Cougar II (1966–1989) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

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 ...

who also competed in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where he was inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

. Cougar was noted for his late running style and versatility, winning major stakes races on both dirt and turf. Following his relocation from Chile to the United States, he was registered as ''Cougar II.''

Background

Cougar was sired by Tale of Two Cities, a son of

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, winner of the 1944

St. Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...

and the

Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current (2023) champion is Fra ...

. He was muscular with a long tail that touched the ground, uncommon for most horses of this time.

Racing career

Cougar raced in the late 1960s in Chile and was brought to the United States in 1970. He lost his first two U.S. starts but then won a race on the dirt followed by one on the turf. On future Hall of Fame inductee

Charlie Whittingham Charles Edward Whittingham (April 13, 1913 – April 20, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred race horse trainer who is one of the most acclaimed trainers in U.S. racing history. Early career Born in Chula Vista, California, Whittingham began wor ...

's advice, Mary F. Jones then purchased the horse from Joe Hernandez for $125,000. Conditioned by Whittingham, Cougar scored his first stakes win in the 1970

Escondido Handicap The Cougar II Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of one and one-half miles on the dirt, scheduled annually in late July or early August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event ...

. In 1971, he won the

San Juan Capistrano Handicap The San Juan Capistrano Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of run on the turf track held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in June. The event currently offers a purse o ...

on grass over turf star Fort Marcy and defeated him again later in the season in the Ford Pinto Invitational Turf Handicap. In 1972, he won the

Century Handicap The Century Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1901 through 1909 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Brooklyn, New York. A Weight for Age race open to horses age three and older, it was contested on dirt over a distance ...

Oak Tree Invitational Stakes The John Henry Turf Championship Stakes (renamed for John Henry who won it three times) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the Oak Tree Racing Association's Autumn Meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is r ...

, and Carlton F. Burke Handicap en route to receiving the 1972

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected A ...

American Champion Male Turf Horse The American Champion Male Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. The award originated in 1953 when the ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) named Iceberg II their champion. The Thoroughbred Racing Association (TRA) added the cat ...

. In 1973, Cougar won the

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for old ...

on dirt after finishing second in that race the two previous years. He retired at the end of the season with over $1 million in earnings, making him the first foreign-bred horse to achieve that milestone in the U.S; his achievement was underlined by the fact that there had only been 13 equine millionaires by that time.

Stud record

At stud, Cougar initially stood at

Spendthrift Farm Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm and burial site in Lexington, Kentucky, currently owned by Eric & Tammy Gustavson. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs ...

. He was later transferred to Stone Farm and sired his most famous offspring,

Gato Del Sol Gato Del Sol (February 23, 1979 – August 7, 2007) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his win in the 1982 Kentucky Derby. Background Gato Del Sol was a gray horse foaled at Stone Farm in Paris, Kentucky. He was sired by the ...

, who won the 1982

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 ...

. During his stallion career, Cougar produced 24 stakes winners. In June 1989, he died at the age of 23.

Honors

In 2006, the Historic Review Committee of the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame selected Cougar II as a Hall of Fame inductee. In his honor,

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is an event venue in Del Mar, California. It hosts the annual San Diego County Fair. The venue sits on a property along the Pacific Ocean coastline. It includes the Del Mar Racetrack, built in 1936 by the Del Mar Thoroug ...

renamed the Escondido Handicap the

Cougar II Handicap The Cougar II Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of one and one-half miles on the dirt, scheduled annually in late July or early August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event ...

in 2007.

References

Cougar II's pedigree and partial racing stats
1966 racehorse births 1989 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Chile Racehorses trained in the United States American Grade 1 Stakes winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 7 Horse racing track record setters {{Racehorse-stub