Landaluce
Encyclopedia
Landaluce was, for the briefest of moments, a champion American
Thoroughbred
race horse. Landaluce was out of the first crop sired by the great Seattle Slew
, 1977’s Horse of the Year
and the 10th winner of America's Triple Crown
. Her dam was Strip Poker, by Bold Bidder, who was sired by Bold Ruler
.
Bred by Francis Kernan in Kentucky
on Spendthrift Farm
, the yearling Landaluce was chosen at auction for buyers L. R. French and Barry Beal by the Hall of Fame
trainer D. Wayne Lukas
. Her price tag was $650,000. He said he noticed her “tremendous heart girth.” But he also went on a buying spree that year, buying 24 horses for a total of 6 million dollars.
Beal and French named their new filly after a guide on a Spanish
ranch they'd once visited, Francisco Landaluce.
Landaluce turned out to be an immediate sensation. Racing only at two, during that one year she started five times, winning five times. Her combined winning margin was 46 ½ lengths, 21 of those lengths coming in the Grade II
Hollywood Lassie Stakes
.
She debuted at Hollywood Park Racetrack on July 3, 1982 in a 6 furlong
Maiden Special Weight in the very impressive time of 1:08 1/5. (The horse who placed seven lengths behind her, Some Kinda Flirt, won her next race by a huge margin, just as Landaluce had completely and easily outdistanced her.) Her jockey
was the Hall of Famer, Laffit Pincay, Jr.
. Riding her once, Pincay chose to continue riding her. As he said, “Normally, I am not a superstitious man, but I walk around these days hoping nothing happens to her. When I see Wayne Lukas walking towards me, my instinct is to turn away. I am afraid he is going to tell me something has gone wrong. I never want to hear that she has turned a hair.”
Only one week later on the 10th of July she took the 6 furlong Hollywood Lassie in 1:08. Coming into the stretch after battling with the undefeated Barzell, Pincay tapped her on the shoulder and she exploded into another gear on top of another gear. The tape of the race was watched over and over by racing officials as well as by Lukas and the trainers of her competitors. The evidence was irrefutable. She blew away her rivals. Landaluce’s margin of victory remains the greatest ever run in any race, stakes or otherwise, by a two-year-old at Hollywood Park. Her own father at two, Seattle Slew, had taken a race by 9 and 3/4ths lengths. Secretariat
had won a race by eight lengths. But Landaluce had won by 21 lengths. Her time is said to be fastest clocking ever for a juvenile filly in a one turn 6 furlong race.
Lukas was quoted as saying, “You search and you look, and then all of a sudden, it comes, that star, and you know you have been blessed with something special.”
At Del Mar Racetrack
on September 5, she easily outran the field in the one mile Del Mar Debutante Stakes
, and in the process came close to equaling the stakes record. And then she went to Santa Anita Park
for the October 11th running of the 7 furlong Grade II Anoakia Stakes. Again she won easily, outstripping her competition by eight lengths.
Her last race and her last victory (not that anyone knew it; what they knew is that she might be voted Horse of the Year if things continued as they’d begun), was the one and one sixteenth mile Grade I Oak Leaf Stakes
at Santa Anita. Once again, she won easily and by many lengths.
Lukas was now pointing her towards the Grade I Hollywood Starlet Stakes
scheduled to run on November 28. But on November 22, she became ill. Lukas, knowing it was a virus, was still hopeful she’d make the Starlet. But Landaluce had Colitis X, a disease that nearly killed her sire. At that point Lukas hoped she’d make the Hollywood Futurity
. One more day, and all anyone could do was to try to save her life. Steadily weakening from the blood clots formed by a severe bacterial invasion, she died with her head in Lukas’ arms on December 11, 1982.
Landaluce was awarded the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly for 1982. It was given posthumously.
The Hollywood Lassie Stakes was renamed the Landaluce Stakes in her honor and she was buried in the infield at Hollywood Park.
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...
race horse. Landaluce was out of the first crop sired by the great Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
, 1977’s Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
and the 10th winner of America's Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
. Her dam was Strip Poker, by Bold Bidder, who was sired by Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
.
Bred by Francis Kernan in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
on Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion, Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor, Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather of Man o' War.- Famous...
, the yearling Landaluce was chosen at auction for buyers L. R. French and Barry Beal by the Hall of Fame
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...
trainer D. Wayne Lukas
D. Wayne Lukas
Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...
. Her price tag was $650,000. He said he noticed her “tremendous heart girth.” But he also went on a buying spree that year, buying 24 horses for a total of 6 million dollars.
Beal and French named their new filly after a guide on a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
ranch they'd once visited, Francisco Landaluce.
Landaluce turned out to be an immediate sensation. Racing only at two, during that one year she started five times, winning five times. Her combined winning margin was 46 ½ lengths, 21 of those lengths coming 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...
Hollywood Lassie Stakes
Landaluce Stakes
The Landaluce Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first part of July at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California...
.
She debuted at Hollywood Park Racetrack on July 3, 1982 in a 6 furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
Maiden Special Weight in the very impressive time of 1:08 1/5. (The horse who placed seven lengths behind her, Some Kinda Flirt, won her next race by a huge margin, just as Landaluce had completely and easily outdistanced her.) Her jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
was the Hall of Famer, Laffit Pincay, Jr.
Laffit Pincay, Jr.
Laffit Alejandro Pincay, Jr. is a flat racing's all-time winningest jockey. He competed primarily in the United States.-Career:...
. Riding her once, Pincay chose to continue riding her. As he said, “Normally, I am not a superstitious man, but I walk around these days hoping nothing happens to her. When I see Wayne Lukas walking towards me, my instinct is to turn away. I am afraid he is going to tell me something has gone wrong. I never want to hear that she has turned a hair.”
Only one week later on the 10th of July she took the 6 furlong Hollywood Lassie in 1:08. Coming into the stretch after battling with the undefeated Barzell, Pincay tapped her on the shoulder and she exploded into another gear on top of another gear. The tape of the race was watched over and over by racing officials as well as by Lukas and the trainers of her competitors. The evidence was irrefutable. She blew away her rivals. Landaluce’s margin of victory remains the greatest ever run in any race, stakes or otherwise, by a two-year-old at Hollywood Park. Her own father at two, Seattle Slew, had taken a race by 9 and 3/4ths lengths. Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
had won a race by eight lengths. But Landaluce had won by 21 lengths. Her time is said to be fastest clocking ever for a juvenile filly in a one turn 6 furlong race.
Lukas was quoted as saying, “You search and you look, and then all of a sudden, it comes, that star, and you know you have been blessed with something special.”
At Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. Operated by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogan: "Where The Turf Meets The Surf." It was built by a partnership...
on September 5, she easily outran the field in the one mile Del Mar Debutante Stakes
Del Mar Debutante Stakes
The Del Mar Debutante Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race restricted to two-year-old fillies run each year in early September at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California...
, and in the process came close to equaling the stakes record. And then she went to Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
for the October 11th running of the 7 furlong Grade II Anoakia Stakes. Again she won easily, outstripping her competition by eight lengths.
Her last race and her last victory (not that anyone knew it; what they knew is that she might be voted Horse of the Year if things continued as they’d begun), was the one and one sixteenth mile Grade I Oak Leaf Stakes
Oak Leaf Stakes
The Oak Leaf Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at the end of September at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is restricted to two-year-old fillies...
at Santa Anita. Once again, she won easily and by many lengths.
Lukas was now pointing her towards the Grade I Hollywood Starlet Stakes
Hollywood Starlet Stakes
The Hollywood Starlet Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies run each December at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. Currently offering a purse of $400,000, the Grade I event, it was raced on dirt until 2006 when the new synthetic Cushion Track was...
scheduled to run on November 28. But on November 22, she became ill. Lukas, knowing it was a virus, was still hopeful she’d make the Starlet. But Landaluce had Colitis X, a disease that nearly killed her sire. At that point Lukas hoped she’d make the Hollywood Futurity
Hollywood Futurity
The Hollywood Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1981 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The Grade I race is open to two-year-old horses and run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles...
. One more day, and all anyone could do was to try to save her life. Steadily weakening from the blood clots formed by a severe bacterial invasion, she died with her head in Lukas’ arms on December 11, 1982.
Landaluce was awarded the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly for 1982. It was given posthumously.
The Hollywood Lassie Stakes was renamed the Landaluce Stakes in her honor and she was buried in the infield at Hollywood Park.