Aztec Hill
Encyclopedia
Aztec Hill is an American Thoroughbred
filly
racehorse
. The daughter of Proud Truth
will best be remembered for posting a half length score as the favorite over Traverse City in the mile and an eighth Grade II
$200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
at Pimlico Race Course
on May 14, 1993. That win was the first half of only the second Black-Eyed Susan/Preakness Double won in history by the same trainer and owner combo.
at Aqueduct Racetrack
run among three-year-old fillies at a mile and 70 yards under jockey Mike E. Smith in 1:42 2/5. Early in the spring her trainer Thomas Bohannan
shipped her to the south west and won two consecutive graded stakes races at Oaklawn Park
Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas
. In early March she won the grade three Honeybee Stakes
run over a distance of 8.5 furlongs on dirt in 1:44.40 under jockey Aaron Gryder
. In early April she came right back and won the grade two Fantasy Stakes
at one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt at Oaklawn Park
under her regular jockey Mike E. Smith in 1:44.20. On the first Friday of May, Aztec Hill acted up in the post parade and was very fractious in the gate at Churchill Downs
and never recovered as she finished a distant and disappointing seventh in the Kentucky Oaks
. Late in the year Aztec Hill won the Sunbonnet Stakes.
as the Pimlico
's odds maker made both Prairie Bayou
the favorite in the Preakness Stakes
and Aztec Hill the 3-1 favorite in the Grade II
$200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
and both favorites went on to win.
Aztec Hill won over the field of ten fillies with a tremendous rush in the homestretch that was reminiscent of some of her earlier victories in that year. Aztec Hill chased down the leaders and then held off late challenger Traverse City by a half-length. Jacody was a neck behind for third place. Aztec Hill's final time for the 8.5 furlongs was one minute, 49-3/5 seconds. Trainer Tom Bohannan said "Two weeks ago the gate got her in the Oaks and she didn't want to run, but today it was just the opposite, at Pimlico, She went into and came out with nothing but running on her mind."
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...
filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
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...
. The daughter of Proud Truth
Proud Truth
Proud Truth was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by Dorothy Galbreath, wife of prominent horseman John W. Galbreath, at their Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky....
will best be remembered for posting a half length score as the favorite over Traverse City in the mile and an eighth Grade II
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
$200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
on May 14, 1993. That win was the first half of only the second Black-Eyed Susan/Preakness Double won in history by the same trainer and owner combo.
Racing career
In mid-January 1993 Aztec Hill won the The Busanda StakesBusanda Stakes
The Busanda Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race that is held at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York in mid-January each year; the 38th outing was held in 2011....
at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
run among three-year-old fillies at a mile and 70 yards under jockey Mike E. Smith in 1:42 2/5. Early in the spring her trainer Thomas Bohannan
Thomas Bohannan
Thomas K. Bohannan is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and as a young man became a hotwalker, groom, and racing stable foreman. In 1989 he became the private trainer for the successful Loblolly Stable of Lake Hamilton, Arkansas.With Loblolly, Tom...
shipped her to the south west and won two consecutive graded stakes races at Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park is an American thoroughbred racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to The Racing Festival of the South.In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Oaklawn was ranked...
Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
. In early March she won the grade three Honeybee Stakes
Honeybee Stakes
The Honeybee Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held annually at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade III race run over a distance of 8.5 furlongs on dirt....
run over a distance of 8.5 furlongs on dirt in 1:44.40 under jockey Aaron Gryder
Aaron Gryder
Aaron Tod Gryder is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.Growing up fifteen minutes away from the Santa Anita racetrack, as a boy Gryder had no contact with horses other than his father and his grandparents' interest in attending the nearby races...
. In early April she came right back and won the grade two Fantasy Stakes
Fantasy Stakes
The Fantasy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A Grade II event, it is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt.-Records:Speed record:...
at one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt at Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park is an American thoroughbred racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to The Racing Festival of the South.In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Oaklawn was ranked...
under her regular jockey Mike E. Smith in 1:44.20. On the first Friday of May, Aztec Hill acted up in the post parade and was very fractious in the gate at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
and never recovered as she finished a distant and disappointing seventh in the Kentucky Oaks
Kentucky Oaks
The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year...
. Late in the year Aztec Hill won the Sunbonnet Stakes.
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
Mid-May turned out to be a very successful time of year for Aztec Hill's owners Loblolly StableLoblolly Stable
Loblolly Stable was a Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing stable in Lake Hamilton, Arkansas owned by businessman John Ed Anthony and his former wife Mary Lynn. The stable's first top runner was Cox's Ridge who won important races in 1977 and 1978 and went on to become an excellent sire...
as the Pimlico
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
's odds maker made both Prairie Bayou
Prairie Bayou
Prairie Bayou was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse owned and bred by Loblolly Stable of Lake Hamilton, Arkansas. Named for a bayou between Little Rock and Hot Springs in Arkansas, he was sired by Little Missouri and out of the mare Whiffling...
the favorite in the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
and Aztec Hill the 3-1 favorite in the Grade II
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
$200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
and both favorites went on to win.
Aztec Hill won over the field of ten fillies with a tremendous rush in the homestretch that was reminiscent of some of her earlier victories in that year. Aztec Hill chased down the leaders and then held off late challenger Traverse City by a half-length. Jacody was a neck behind for third place. Aztec Hill's final time for the 8.5 furlongs was one minute, 49-3/5 seconds. Trainer Tom Bohannan said "Two weeks ago the gate got her in the Oaks and she didn't want to run, but today it was just the opposite, at Pimlico, She went into and came out with nothing but running on her mind."