Squirtle Squirt
Encyclopedia
Squirtle Squirt is an American
Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. He was out of the mare Lost The Code, by the multiple Grade I
winner, Lost Code. He was sired by the 1991 Hollywood Gold Cup
winner Marquetry who also sired the 1999 Breeders' Cup Sprint
winner, Artax
. Marquetry was a son of the 1982 American Horse of the Year and Belmont Stakes
winner, Conquistador Cielo
.
Consigned to the 1998 Keeneland November sale
, Squirtle Squirt was sold to Donna Wormser for $30,000. She put him up for auction again at the March 2000 Barretts Auction of two-year-olds-in-training sale where David Lanzman paid $25,000 for the colt with a bad knee. Lanzman turned him over to trainer Jose Garcia, Jr. for race conditioning. In his two-year-old season, Squirtle Squirt won five of his eight starts including the Grade III Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes
in July. In November he underwent surgery for a persistent knee problem after which his new owner sent him to trainer Bobby Frankel.
In 2001, Squirtle Squirt raced exclusively in sprint races
, winning three of his six starts and finishing a close second in the others. Sent east to the Saratoga Race Course
in Saratoga Springs, New York
, on August 25th the colt won the Grade I King's Bishop Stakes
. He then finished second in the Vosburgh Stakes
at Belmont Park
where he remained for that year's Breeders' Cup
. Entered in the six furlong Breeders' Cup Sprint
, Squirtle Squirt defeated a strong field that included horses such as Xtra Heat
(2nd), Caller One (3rd), and the 7:2 betting
favorite, Kona Gold
. For trainer Bobby Frankel, it marked his first win in a Breeders' Cup race after thirty-eight starters.
For his 2001 performances, Squirtle Squirt was voted the Eclipse Award
as the American Champion Sprint Horse.
At age four, Squirtle Squirt won two of four starts with his best Graded stakes result a second place finish in the G2 Palos Verdes Handicap
. Retired to stud
, Squirtle Squirt stands at Iburi Stallion Station
on the island of Hokkaidō
in Japan
.
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...
. He was out of the mare Lost The Code, by the multiple Grade I
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...
winner, Lost Code. He was sired by the 1991 Hollywood Gold Cup
Hollywood Gold Cup
The Hollywood Gold Cup is an American Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions...
winner Marquetry who also sired the 1999 Breeders' Cup Sprint
Breeders' Cup Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs , the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World...
winner, Artax
Artax (horse)
Artax is a retired American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Artax then equaled the record for the Breeders' Cup Sprint set in 1973 as well as the host Gulfstream Park track record that had stood for twenty-six years...
. Marquetry was a son of the 1982 American Horse of the Year and Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
winner, Conquistador Cielo
Conquistador Cielo
Conquistador Cielo was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Purchased as a yearling for $150,000 by Henryk de Kwiatkowski, he was trained by Woody Stephens. Racing as a two-year-old, Conquistador Cielo won two races in his four starts...
.
Consigned to the 1998 Keeneland November sale
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...
, Squirtle Squirt was sold to Donna Wormser for $30,000. She put him up for auction again at the March 2000 Barretts Auction of two-year-olds-in-training sale where David Lanzman paid $25,000 for the colt with a bad knee. Lanzman turned him over to trainer Jose Garcia, Jr. for race conditioning. In his two-year-old season, Squirtle Squirt won five of his eight starts including the Grade III Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes
Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes
The Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early July at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. Open to two-year-old horses, the Grade III event is contested on synthetic over a distance of six furlongs...
in July. In November he underwent surgery for a persistent knee problem after which his new owner sent him to trainer Bobby Frankel.
In 2001, Squirtle Squirt raced exclusively in sprint races
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
, winning three of his six starts and finishing a close second in the others. Sent east to the Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
in Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, on August 25th the colt won the Grade I King's Bishop Stakes
King's Bishop Stakes
The King's Bishop Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to three-year-olds willing to sprint seven furlongs on dirt. The race is a Grade I event and carries a purse of $250,000...
. He then finished second in the Vosburgh Stakes
Vosburgh Stakes
The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender...
at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
where he remained for that year's 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...
. Entered in the six furlong Breeders' Cup Sprint
Breeders' Cup Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs , the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World...
, Squirtle Squirt defeated a strong field that included horses such as Xtra Heat
Xtra Heat
Xtra Heat is a retired American Thoroughbred Champion filly racehorse. She was owned by Kenneth Taylor, Harry Deitchman, and her trainer, John Salzman, Sr....
(2nd), Caller One (3rd), and the 7:2 betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
favorite, Kona Gold
Kona Gold
Kona Gold was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.Kona Gold was foaled at Carlos Perez's Twilite Farm outside LaGrange, Kentucky. He was sold as a yearling for $35,000 at the 1995 Keeneland September yearling sale to trainer Bruce Headley on behalf of a partnership that included Headley,...
. For trainer Bobby Frankel, it marked his first win in a Breeders' Cup race after thirty-eight starters.
For his 2001 performances, Squirtle Squirt was voted the 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 American Champion Sprint Horse.
At age four, Squirtle Squirt won two of four starts with his best Graded stakes result a second place finish in the G2 Palos Verdes Handicap
Palos Verdes Handicap
The Palos Verdes Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade II event, it is open to horses age four and up, willing to race six furlongs on dirt. It carries a purse of $150,000.In 1971, the Palos Verdes...
. Retired to stud
Stud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
, Squirtle Squirt stands at Iburi Stallion Station
Iburi Stallion Station
Iburi Stallion Station is a Japanese thoroughbred horse farm located on the island of Hokkaidō. Operated by the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association , it is located in Iburi Prefecture....
on the island of Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.