Closing Argument
Encyclopedia
Closing Argument is a retired Thoroughbred
racehorse
. The son of Successful Appeal really turned out to be a game colt in the spring of 2005. After winning the 2005 Holy Bull Stakes
and finishing third in the Blue Grass Stakes
, his connections chose to run him in the Kentucky Derby
.
opted to run the colt in the Kentucky Derby
. Unfortuneately the public didn't buy in and Closing Argument went off as the longest shot on the board at 72:1 odds. At the start he broke from gate 18 and bobbled while drifting out but managed to be in sixth right behind the leaders as they passed the grandstand for the first time. Around the first turn he was pushed out nine wide. Down the backstretch and going into the final turn he inched up to fourth making his way closer to the rail. Around that turn he was in the four path and sprinted into first at the top of the stretch. Jockey Cornelio Velasquez
gave him a perfect ride but 100 yards from the wire Giacamo closed from out of the clouds and beat Closing Argument by a half length. It was less than an another half length back to eventual Elipse Award Champion Afleet Alex
in third.
In the second leg of the Triple Crown, Closing Argument was respected a little more with as the fourth favorite in a capacity crowd of 14 at odds of only 7:1. In the Preakness Stakes
at Pimlico Race Course
he chased the pace just off the leaders as he did in the Derby in fifth. But at the seven furlong mark he faded from contention and finished ninth behind Afleet Alex
and seven others.
He was retired for 2006 with a record of 3-3-2 in nine career starts and earnings of $986,984. Closing Argument stood at stud
at Sequel Stallion in Ocala, Florida
until 2008 when he was moved to Hill 'n' Dale Farms
in Lexington, Kentucky
.
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...
. The son of Successful Appeal really turned out to be a game colt in the spring of 2005. After winning the 2005 Holy Bull Stakes
Holy Bull Stakes
The Holy Bull Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Run in mid April, it is open to three-year-olds over a distance of one mile and three sixteenths...
and finishing third in the Blue Grass Stakes
Blue Grass Stakes
The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky....
, his connections chose to run him in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
.
Triple Crown races
On May 7, 2005 trainer Kiaran McLaughlinKiaran McLaughlin
Kiaran P. McLaughlin is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He currently has a blog website, at http://kiaranmclaughlin.com where he updates what horses he has racing for that particular day...
opted to run the colt in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. Unfortuneately the public didn't buy in and Closing Argument went off as the longest shot on the board at 72:1 odds. At the start he broke from gate 18 and bobbled while drifting out but managed to be in sixth right behind the leaders as they passed the grandstand for the first time. Around the first turn he was pushed out nine wide. Down the backstretch and going into the final turn he inched up to fourth making his way closer to the rail. Around that turn he was in the four path and sprinted into first at the top of the stretch. Jockey Cornelio Velasquez
Cornelio Velásquez
Cornelio H. Velásquez is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He was introduced to horse racing at age fifteen by trainer Carlos Salazar Guardia in his native Panama and enrolled in the national jockey school...
gave him a perfect ride but 100 yards from the wire Giacamo closed from out of the clouds and beat Closing Argument by a half length. It was less than an another half length back to eventual Elipse Award Champion Afleet Alex
Afleet Alex
Afleet Alex is an American thoroughbred race horse who, in 2005, won two of America's classic races, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes...
in third.
In the second leg of the Triple Crown, Closing Argument was respected a little more with as the fourth favorite in a capacity crowd of 14 at odds of only 7:1. 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...
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...
he chased the pace just off the leaders as he did in the Derby in fifth. But at the seven furlong mark he faded from contention and finished ninth behind Afleet Alex
Afleet Alex
Afleet Alex is an American thoroughbred race horse who, in 2005, won two of America's classic races, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes...
and seven others.
He was retired for 2006 with a record of 3-3-2 in nine career starts and earnings of $986,984. Closing Argument stood at stud
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
at Sequel Stallion in Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
until 2008 when he was moved to Hill 'n' Dale Farms
Hill 'n' Dale Farms
Hill 'n' Dale Farms is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Canada and the United States. It was founded in 1960 in Aurora, Ontario in 1960 by John Sikura, Jr., who died mysteriously in an unsolved 1994 car fire. The Canadian operation is now run by his son, R. Glenn...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.