Acatenango (1982–2005) was a German

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

. Sired by the Deutsches Derby winner and German Champion sire,

Surumu Surumu (26 February 1974 – 3 November 1999) was a German Thoroughbred racehorse and an important Sire (horse), sire. Background Surumu, a Chestnut (coat), chestnut, was foaled in 1974 at Andreas Jacobs, the Jacobs family's Gestüt Fährhof nea ...

, he was out of the English mare Aggravate. Acatenango's ancestry includes German Champion sire Dark Ronald, the French Champion sire, Tantieme, English Triple Crown champion Gainsborough, and the most influential

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sire, Nearco. Racing in 1984 at age two, Acatenango's best finish was a third in the Ratibor-Rennen at

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its c ...

. In 1985 he embarked on a thirteen-race winning streak that tied a European record held by Ardross and

Brigadier Gerard Brigadier Gerard is the hero of a series of 17 historical short stories, a play, and a major character in a novel by the British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Brigadier Etienne Gerard is a Hussar officer in the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars ...

. Included in his wins were the Grosser Bavaria Preis, a listed race at Munich Racecourse, and the important

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

Aral-Pokal (known as the Grosser Preis von Bayern since 1998) at the Gelsenkirchen Racecourse in

Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen (, , ; ) is the List of cities in Germany by population, 25th-most populous city of Germany and the 11th-most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher, Emscher River (a tribu ...

. Acatenango's most important win that year came in the Deutsches Derby, the equivalent of the United Kingdom's

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

and America's

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

. His performances earned him 1985 German Horse of the Year honors. In 1986, Acatenango continued his winning streak. Usually ridden in Germany by

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

Andrzej Tylicki, under jockey Georg Bocskai he won his second Aral-Pokal, defeated

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in winning the Grosser Preis von Berlin, and scored the first of his two consecutive wins in the

Grosser Preis von Baden The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), taking plac ...

, Germany's most prestigious horse race. Racing outside of the country, in 1986

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...

rode Acatenango to victory in the

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at the Saint-Cloud Racecourse in

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. For the second year he was voted German Horse of the Year. In 1987, Acatenango won his second straight Grosser Preis von Baden and was third to winner

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in the Coronation Cup at

Epsom Downs Epsom Downs is an area of chalk downland, chalk upland near Epsom, Surrey; in the North Downs. Part of the area is taken up by the Epsom Downs Racecourse, racecourse; the gallops are part of the land purchased by Stanly Wootton in 1925 and are ...

in England. His performances earned him his third consecutive German Horse of the Year title. Retired to stud duty at his owner's breeding farm, Acatenango was the leading sire in Germany in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001. His sons and daughters include: * Lando, winner of the 1993 Deutsches Derby and the 1995

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

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, the 1997 Deutsches Derby and Grosser Preis von Baden winner * Fraulein, winner in

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of the 2002 E. P. Taylor Stakes. * Blue Canari, winner in France of the 2004 Prix du Jockey Club * Sabiango, won the 2001

Rheinland-Pokal The Grosser Preis von Bayern is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Munich Racecourse over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each yea ...

, 2003 Deutschland-Preis, and in the United States the 2004 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap * Nicaron, won the 2005 Deutsches Derby * Dalicia, won the 2005 Preis der Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, dam of the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom * Wurftaube, won the 1996 German St. Leger, dam of 2011 Deutsches Derby winner Waldpark and Waldmark dam of Masked Marvel Due to declining fertility Acatenango was retired from stud duties in 2004. He was humanely euthanized on 2 April 2005 at the age of 23 following an accident in his paddock.

References

Racing Career

Progeny

2 April 2005 Bloodhorse article on the death of Acatenango
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acatenango (Horse) 1982 racehorse births 2005 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Germany Racehorses trained in Germany German Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Thoroughbred family 11-a