbred racehorse who competed primarily in Europe. In 2000, he won five straight Group One races. His performance that year earned him European Horse of the Year honors....
who raced at age two in 2008 in Ireland and England
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...
for owner Susan Magnier.