April Run
Encyclopedia
April Run was an Irish-bred
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who competed internationally and who in 1982 was voted a Champion both in France
and the United States
.
A granddaughter of U.S. Hall of Famer
Tom Rolfe
, April Run was bred at Bertram & Diana Firestone's Gilltown Stud in Kilcullen
, County Kildare
, Ireland
. The filly was trained in France by Francois Boutin
where she won several important races before finishing a fast-closing third in the 1981 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
. She was then shipped to the United States where she won the first of her two consecutive Turf Classic Invitational Stakes
. The only horse to win consecutive Turf Classics, her feat is all the more notable in that she defeated the top colts
of the day as she also did after she finished second in the 1981 Washington, D.C. International but came back to win the prestigious race in 1982. That same year, she was sent to Japan
where she finished third in the Japan Cup
.
Retired to broodmare service at the end of her four-year-old racing season, April Run was the Dam of 7 foals to race, producing 5 winners. In 1992, she was sent to a breeding farm in Japan where she died on April 28, 1994.
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...
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 competed internationally and who in 1982 was voted a Champion both in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
A granddaughter of U.S. Hall of Famer
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...
Tom Rolfe
Tom Rolfe
The racehorse Tom Rolfe was one of the best American sons of the great racehorse and sire Ribot. His dam was Pocahontas, from whom he takes his name...
, April Run was bred at Bertram & Diana Firestone's Gilltown Stud in Kilcullen
Kilcullen
Kilcullen , formally Kilcullen Bridge, is a small town on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Ireland. Its population of 2,985 makes it the 12th largest settlement in County Kildare and the fastest growing in the county, having doubled in population from 1,483 in the census of 2002...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, 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...
. The filly was trained in France by Francois Boutin
François Boutin
François Boutin was a French Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young age and competed in show jumping and cross-country equestrianism...
where she won several important races before finishing a fast-closing third in the 1981 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
. She was then shipped to the United States where she won the first of her two consecutive Turf Classic Invitational Stakes
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational
The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational is an American Grade I stakes race on turf established in 1977 for Thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. Currently held at Belmont Park, New York at the end of September, it is named in honor of Joe Hirsch, the award-winning racing columnist and...
. The only horse to win consecutive Turf Classics, her feat is all the more notable in that she defeated the top colts
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
of the day as she also did after she finished second in the 1981 Washington, D.C. International but came back to win the prestigious race in 1982. That same year, she was sent to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where she finished third in the Japan Cup
Japan Cup
The is the most prestigious horse race run in Japan. It is contested at the end of November at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters over the grass. With a purse of ¥476 million , the Japan Cup is one of the richest races in the world.The Japan Cup is an invitational event...
.
Retired to broodmare service at the end of her four-year-old racing season, April Run was the Dam of 7 foals to race, producing 5 winners. In 1992, she was sent to a breeding farm in Japan where she died on April 28, 1994.