Closing Argument (born April 4, 2002, in Florida) is a retired Thoroughbred

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 pr ...

. The son of Successful Appeal won the 2005 Holy Bull Stakes and finished third in the Blue Grass Stakes before competing in the

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-year ...

Triple Crown races

On May 7, 2005, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin ran Closing Argument in the

2005 Kentucky Derby The 2005 Kentucky Derby was the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 7, 2005, and was won by Giacomo, a longshot at odds of 50–1. Another longshot, Closing Argument, finished second, resulting in an exacta payout of $ ...

. With jockey

Cornelio Velásquez Cornelio H. Velásquez (born September 28, 1968, in Panama City, Panama) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He was introduced to horse racing at age fifteen by trainer Carlos Salazar Guardia in his native Panama and enrolled in t ...

aboard, the colt went off as the longest shot on the board at 72:1 odds. He broke from post 18 and bobbled while drifting out but moved up to sixth right behind the leaders as they passed the grandstand for the first time. Around the first turn, he was pushed out nine wide. Down the backstretch and going into the final turn, he inched up to fourth, making his way closer to the rail. Around that turn, he was in the four path and sprinted into first at the top of the stretch. One hundred yards from the wire, Giacamo closed to beat Closing Argument by a half length. It was less than another half length back to eventual Eclipse Award Champion

Afleet Alex Afleet Alex (born May 9, 2002 in Florida) is an American thoroughbred race horse who, in 2005, won two of America's classic races, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. He is owned by the Cash Is King Stable partnership, was trained by ...

in third. In the second leg of the Triple Crown, Closing Argument was fourth choice in a field of 14 at odds of 7:1. In the

2005 Preakness Stakes The 2005 Preakness Stakes was the 130th running of the Preakness Stakes thoroughbred horse race. The race took place on May 21, 2005, and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network. Afleet Alex, who was jockeyed by Jeremy ...

at Pimlico Race Course, he chased the pace just off the leaders as he did in the Derby in fifth. But at the seven furlong mark, he faded from contention and finished ninth behind

and seven others. Closing Argument did not race in the

2005 Belmont Stakes The 2005 Belmont Stakes was the 137th running of the Belmont Stakes. The race, known as the "test of the champion" and sometimes called the "final jewel" in thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown series. It was held on June 11, 2005, three we ...

. He was retired for 2006 with a record of 3-3-2 in nine career starts and earnings of $986,984. Closing Argument stood at stud at Sequel Stallion in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

, until 2008, when he was moved to

Hill 'n' Dale Farms Hill 'n' Dale Farms is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm with operations in Canada and the United States. History Hill 'n' Dale was founded in 1960 in Ontario, Canada by Czechoslovakian immigrant John Sikura, Jr. Following John's death in a ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

Pedigree

References

Closing Argument's pedigree and partial racing stats
2002 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 4-r {{racehorse-stub