Great Hunter
Encyclopedia
Great Hunter is an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. He was sold by his breeder through the September 2005 Keeneland Sales
to Ilona Whetstone. The colt was resold in June 2006 to J. Paul Reddam
for $550,000 but has been the subject of a legal dispute following a lien
claim by Fifth Third Bank
for indebtedness of the financially-strapped Ilona Whetstone.
Lane's End Breeders' Futurity
in which he defeated both Circular Quay
and Street Sense
but then finished third behind them in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
.
then was fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes
after he ran into severe difficulty from two other horses and had to be taken up sharply by his jockey, Corey Nakatani
.
Great Hunter and stablemate Liquidity ran in the May 5 Kentucky Derby
, and the pair came in 13th and 14th, respectively.
Great Hunter skipped the Preakness, but was confirmed as a starter in the Belmont. Great Hunter suffered a chipped ankle in his right front leg during a workout in preparation for the Belmont. The injury required surgery and a long recovery period.
Great Hunter returned to training in November and ran in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes
at Santa Anita on December 26, 2007. The colt placed 11th, just ahead of Cobalt Blue
.
at Santa Anita on February 2, 2008. On March 1, 2008, Great Hunter again disappointed, placing 8th in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap
.
Despite his lackluster performances since returning to training, Great Hunter was shipped to Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
in Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
, to participate in the 2008 GI Dubai World Cup
. Great Hunter performed well through most of the race, moving up at the top of the stretch, but then flattened out at the eighth pole and placed fifth. The horse had only one unplaced start in 2009 and was retired to stud in 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
. He was sold by his breeder through the September 2005 Keeneland Sales
Keeneland Sales
The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...
to Ilona Whetstone. The colt was resold in June 2006 to J. Paul Reddam
J. Paul Reddam
John Paul Reddam B.A. M.A. Ph.D. is a former professor of philosophy at California State University, Los Angeles and a businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner.Known by his middle name, J...
for $550,000 but has been the subject of a legal dispute following a lien
Lien
In law, a lien is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation...
claim by Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank is a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the principal subsidiary of holding company Fifth Third Bancorp ....
for indebtedness of the financially-strapped Ilona Whetstone.
Career
Racing at age two, Great Hunter's success came under Reddam's ownership and trainer Doug O'Neill. He won the 2006 Grade IGraded 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...
Lane's End Breeders' Futurity
Lane's End Breeders' Futurity
The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is run at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the...
in which he defeated both Circular Quay
Circular Quay (horse)
Circular Quay is a thoroughbred racehorse who was a 2007 Kentucky Derby contender. The son of 1995 Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch is owned by Michael Tabor and trained by Todd Pletcher....
and Street Sense
Street Sense (horse)
Street Sense is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt and winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the 2007 Travers Stakes and runner up in the 2007 Preakness Stakes by a head. Owned and bred by James B...
but then finished third behind them in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships....
.
2007
In 2007 Great Hunter won the Grade II Robert B. Lewis StakesRobert B. Lewis Stakes
The Robert B. Lewis Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Raced over a distance of 11/16 miles on dirt, the Grade II race is open to three-year-old horses...
then was fifth 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....
after he ran into severe difficulty from two other horses and had to be taken up sharply by his jockey, Corey Nakatani
Corey Nakatani
Corey S. Nakatani is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He got his big break in 1990 when he rode Itsallgreektome to win big stakes races.Nakatani currently resides at Belmont Park...
.
Great Hunter and stablemate Liquidity ran in the May 5 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...
, and the pair came in 13th and 14th, respectively.
Great Hunter skipped the Preakness, but was confirmed as a starter in the Belmont. Great Hunter suffered a chipped ankle in his right front leg during a workout in preparation for the Belmont. The injury required surgery and a long recovery period.
Great Hunter returned to training in November and ran in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes
Malibu Stakes
The Malibu Stakes is a race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses of either gender held each December at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
at Santa Anita on December 26, 2007. The colt placed 11th, just ahead of Cobalt Blue
Cobalt blue
Cobalt blue is a cool, slightly desaturated blue color, historically made using cobalt salts of alumina. It is used in certain ceramics and painting; the different cobalt pigment smalt, based on silica, is more often used directly in tinted transparent glasses...
.
2008 and 2009
On January 12, 2008, Great Hunter managed a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 San Fernando Stakes at Santa Anita. Great Hunter then placed fourth in the Grade 2 Strub StakesStrub Stakes
The Strub Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California each year.Currently a Grade II stakes race with a purse of $300,000, it is open to horses, age four, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the synthetic surface of Santa Anita and offers...
at Santa Anita on February 2, 2008. On March 1, 2008, Great Hunter again disappointed, placing 8th in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap
Santa Anita Handicap
The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season...
.
Despite his lackluster performances since returning to training, Great Hunter was shipped to Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse is a former Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It has a 2,200 metre left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, to participate in the 2008 GI Dubai World Cup
Dubai World Cup
The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and from 2010 at the Meydan Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates...
. Great Hunter performed well through most of the race, moving up at the top of the stretch, but then flattened out at the eighth pole and placed fifth. The horse had only one unplaced start in 2009 and was retired to stud in 2010.