{{Infobox racehorse
, horsename = April Run
, image =
, caption =
, sire =
Run the Gantlet
Run the Gantlet (1968–1986) was an American Champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and noted sire.
Background
He was out of the mare First Feather, whom owner Paul Mellon had purchased as a yearling at a then record price of $90,00 ...
, grandsire =
Tom Rolfe
Tom Rolfe (April 14, 1962 – June 12, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the leading colt of his generation in the United States, winning the Preakness Stakes and being voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Hor ...
, dam = April Fancy
, damsire = No Argument
, sex =
mare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than f ...
, foaled = 1978
, country = Ireland
, colour =
Bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...
, breeder = F. Feeney
, owner =
Diana M. Firestone
Bertram Robert Firestone (August 18, 1931 – July 12, 2021) and Diana Johnson Firestone (born January 26, 1932) of Newstead Farm in Upperville, Virginia were major owner/breeders of Thoroughbred equestrian and flat racing horses. They were voted t ...
, trainer =
François Boutin
François Boutin (21 January 1937 – 1 February 1995) was a French Thoroughbred horse trainer.
The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young age and c ...
Prix Cléopâtre
The Prix Cléopâtre is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs) at Saint- ...
(1981)
Prix de Pomone
The Prix de Pomone is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,500 metres (about 1 mile and 4� ...
(1981)
Prix Vermeille
The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), a ...
(1981)
Turf Classic Invitational Stakes
The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes is a Grade I American Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for three years old and older over a distance of miles on the turf track scheduled annually in late September or early October at Belmont Park in Elm ...
(1981, 1982)
Prix Foy
The Prix Foy is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and i ...
American Champion Female Turf Horse The American Champion Female Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. It is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a female horse (filly or mare) for her performance on grass race courses.
Until 1978 t ...
(1982)
, honours = April Run Stakes at Laurel Park
, updated=
April Run (1978–1994) was an Irish-bred
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
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic ...
who competed internationally and who in 1982 was voted a Champion both in France and the United States.
A granddaughter of U.S. Hall of Famer
Tom Rolfe
Tom Rolfe (April 14, 1962 – June 12, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the leading colt of his generation in the United States, winning the Preakness Stakes and being voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Hor ...
Kilcullen
Kilcullen (), formally Kilcullen Bridge, is a small town on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Ireland. Its population of 3,473 at the 2011 census made it the 12th largest settlement in County Kildare and the fastest growing in the county, hav ...
,
County Kildare
County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the ...
, Ireland. The filly was trained in France by
François Boutin
François Boutin (21 January 1937 – 1 February 1995) was a French Thoroughbred horse trainer.
The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young age and c ...
where she won several important races before finishing a fast-closing third in the 1981
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racec ...
.
She was then shipped to the United States where she won the first of her two consecutive
Turf Classic Invitational Stakes
The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes is a Grade I American Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for three years old and older over a distance of miles on the turf track scheduled annually in late September or early October at Belmont Park in Elm ...
. She finished second in the 1981 Washington, D.C. International, but came back to win the same race in 1982. That same year, she was sent to Japan where she finished third in the
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 wi ...
.
Retired to broodmare service at the end of her four-year-old racing season, April Run was the Dam of 7 foals to race, producing 5 winners. In 1992, she was sent to a breeding farm in Japan. She died on April 28, 1994.