Timber Country
Timber Country | |
---|---|
Sire | Woodman |
Grandsire | Mr. Prospector |
Dam | Fall Aspen |
Damsire | Pretense |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | 1992 |
Country | United States |
Colour | Chestnut |
Breeder | Lowquest Ltd. |
Owner | Overbrook Farm, Gainesway Stable, Robert & Beverly Lewis |
Trainer | D. Wayne Lukas |
Record | 12: 5-1-4 |
Earnings | $1,558,835 |
Major wins | |
Balboa Stakes (1994) Champagne Stakes (1994) Breeders' Cup Juvenile (1994) American Triple Crown Preakness Stakes (1995) | |
Awards | |
U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt (1994) | |
Last updated on September 6, 2007 |
Timber Country (foaled April 12,1992 in Kentucky - February 24, 2016)[1] was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first horse to ever win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and American Triple Crown Classic Race when he won the 1995 Preakness Stakes.
Background
Timber Country, a bay horse with three white socks and a small nose snip, was born April 12, 1992, in Kentucky. A son of Irish champion Woodman, he was out of the mare Fall Aspen, a daughter of Pretense. Fall Aspen, who won the 1978 Matron Stakes, was also the dam of Grade I winner and champion Bianconi, Grade I winner Northern Aspen, and Grade II winners Elle Seule and Colorado Dancer.[1]
Timber Country grew to be a large horse, standing 17 hands high at maturity.[2]
Timber Country is closely related to the Dubai World Cup winner, Dubai Millennium, a son of Mr. Prospector and Timber Country's half-sister, Colorado Dancer.
Bred by Lowquest Stud, Timber Country sold for $500,000 at the 1993 Keeneland July yearling sale.[1] Future Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas had seen Tmber Country before the sale and planned to buy him. Lukas was having dinner at the home of William Young, owner of Overbrook Farm, along with Graham Beck of Gainesway Farm, when he asked to excuse himself to return to the sale. Lukas said, "Graham Beck followed me to my car and asked who the colt was and I said he was out of Fall Aspen. He asked who I was buying him for and I said, 'I don't know but I'm going to buy him.' He said for me to go ahead and buy him and they would put something together." At the sale, he was purchased by Lukas for a partnership between Overbrook Farm, Gainesway Stable, and Robert and Beverly Lewis.[1]
Racing career
1994: two-year-old season
Racing at age two in California, the colt won four of his seven starts. At Del Mar Racetrack, he won the Balboa Stakes and was third in the Del Mar Futurity. Sent East, Timber Country won the Grade I Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, while running on the lead setting the pace. His victory made him the betting favorite for the most important race of the year for his age group, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In that race, Timber Country came from well back to win going away. His 1994 performances earned him U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt honors.
1995: three-year-old season
In the spring of 1995 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, three-year-old Timber Country ran third in the San Rafael Stakes and second in the San Felipe Stakes. Going into the Kentucky Derby the colt was winless in all three of his 1995 starts and was up against a field that included strong competition such as Tejano Run, who had finished third to Timber Country in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile; Thunder Gulch, who was also trained by D. Wayne Lukas and who had won that spring's Fountain of Youth Stakes and Florida Derby; Talkin Man, the Canadian Two-Year-Old Champion coming off an impressive win in the Wood Memorial Stakes; plus the future Hall of Fame filly Serena's Song, who was owned by Robert and Beverly Lewis, one of Timber Country's owners.
Drawing the difficult post position seventeen in the Kentucky Derby's nineteen-horse field, Timber Country was among the trailers for most of the race. A horse who liked to come from behind (although he won on the lead setting the pace in the 1994 Champagne Stakes), entering the homestretch he was still only in tenth place and, bunched between a congestion of challengers, lost time when he had to swing to the outside to find some running room. In the stretch drive jockey Pat Day and Timber County made a late move to get between horses and came on strongly enough to finish third behind runner-up Tejano Run and winner Thunder Gulch.
In the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, Timber Country was the parimutuel betting favorite. The colt won the race after he passed five horses through the turn and homestretch and won by half a length over runner-up Oliver's Twist and third-place finisher Thunder Gulch. Timber Country's win marked the first time since the establishment of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 1984 that a winner of that race went on to win one of the American Classic races.
Made the heavy favorite to win the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, Timber Country had to be withdrawn from the Belmont Stakes on the day before the race as a result of a high fever from a virus that saw his temperature nearing 103 degrees. After returning to training post-fever, he suffered a tendon injury, and was retired.[1]
Stud career
Retired to stud duty, Timber Country was first sent Shadai Farm, a breeding operation located in Hokkaido, Japan, owned by brothers Teruya and Katsumi Yoshida. While there, he was also shuttled to Australia, where he notably sired Eremein, a five-time Group One winner with career earnings in excess of A$4 million. In 2001, Timber Country stood in Dubai, then was returned to Japan, this time standing at Lex Stud in Hokkaido, where he remained.[1]
Timber Country was not a consistent stallion, though he sired a Grade I winner in all three countries he stood in. His best foal is Japanese-born son Admire Don, who won seven Grade I races in Japan and was named Japanese Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 2001 and Champion Older Male Horse of 2003 and 2004.[1] He is also the sire of Australian gelding Eremein, a five-time Grade I winner with career earnings in excess of A$4 million. He is the sire of filly Balletto, born in Dubai, who won the Grade I Frizette Stakes in the United States.[3]
Timber Country is the damsire of Mukhadram, who won the 2014 Eclipse Stakes in Great Britain, Copano Rickey, two-time winner of the February Stakes in Japan, and Sweet Idea, who won The Galaxy Stakes in Australia.[4]
Death
Timber Country died the night of February 24, 2016, at around 10:00 PM. The 24-year-old, who had suffered from cardiac issues during his last years of life, died of heart failure. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to him," said Akira Maeda, mager of Lex Stud. "We will erect a monument to his memory in Cherry Blossoms Park near our Lex Stud." D. Wayne Lukas said of Timber Country, "He was a beautiful horse, with a great disposition and great to train."[1]
Timber Country was buried at Sakuramaima Park, an equestrian center, near Lex Stud.[5]
Pedigree
Sire Woodman chestnut 1983 | Mr. Prospector bay 1970 | Raise A Native chestnut 1961 | Native Dancer |
---|---|---|---|
Raise You | |||
Gold Digger bay 1962 | Nashua | ||
Sequence | |||
Playmate chestnut 1975 | Buckpasser bay 1963 | Tom Fool | |
Busanda | |||
Intriguing chestnut 1964 | Swaps | ||
Glamour | |||
Dam Fall Aspen chestnut 1976 | Pretense dark brown 1963 | Endeavour dark brown 1942 | British Empire |
Himalaya | |||
Imitation chestnut 1951 | Hyperion | ||
Flattery | |||
Change Water chestnut 1969 | Swaps chestnut 1952 | Khaled | |
Iron Reward | |||
Portage bay 1952 | War Admiral | ||
Carillon |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mitchell, Ron (February 24, 2016). "Champion Timber Country Dies at Age 24". The Blood-Horse. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ^ "Timber Country (horse)". American Classic Pedigrees. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
- ^ "Balletto Horse Pedigree". www.pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
- ^ "Timber Country | Progeny Dams Sire | Racing Post". www.racingpost.com. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
- ^ "ティンバーカントリーが死亡 | 馬産地ニュース | 競走馬のふるさと案内所". uma-furusato.com. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
- Timber Country's pedigree and partial racing stats
- Video at YouTube of Timber Country's win in the 1995 Preakness Stakes
- Timber Country's offspring at the Triple Crown database by Kathleen Irwin and Joy Reeves
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- 1873 Survivor
- 1874 Culpepper
- 1875 Tom Ochiltree
- 1876 Shirley
- 1877 Cloverbrook
- 1878 Duke of Magenta
- 1879 Harold
- 1880 Grenada
- 1881 Saunterer
- 1882 Vanguard
- 1883 Jacobus
- 1884 Knight of Ellerslie
- 1885 Tecumseh
- 1886 The Bard
- 1887 Dunboyne
- 1888 Refund
- 1889 Buddhist
- 1890 Montague
- 1894 Assignee
- 1895 Belmar
- 1896 Margrave
- 1897 Paul Kauvar
- 1898 Sly Fox
- 1899 Half Time
- 1900 Hindus
- 1901 The Parader
- 1902 Old England
- 1903 Flocarline ♥
- 1904 Bryn Mawr
- 1905 Cairngorm
- 1906 Whimsical ♥
- 1907 Don Enrique
- 1908 Royal Tourist
- 1909 Effendi
- 1910 Layminster
- 1911 Watervale
- 1912 Colonel Holloway
- 1913 Buskin
- 1914 Holiday
- 1915 Rhine Maiden ♥
- 1916 Damrosch
- 1917 Kalitan
- 1918 War Cloud
- 1918 Jack Hare Jr.
- 1919 Sir Barton ₩
- 1920 Man o' War
- 1921 Broomspun
- 1922 Pillory
- 1923 Vigil
- 1924 Nellie Morse ♥
- 1925 Coventry
- 1926 Display
- 1927 Bostonian
- 1928 Victorian
- 1929 Dr. Freeland
- 1930 Gallant Fox ₩
- 1931 Mate
- 1932 Burgoo King
- 1933 Head Play
- 1934 High Quest
- 1935 Omaha ₩
- 1936 Bold Venture
- 1937 War Admiral ₩
- 1938 Dauber
- 1939 Challedon
- 1940 Bimelech
- 1941 Whirlaway ₩
- 1942 Alsab
- 1943 Count Fleet ₩
- 1944 Pensive
- 1945 Polynesian
- 1946 Assault ₩
- 1947 Faultless
- 1948 Citation ₩
- 1949 Capot
- 1950 Hill Prince
- 1951 Bold
- 1952 Blue Man
- 1953 Native Dancer
- 1954 Hasty Road
- 1955 Nashua
- 1956 Fabius
- 1957 Bold Ruler
- 1958 Tim Tam
- 1959 Royal Orbit
- 1960 Bally Ache
- 1961 Carry Back
- 1962 Greek Money
- 1963 Candy Spots
- 1964 Northern Dancer
- 1965 Tom Rolfe
- 1966 Kauai King
- 1967 Damascus
- 1968 Forward Pass
- 1969 Majestic Prince
- 1970 Personality
- 1971 Canonero II
- 1972 Bee Bee Bee
- 1973 Secretariat ₩
- 1974 Little Current
- 1975 Master Derby
- 1976 Elocutionist
- 1977 Seattle Slew ₩
- 1978 Affirmed ₩
- 1979 Spectacular Bid
- 1980 Codex
- 1981 Pleasant Colony
- 1982 Aloma's Ruler
- 1983 Deputed Testamony
- 1984 Gate Dancer
- 1985 Tank's Prospect
- 1986 Snow Chief
- 1987 Alysheba
- 1988 Risen Star
- 1989 Sunday Silence
- 1990 Summer Squall
- 1991 Hansel
- 1992 Pine Bluff
- 1993 Prairie Bayou
- 1994 Tabasco Cat
- 1995 Timber Country
- 1996 Louis Quatorze
- 1997 Silver Charm
- 1998 Real Quiet
- 1999 Charismatic
- 2000 Red Bullet
- 2001 Point Given
- 2002 War Emblem
- 2003 Funny Cide
- 2004 Smarty Jones
- 2005 Afleet Alex
- 2006 Bernardini
- 2007 Curlin
- 2008 Big Brown
- 2009 Rachel Alexandra ♥
- 2010 Lookin At Lucky
- 2011 Shackleford
- 2012 I'll Have Another
- 2013 Oxbow
- 2014 California Chrome
- 2015 American Pharoah ₩
- 2016 Exaggerator
- 2017 Cloud Computing
- 2018 Justify ₩
- 2019 War of Will
- 2020 Swiss Skydiver ♥
- 2021 Rombauer
- 2022 Early Voting
- 2023 National Treasure
- 2024 Seize the Grey
Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly