Birdstone
Birdstone | |
---|---|
Birdstone at Old Friends (2024) | |
Sire | Grindstone |
Grandsire | Unbridled |
Dam | Dear Birdie |
Damsire | Storm Bird |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | 2001 |
Country | United States |
Colour | Bay |
Breeder | Marylou Whitney Stables |
Owner | Marylou Whitney Stables |
Trainer | Nick Zito |
Record | 9: 5-0-0 |
Earnings | $1,575,600 |
Major wins | |
Champagne Stakes (2003) Travers Stakes (2004) Triple Crown race wins: Belmont Stakes (2004) | |
Awards | |
NTRA "Moment of the Year" (2004) | |
Last updated on June 18, 2007 |
Birdstone (foaled May 16, 2001, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2004 Belmont Stakes and has become a successful sire.
On August 28, 2020 Birdstone was pensioned from stud duty to Old Friends Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky where he will be accessible to his fans from all over the world.
Background
Owned and bred by Marylou Whitney of Whitney family racing fame, Birdstone was sired by Grindstone, winner of the 1996 Kentucky Derby, who in turn was sired by Unbridled, who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby. Unbridled was in turn sired by Fappiano, a son of Mr. Prospector, the tail-male ancestor of the vast majority of winners of Triple Crown races in recent years (22 out of the 24 races 1998-2005).
Birdstone's dam, Dear Birdie, was 2004 Broodmare of the Year, and produced 12 stakes winning foals, including Bird Town (by Cape Town), who won the 2003 Kentucky Oaks.
Bird Town would later go on to produce graded stakes winner Bird Song (by Unbridled's Song).
Racing career
As a juvenile, Birdstone won the Champagne Stakes, a leading race for two-year-olds, at Belmont Park in 2003.
Beginning his sophomore season, Birdstone won an allowance and finished fifth in the Lane's End Stakes.
He was not a factor in the first two Triple Crown races (finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby and skipping the Preakness Stakes) and was a 36-1 longshot when he upset the overwhelmingly favored Smarty Jones, taking the lead in the final furlong (201 m) in the fastest Belmont Stakes since the advent of modern electronic timing (2002 was the first year times were kept to hundredths).
Birdstone's victory represented the first in the Belmont for trainer Nick Zito, whose horses had finished second in that classic five times. In the winner's circle after the Belmont Stakes, his owners apologized to the connections of Smarty Jones for winning, as did jockey Edgar Prado.
The next major race for Birdstone was the Travers Stakes, which he won being the fourth betting choice at 5-1. He was Zito's first Travers champion.
Retirement and stud career
Birdstone's retirement from racing after suffering a bone chip at the Breeders' Cup was announced on November 4, 2004. He began his career as a stallion at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
His first starter was the colt Shoe Strap (Birdstone - Boot Strap by Storm Boot), who first went to post on May 21, 2008, at Churchill Downs and was trained by D. Wayne Lukas.[1]
From his first crop of foals to race, Birdstone sired Mine That Bird, who had several wins as a two-year-old gelding before winning the 2009 Kentucky Derby as a three-year-old. Another of Birdstone's top runners was Summer Bird, who upset Mine That Bird in the 2009 Belmont Stakes (later winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup). His first crop also included Birdrun, who set the Belmont track record at a mile and a sixteenth [1].
Birdstone was one of the top ten ranked freshman sires of 2008 with 11 winners out of 22 starters and stood for $10,000 for the remainder of the 2009 season, despite his first-crop success. His 2010 stud fee was posted as $30,000 but by 2017 it had fallen to $5,000. [2] Birdstone has sired 31 black-type runners, 20 stakes winners, 8 graded stakes winners, and has amassed progeny earnings over $21 million.
Birdstone's most notable progeny includes:
- Summer Bird: Won Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup, 2009 Eclipse Champion 3 Year Old Colt.
- Mine That Bird: Won Kentucky Derby, Grey Stakes, 2008 Canadian Champion Juvenile Male.
- Noble Bird: Won Stephen Foster Handicap, Pimlico Special, Fayette Stakes.
- Birdrun: Won Brooklyn Handicap.
- Blue Tone: Won San Gabriel Stakes.
- Thank You Marylou: Won Dogwood Stakes, multiple graded stakes placed. Breeders' Cup placed.
- Florida Won: Won Ontario Derby and Seagram Cup Stakes.
- Swipe: Won Juvenile Championship Stakes, multiple graded stakes placed. Breeders' Cup Placed.
Birdstone was pensioned from stud duties after the 2020 breeding season and was moved to Old Friends to live out the rest of his days.
References
- ^ Who U Like? Shoe Strap? – Maiden Watch
External links
- Birdstones pedigree and partial racing stats
- BloodHorse May 20, 2008
- SI Spoiler no more for Mine That Bird's sire May 9, 2009
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- 1969 Arts and Letters
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- 1972 Riva Ridge
- 1973 Secretariat ₩
- 1974 Little Current
- 1975 Avatar
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- 1977 Seattle Slew ₩
- 1978 Affirmed ₩
- 1979 Coastal
- 1980 Temperence Hill
- 1981 Summing
- 1982 Conquistador Cielo
- 1983 Caveat
- 1984 Swale
- 1985 Creme Fraiche
- 1986 Danzig Connection
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- 1991 Hansel
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- 1995 Thunder Gulch
- 1996 Editor's Note
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- 1998 Victory Gallop
- 1999 Lemon Drop Kid
- 2000 Commendable
- 2001 Point Given
- 2002 Sarava
- 2003 Empire Maker
- 2004 Birdstone
- 2005 Afleet Alex
- 2006 Jazil
- 2007 Rags to Riches ♥
- 2008 Da' Tara
- 2009 Summer Bird
- 2010 Drosselmeyer
- 2011 Ruler on Ice
- 2012 Union Rags
- 2013 Palace Malice
- 2014 Tonalist
- 2015 American Pharoah ₩
- 2016 Creator
- 2017 Tapwrit
- 2018 Justify ₩
- 2019 Sir Winston
- 2020 Tiz the Law
- 2021 Essential Quality
- 2022 Mo Donegal
- 2023 Arcangelo
- 2024 Dornoch
Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly