Arazi (horse)
| Arazi | |
|---|---|
| Sire | American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (1991) (1991)European Two Yr-Old Male Champion (1991) European Horse of the Year |
| Last updated on June 27, 2011 | |
Arazi (March 4, 1989 – July 1, 2021) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1991 Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Background
A
Racing career
1991: two-year-old season
Ridden by jockey Gerald Mossé, in France, as a two-year-old Arazi won six of his first seven races, with an explosive come-from-behind style that was popular with spectators. In October, Paulson prepared to bring him to the United States for the 1991 Breeders' Cup. Prior to the race, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum made Paulson an offer of $9 million for a 50% share in Arazi.
Arazi competed in the 1991
Bertrando broke on an early lead and set a quick pace. By the time the field reached the far turn, Arazi was far back, more than a dozen lengths behind the front-running Bertrando. Suddenly, Arazi progressed through the field until he reached the third- and fourth-place horses. He moved between the two, swinging wide to pull up alongside Bertrando. at the top of the stretch, Arazi passed Bertrando and pulled away from the field. He was taken under a hard hold by his jockey and slowed as he crossed the finish line. As he did, NBC Sports race announcer Tom Durkin called, "Here indeed is a superstar!"[3]
The win was the biggest winning margin in the history of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
While Arazi's victory made him an early favorite for the 1992
1992: three-year-old season
The pre-Kentucky Derby publicity for Arazi was compared to that of Silky Sullivan in 1958. Newspaper reporters and television crews met Arazi's plane at Louisville's Standiford Field. In interviews, jockey Steve Cauthen rated the colt in the same class as Affirmed, on whom he had won the U.S. Triple Crown in 1978. Jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who had ridden Arazi in his Breeders' Cup win and won the 1989 Derby aboard Sunday Silence said, "Arazi can do more [than Sunday Silence]." He added, "This race is over."[8]
In the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby, press coverage of Arazi was extensive, and the racing world speculated[citation needed] as to whether the horse would remain in the United States in an attempt to win the Triple Crown or be shipped back to Europe to try to become the first Kentucky Derby champion to ever win England's Epsom Derby. The New York Times called the colt "mythical and almost mystical", and Time magazine stated, "Arazi is fast winning a reputation as the second coming of Secretariat".[9] Joe Hirsch, with the Daily Racing Form said, "He [Arazi] is such an extraordinary animal that he makes other great horses look like hacks."[10] )
For the 118th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 1992, Arazi drew post position 17 in a field of 18 horses. The outside post meant he would begin the race from an auxiliary starting gate. Despite this handicap, bettors wagered as much on Arazi to win as on the other 17 horses combined. Having raced only once in the previous seven months (apart from the Prix Omnium at St Cloud), from the start of the Derby the energetic colt had to be kept under wraps by his jockey. Near the back of the field for most of the race, after the quarter pole Arazi made a quick move. Running eight horses wide, and mirroring his dramatic performance in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the colt flew past horse after horse with ABC television announcer Dave Johnson exclaiming, "Arazi is flying! - Arazi is gaining ground with every stride!" The colt moved into third place, tightly bunched with the leaders. But as they approached the homestretch, instead of pulling away as he had always done previously, Arazi tired and faded to finish eighth.[11] Lil E. Tee, a little-known colt and an 18-1 longshot, won the race.
The racing world's consensus of Arazi's performance was that his knee surgery had affected his ability.[citation needed] Some[who?] blamed his poor showing on the fact that the colt had made only one prep start on soft grass before the Derby, while others}[who?] said he was a "miler" horse and the Derby's extra quarter-mile was too much for him. The upset spawned a book, The Longest Shot: Lil E. Tee and the Kentucky Derby, by Baltimore Sun sportswriter and racing commentator John Eisenberg.[12]
Returning to France, Arazi raced four more times, where future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Steve Cauthen rode him to victory in the Group II Prix du Rond Point and the Prix Omnium II.
His final race was a return to the United States, where fans made him the 3-2 favorite in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Gulfstream Park. He finished 11th.[13]
Stud record
Arazi was retired to Sheikh Mohammed's
breeding facility Gestut Sohrenhof, returning to Independent Stallion Station in 2006. He sired a gray colt named Karazi, who won three races in France before being shipped to Del Mar for the 2007 season.Among Arazi's offspring are
In September 2017 Arazi, aged 28, was reported to be enjoying his retirement at Stockwell Stud,
On July 1, 2021, it was announced that Arazi, aged 32, had died from age-related complications.[16]
Pedigree
| Sire Blushing Groom |
Red God | Nasrullah | Nearco |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mumtaz Begum | |||
| Spring Run | Menow | ||
| Boola Brook | |||
| Runaway Bride | Wild Risk | Rialto | |
| Wild Violet | |||
| Aimee | Tudor Minstrel | ||
| Emali | |||
| Dam Danseur Fabuleux |
Northern Dancer | Nearctic | Nearco |
| Lady Angela | |||
| Natalma | Native Dancer | ||
| Almahmoud | |||
| Fabuleux Jane | Le Fabuleux | Wild Risk | |
| Anguar | |||
| Native Partner | Raise A Native
| ||
| Dinner Partner |
References
- ^ Arazi's five-generation pedigree and race record Retrieved 2011-06-27.
- ^ Joseph Durso, "The Man at the Controls of Arazi's International Team". The New York Times, April 26, 1992 Retrieved 2011-06-27.
- Washington Post. 1995-10-24. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- ^ "Breeders' Cup Legends: Arazi". Equibase Co. LLC. 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ^ "Ralph Wilson's connections to horse racing ran deep". Buffalo Bills. 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- ^ Timeform website Retrieved 2011-06-27.
- ^ Ian Thomsen, "Arazi Masters His '92 Debut, Cruising to 5-Length victory". International Herald Tribune, April 8, 1992. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
- Baltimore Sun. 1992-05-02. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- ^ Adam Zagorin Saint-Cloud, "Cadillac Colt The favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, Arazi races like the Second Coming of Secretariat". Time, May 4, 1992 Retrieved 2011-06-28.
- ^ "Cadillac Colt The favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, Arazi". Time. 1992-05-04. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- ^ Jaime Diaz, "A Burst of Speed Followed By a Perplexing Slowdown". The New York Times, May 3, 1992 Retrieved 2011-06-28.
- ISBN 0-8131-1956-1
- ^ Joseph Durso, "Now for the Election. No, Not That Election". The New York Times, November 2, 1992 Retrieved 2011-06-28.
- ^ World Cup Winner Electrocutionist Dead BloodHorse. Associated Press. 9 September 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2023
- ^ Manning, Kristen (1 September 2017). "He's 28 now, but they still love him the world over for a performance that had to be seen to be believed". Thoroughbredracing.com.
- ^ "Farewell Arazi". 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.