Princess Rooney
Encyclopedia
Princess Rooney was an American
Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who was the first winner of a Breeders' Cup
race to be inducted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
.
Racing at age two, Princess Rooney won all six of her starts that marked the beginnings of a three-year racing career in which she would finish out of the money only once. In 1983, at age three, she won five of her six races, including the Kentucky Oaks
and finished second one time. At age four, Princess Rooney won five races then secured her first Eclipse Award
as the United States' Champion Older Mare
with a victory in the 1984 Breeders' Cup Distaff
.
Retired after her Breeder's Cup win, in 1985 Princess Rooney was in foal to leading sire
Danzig
when Texan
George Aubin purchased her at the Keeneland Sales
November auction for $5.5 million, at the time the third-highest amount ever paid for a broodmare. Princess Rooney turned out to be less than a success in breeding and ten years later was sold for $130,000 to the Gentry Brothers Farm
near Lexington, Kentucky
in 1995. In 2004 she produced her last foal, House of Words. House of Words is a 2008 winner.
Princess Rooney was euthanized
at Gentry Brothers Farm near Lexington October 7, 2008 due to complications of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis
(EPM). She had been diagnosed with EPM at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital August 1, 2008.
Two of Princess Rooney’s daughters, Rooneys Princess and Rose Tiara, are broodmares at Gentry Brothers. Rooneys Princess' yearling is a Tale of the Cat colt, Rosa Tiara's yearling is a Lion Heart filly.
In 1991, Princess Rooney was inducted into the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Champion
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
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 was the first winner of a Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
race to be inducted into the U.S. Racing 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...
.
Racing at age two, Princess Rooney won all six of her starts that marked the beginnings of a three-year racing career in which she would finish out of the money only once. In 1983, at age three, she won five of her six races, including 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...
and finished second one time. At age four, Princess Rooney won five races then secured her first Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
as the United States' Champion Older Mare
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Female Horse
The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. The Daily Racing Form began naming an annual champion in 1936. Starting in 1950, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations began naming its own champion. The following list provides the name of the horses...
with a victory in the 1984 Breeders' Cup Distaff
Breeders' Cup Distaff
The Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Distaff from its inception in 1984 through 2007, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders'...
.
Retired after her Breeder's Cup win, in 1985 Princess Rooney was in foal to leading sire
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
Danzig
Danzig (horse)
Danzig was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is best known as a leading sire. He was purchased for $310,000 by Henryk de Kwiatkowski at the 1978 Saratoga Yearling Sale...
when Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
George Aubin purchased her at the 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...
November auction for $5.5 million, at the time the third-highest amount ever paid for a broodmare. Princess Rooney turned out to be less than a success in breeding and ten years later was sold for $130,000 to the Gentry Brothers Farm
Gentry Brothers
Gentry Brothers Farm is a Thoroughbred racing and training stable owned by brothers Robert and Bruce Gentry. The Gentry brothers have been involved in both quarter horse and Thoroughbred horse racing for over 35 years...
near 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...
in 1995. In 2004 she produced her last foal, House of Words. House of Words is a 2008 winner.
Princess Rooney was euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
at Gentry Brothers Farm near Lexington October 7, 2008 due to complications of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis
Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, or EPM, is a disease cause by a protozoal infection of the central nervous system of horses.-History:...
(EPM). She had been diagnosed with EPM at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital August 1, 2008.
Two of Princess Rooney’s daughters, Rooneys Princess and Rose Tiara, are broodmares at Gentry Brothers. Rooneys Princess' yearling is a Tale of the Cat colt, Rosa Tiara's yearling is a Lion Heart filly.
In 1991, Princess Rooney was inducted into the United States' National Museum of Racing and 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...
.