Creme Fraiche (horse)

Creme Fraiche
Creme Fraiche
Sire	Tropical Park Handicap (Jan & Dec 1988) Creme Fraiche Handicap at Gulfstream Park
	Last updated on September 16, 2007

Creme Fraiche (April 7, 1982 – October 9, 2003) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse.

Background

Creme Fraiche was sired by Rich Cream, co-holder of the world record of 1:19.40 for 7 furlongs on dirt in the 1980

Triple Bend Handicap. His dam Likely Exchange was a female-line descendant of Strange Device, a half-sister to the Kentucky Oaks winner Mars Shield.^[2]

Bred by Pamela Firman and her nephew,

G. Watts Humphrey, Jr., Creme Fraiche was originally sent as a yearling colt to the 1983 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale, where he was sold to Brushwood Stable for $160,000. He was sent from there to Virginia's Hickory Tree Stable for breaking where he proved unruly and was gelded

.

Racing career

Although thought to be a "late bloomer", Creme Fraiche was a hardy three-year-old, winning the

Derby Trial and the Belmont Stakes, with Eddie Maple astride, becoming the first gelding to win the classic race and the fourth consecutive Belmont winner for his trainer, Woody Stephens. By the end of his three-year-old season, he had five graded stakes

wins.

As a four-year-old, Creme Fraiche won the Jockey Club Gold Cup, defeating Turkoman, and ended the year with almost $1 million in additional earnings.

At five, he again won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (beating

Meadowlands Handicap

, and finished that year with a career high of $1,323,666 in earnings.

At six, he won both the January and December

W. L. McKnight Handicap

as his best effort.

Retirement

Retired at age seven, Creme Fraiche was sent to Brushwood Stable near Malvern, PA, for pensioning. He was visited by fans bringing his favorite treat of mints until he was put down due to a severe case of laminitis on October 9, 2003, at the age of 21. He was buried at the farm in the memorial garden at Bryn Clovis.^[3]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Creme Fraiche (USA), bay gelding, 1982^[1]
Sire Rich Cream (USA) 1975	Creme Dela Creme (USA) 1963	Olympia	Heliopolis (GB)
		Olympia	Miss Dolphin
		Judy Rullah	Nasrullah (horse)
		Judy Rullah	Judy-Rae
	Right Turn (USA) 1961	Turn-To (IRE)	Royal Charger (GB)
		Turn-To (IRE)	Source Sucree (FR)
		Plum Plum	On-and-On
		Plum Plum	Plum Cake
Dam Likely Exchange (USA) 1974	Terrible Tiger (USA) 1965	Amerigo (GB)	Nearco (ITY)
		Amerigo (GB)	Sanlinea
		Proprietress	Your Host
		Proprietress	Omelet Souffle
	Likely Swap (USA) 1962	Swaps	Khaled (GB)
		Swaps	Iron Reward
		Most Likely	Heliopolis (GB)
		Most Likely	Strange Device (Family: 9-f)^[2]

Creme Fraiche was inbred 4 × 4 to Heliopolis, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

References

^ ^a ^b "Creme Fraiche pedigree". Equineline.
^ ^a ^b "Toxophilite Mare - Family 9-f". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
^ "Pensioned Belmont Stakes Winner Crème Fraiche Dead". The Blood-Horse.

[pedigree-1] "Creme Fraiche pedigree". Equineline.

[tbl-2] "Toxophilite Mare - Family 9-f". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.

[3] "Pensioned Belmont Stakes Winner Crème Fraiche Dead". The Blood-Horse.

[2]

[3]

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