Captain Steve (March 1, 1997 – April 21, 2013) 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 ...

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 ...

. He was bred by Roger Laubach, raised by Cecil "Buddy" Williams, owned by Michael E. Pegram, and trained by

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakne ...

. A

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelate ...

foal by

Fly So Free Fly So Free (March 3, 1988 – September 21, 2003) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. A grandson of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Damascus, he was owned by New York City Broadway theatre producer and music publishing compan ...

out of Sparkling Delite (by Vice Regent), he started 25 times, and earned $6,828,356.

Racing history

At age 2, Captain Steve won the 1999

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 Ire ...

Breeders' Futurity Stakes The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is ru ...

, the Grade I Hollywood Futurity, and the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. He came in third in the Grade II

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 ...

and the Grade III Best Pal Stakes. At age 3, he won the 2000 Grade I

Swaps Stakes The Los Alamitos Derby (formerly the Swaps Stakes) is a race for Thoroughbred horses run annually at Los Alamitos Race Course in Los Alamitos, California. The race is open to three-year-old horses and is contested at one and one-eighth miles on ...

, the Grade II

Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap The Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late September as part of Kentucky Cup Day at Turfway Park in the Cincinnati, Ohio suburb of Florence, Kentucky. A Grade II event for three-year-olds and up, the ...

, and the Iowa Derby. He placed in the Grade I Haskell Invitational Handicap and the Grade II Goodwood Handicap, and came in third in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Classic, the Grade I

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 ...

, the Grade II

Louisiana Derby The Louisiana Derby is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Run in late March, the race is open to horses, age three, willing to race miles on the dirt. It currently o ...

, and the Grade II Santa Catalina Stakes. Captain Steve finished eighth behind winner Fusaichi Pegasus in the 2000

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...

. At age 4, he won the Grade I Donn Handicap and the Group I Dubai World Cup. (UAE) He placed in the then-Grade II Stephen Foster Handicap, and showed in the Grade III San Diego Handicap. From his 25 starts, he won 9, placed three times, and showed seven times.

Stud period

In 2001, he was sold to the

Japan Racing Association The Japan Racing Association ( ja, 日本中央競馬会 Nippon Chūō Keiba Kai, or JRA) is a public company established to operate Chūō Keiba (中央競馬 Central horse racing) and to manage racecourses, betting facilities, and horse-training ...

for $5,000,000 to stand at Shizunai Stud for 1,800,000 Yen.

Origin of name

Captain Steve is named after Captain Steve Thompson, the head of the

Louisville Police Department The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) began operations on January 6, 2003, as part of the creation of the consolidated city-county government in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was formed by the merger of the Jefferson County Pol ...

's criminal investigation division in 1997. After attending the 1997

, owner Michael E. Pegram received a birthday present from his girlfriend. He didn't unwrap the present, which contained a gun, prior to attempting to clear security at the

Louisville International Airport Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport , formerly known as simply Louisville International Airport, is a civil-military airport in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky, Jefferson County, Kentucky. The airport cov ...

the day after the Derby and police arrested Pegram for possession of a

.357 Magnum The .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, .357 S&W Magnum, .357 Magnum, or 9×33mmR as it is known in unofficial metric designation, is a smokeless powder cartridge with a bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. ...

. Pegram's best friend, trainer

, winner of the Kentucky Derby the previous day with Silver Charm, called the Louisville Police Department and spoke with Captain Thompson. After listening to Baffert's story, Captain Thompson intervened with the presiding judge, drove to the police station and picked up Pegram. When the 1997 chestnut son of

came along, Pegram is reported as saying, "I want to name him Captain Steve, after my savior."

Death

Captain Steve died on April 21, 2013, at Schichinohe Stallion Station in northern Japan from acute heart failure. He was 16.

Notes

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References

Captain Steve's pedigree and photoRacing writer Bill Nack on Captain Steve's name
1997 racehorse births 2013 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Dubai World Cup winners Thoroughbred family 20-a