{{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Bertrando , image = , caption = , sire =

Skywalker The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes lig ...

, dam = Gentle Hands , damsire = Buffalo Lark , sex =

Stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

, foaled = 1989 , country =

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, colour = Dark Bay , breeder = Ed Nahem , owner = Ed Nahem & 505 Farms , trainer = Bruce Headley

Robert J. Frankel Robert Julian Frankel (July 9, 1941 – November 16, 2009) was an American thoroughbred race horse trainer whom ESPN called "one of the most successful and respected trainers in the history of thoroughbred racing."Privman, Jay"Robert Frankel Dies ...

(from late 1992)

John Shirreffs John A. Shirreffs (born June 1, 1945, in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Based in California, Vietnam War veteran John Shirreffs began training Thoroughbreds in 1978. He has won a number of stakes races ...

(1994) , record = 24: 9-6-2 , earnings = $3,185,610 , race =

Del Mar Futurity The Del Mar Futurity is a seven-furlong American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 2007, the race is open to two-year-old horses and offers a purse of $300,000. In 1971, it w ...

(1991)
Norfolk Stakes (1991)

San Felipe Stakes The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in early -March, it is raced at a distance of one and one ...

(1992)
San Fernando Stakes (1993)

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 Ra ...

(1993)

Pacific Classic Stakes The Pacific Classic Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older over a distance of one and one quarter miles on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The even ...

(1993)

Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap The Awesome Again Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old or older over the distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt scheduled annually in September at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. T ...

(1994)
Wickerr Handicap (1994) , awards = U.S. Champion Older Male Horse (1993)
California Horse of the Year (1993) , honours = , updated= April 2, 2014 Bertrando (February 18, 1989 – March 27, 2014)Bertrando, Champion and Top CA Sire, Dies
/ref> was 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 ...

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, ...

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 ...

. A tall colt that grew to 16

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi- fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on ea ...

2 inches, Bertrando was bred by Ed Nahem at River Edge Farm in

Buellton, California Buellton is a small city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is located in the Santa Ynez Valley, west of Solvang. The population was 5,161 at the 2020 census, up from 4,828 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S ...

. He was sired by

, that won the 1986

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the s ...

. Nahem began racing Bertrando in a three-way partnership with Marshall Naify's 505 Farms of

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

, and Gus Headley, son of the horse's trainer, Bruce Headley. En route to being voted California Champion two-year-old colt, Bertrando won the important

and the

Grade I 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 Irel ...

Norfolk Stakes, one of the final preparatory races for two-year-olds going into the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup ...

. In that race, the most important of the year, Bertrando broke quickly and took an early lead. Then, from the back of the 14-horse field, the French colt Arazi began making a move. In what a 2006

National Thoroughbred Racing Association The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is a broad-based coalition of American horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with inc ...

article called "the single-most spectacular performance in Breeders' Cup history", Arazi wove between horses and with two

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use i ...

s to run passed Bertrando to win

Racing in California in 1992, the three-year-old Bertrando won the

and was second to A.P. Indy in the

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is one ...

. As a result of a

respiratory system The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

virus A virus is a wikt:submicroscopic, submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and ...

, the colt did not compete in any of the U.S. Triple Crown races. While Bertrando was sidelined for several months, Gus Headley was bought out of the partnership, and

took over as Bertrando's trainer. Near the end of the year, Bertrando returned to compete in the

Malibu Stakes The Malibu Stakes is a race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses of either gender held each December at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is at a distance of seven furlongs '' and is the first leg of Santa Anita Park's Strub Seri ...

, finishing third. Although his 1992 performances were limited, he earned California Champion three-year-old colt honors. At age four, 1993 was Bertrando's best year in racing. He won the San Fernando Stakes, the

by 13½ lengths, and, while winning the

, broke the track record for 1¼ miles at the

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundin ...

. He also finished second in the

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...

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 furl ...

, and

. In the Classic, he appeared to have the race won when longshot Arcangues came from behind to claim victory. Bertrando's 1993 performances earned him that year's U.S.

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part o ...

and the California Horse of the Year title. Following

arthroscopic surgery Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the ...

on a knee, Bertrando returned to race again at age five. He won the 1994 Wickerr Stakes and

. In his third attempt to win a Breeders' Cup race, he entered the 1994 Classic, where he finished sixth. After two unplaced showings in 1995, Bertrando was retired to River Edge Farm in Buellton, California, where he became a successful sire of a number of stakes-race winners. Bertrando is a direct sire-line descendant of

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and t ...

through his son

War Relic War Relic (1938–1963) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background A homebred of Samuel D. Riddle, his sire was Man o' War who was ranked #1 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. His dam wa ...

. He died from infirmities of old age on March 27, 2014.

References

Bertrando's pedigree and racing stats

* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SMQUzR7H_A The 1991 Breeders' Cup Juvenileon

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1989 racehorse births 2014 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in California Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 4-r Godolphin Arabian sire line