Wicked Strong (foaled April 28, 2011 in Kentucky) is an American

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. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse. He established himself as a contender for the

2014 Kentucky Derby The 2014 Kentucky Derby was the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race was scheduled to start at 6:24 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on May 3, 2014, at Churchill Downs and was run as the eleventh race on a racecard with thirteen races. The ...

with a win in the

Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memorial ...

. He finished fourth in both the Kentucky Derby and the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nickname ...

before winning the

Jim Dandy Stakes The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three over one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. ...

Background

Wicked Strong is a bay colt with a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

bred in Kentucky by William F. Lynn. He is one of the best horses sired by

Hard Spun Hard Spun (foaled May 10, 2004 near Malvern, Pennsylvania) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse that finished second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. Background Hard Spun is a bay horse with a white star standing 16.2 hands high. He is from one of ...

, who finished second in the

2007 Kentucky Derby The 2007 Kentucky Derby was the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 5, 2007. The announced attendance was 156,635, the third largest in Derby history.

before winning the King's Bishop Stakes. Hard Spun's other progeny includes CCA Oaks and

Alabama Stakes The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, it c ...

winner

Questing Letterboxing is an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art, and puzzle solving. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly accessible places (like parks) and distribute clues to finding the box in printed catalog ...

. His dam, Moyne Abbey was a half sister to the Grade III winner Gulch Approval and a descendant of the influential broodmare Lisette, making her a distant relative of

Snow Chief Snow Chief (March 17, 1983 in California – May 18, 2010) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Snow Chief was bred by Carl Grinstead. In 1984, retired vaudevillian and successful real estate investor Ben Rochelle bought ...

, Al Bahathri and Haafhd. Originally named Moyne Spun, the colt was sent to the yearling sale at Keeneland in September 2012. He was bought for $375,000 by Centennial Farms, a group from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

who renamed their purchase "Wicked Strong". "Boston Strong" became a rallying cry for the city after the 2013 Marathon bombings, while "Wicked" is Bostonian for "very".

Racing career

2013: two-year-old season

Wicked Strong made his racecourse debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

on September 21. Ridden by

Edgar Prado Edgar S. Prado ( Lima, June 12, 1967) is a Peruvian-born American jockey, a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. His big break came in 1997 when he won 536 races, making him the fourth rider in history to win 500 races ...

, he started slowly but made steady progress and finished second, five and a half

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most Measurement system, systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit f ...

behind winner Manhattan Johnnie. In the following month, he was moved up in distance for a one-mile maiden at the same track. Prado moved the colt up to dispute the lead on the outside with five sixteenths of a mile left to run. Wicked Strong gained the advantage after a brief struggle with Endowment Manager and recorded his first success, winning by two lengths from Cool Samurai. Wicked Strong was moved up in class for his final start of the year, the

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct on November 30 in which

Rajiv Maragh Rajiv Maragh (born July 9, 1985, in Spanish Town, Jamaica) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. An Indo-Jamaican, he is the son of a jockey who rode in Jamaica before relocating to Florida where he began a career as a horse trainer. ...

took over from Prado. He started awkwardly but finished well to take third, beaten a nose and half a length by Honor Code and Cairo Prince despite tossing his head and shying away from his rider's

stick Stick or the stick may refer to: Thin elongated objects * Twig * The weapon used in stick fighting * Walking stick, a device to facilitate balancing while walking * Shepherd's crook * Swagger stick * Digging stick * Swizzle stick, used to sti ...

in the straight.

2014: three-year-old season

Wicked Strong began his second season with two runs at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

. In January, he started the 4.3/1 third favorite for the Grade II

Holy Bull Stakes The Holy Bull Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses run over the distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt, held annually in January at Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida. The event c ...

but was never in contention and was eased down in the closing stages by his rider

Javier Castellano Javier Castellano (born October 23, 1977, in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Castellano began his riding career in 1996 at Santa Rita and La Rinconada racecourses in Venezuela. In June 1997 ...

to finish ninth of the eleven runners behind Cairo Prince.

Jose Lezcano Jose Lezcano (born April 20, 1985 in Panama) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He rides in New York in the spring, summer and fall and spends the winter in Florida. His big break came in 2008 when he won a Breeders' Cup race. Ca ...

became the fourth jockey to ride the colt when he was dropped in class to contest an allowance race on February 22. He appeared outpaced in the early stages but passed tiring rivals in the straight and finished fourth of the ten runners behind Constitution. In April, Wicked Strong was moved north for the Grade I Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct, a major trial race for the Kentucky Derby. The betting market was dominated by the unbeaten colts Social Inclusion and Samraat, and Wicked Strong, ridden by Maragh, started at 9.2/1. The colt settled on the inside before switching out and turning into the straight in fourth place. He overtook Social Inclusion inside the final furlong and drew away to win "readily" by three and a half lengths. In the

, Wicked Strong, the 6.5/1 second favorite, drew number 20 post position, on the far outside of the field. Jerkens admitted that the draw was disadvantageous and commented that " my dad was bummed about it" but also said that "at least he won't have anybody from the outside banging him in there". After stumbling on leaving the

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

Wicked Strong was forced five wide on the first turn and was towards the back of the field for most of the way. He was in tenth place with a quarter mile left to run but made steady progress to finish fourth behind

California Chrome California Chrome (foaled February 18, 2011) is a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who won the 2014 Kentucky Derby, 2014 Preakness Stakes, Preakness Stakes, and 2016 Dubai World Cup. He was the 2014 and 2016 American Hor ...

, Commanding Curve and Danza. Wicked Strong's connections opted to bypass the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Graded stakes race, Grade I race run over a distance of ...

and reappeared in the

on June 7 when he was one of ten colts attempting to prevent California Chrome from winning the Triple Crown. Starting the 5.3/1 second favorite he raced in mid-division before turning into the straight in sixth. He made steady progress on the wide outside in the closing stages but never looked likely to win, eventually dead-heating with California Chrome for fourth, two lengths behind the winner

Tonalist Tonalist (foaled February 11, 2011) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2014 Belmont Stakes, beating the favored California Chrome, who was attempting to win the Triple Crown. Tonalist won the Peter Pan Stakes in M ...

. On July 26, Wicked Strong started second favorite behind Tonalist in the

over nine furlongs at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...

. Equipped with blinkers for the first time he raced much closer to the lead than usual, went to the front approaching the final turn and won by two and a quarter lengths from Tonalist. After the race, Jerkens said "I don't think

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

worked any better than this horse does in the morning. I know the talent's there. It's just getting him to put it all together." In the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internati ...

on August 23, he started joint-second-favourite with Tonalist behind the

Haskell Invitational Stakes The Haskell Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles on the dirt held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event is a signature event at Monmouth ...

winner

Bayern Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

. He stalked the pace set by Bayern and took the lead at the one mile pole, but though he again defeated Tonalist, he was nipped at the wire in a photo finish by stablemate V.E. Day. After becoming the first trainer since

Nick Zito Nicholas Philip Zito (born February 6, 1948, in New York City, New York) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. Zito began his career as a hot walker and worked his way up to a groom, to an assistant trainer, and to a trainer. His first to ...

to send out a 1–2 in the race, Jerkens commented "I just feel bad for Wicked Strong; that's the only thing, he ran so hard." On September 27 Wicked Strong faced Tonalist, V.E. Day and the leading older horse Moreno in the Jockey Club Gold Cup over ten furlongs at Belmont. He was travelling well just behind the leaders when he was cut off by Moreno approaching the final turn, clipped heels, and unseated his jockey Rajiv Maragh. Maragh suffered a broken arm in the fall, but the horse appeared to come out of the race without injury; Moreno finished fourth, but was disqualified due to interference and placed last.

2015: four-year-old season

Wicked Strong made his 2015 debut in the

Gulfstream Park Handicap The Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (formerly known as the Gulfstream Park Handicap) is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt. A Grade II event ...

in March and finished fourth behind Honor Code. He finished third behind Effinex in the Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct in April, and then finished fifth of the ten runners, again behind Honor Code, in the

Metropolitan Handicap The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile", is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile (8 fu ...

in June. He finished second in the Forbidden Apple Stakes, fourth in the

Whitney Handicap The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...

, third in the

Woodward Stakes The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. It is named for prominent racehorse owner William Woodward. The race was first run in 1954 at Aqueduct Rac ...

, and second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He made the final start of his career in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, running fourth to

Liam's Map Liam's Map (foaled 14 March 2011) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Unraced as a juvenile, he won three of his four races in 2014 without being tested against top-class opposition. As a four-year-old he emerged as one of the best horses in ...

Retirement and stud career

Before his start in the 2015

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North American t ...

, it was announced that

Spendthrift Farm Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm and burial site in Lexington, Kentucky, currently owned by Eric & Tammy Gustavson. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ...

had acquired Wicked Strong's breeding rights, and that he would retire at the end of the year to assume stallion duties at the farm beginning in 2016. Wicked Strong was bred to 190 mares in his first book, second only to

American Pharoah American Pharoah (foaled February 2, 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2015. He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and in winning all four races, became the first ho ...

among first year stallions. His first foal, a colt out of mare Circle My Name (by Ophidian), was born on New Year's Day. Wicked Strong's 2017 stud fee was set at $10,000, but has dropped to $6,000 for 2020 due to low quality foals in 2018 and 2019.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 2011 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 9-e