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

Strawberry Road Strawberry Road (28 September 1979 – 1 June 1995) was a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who went on to race in Germany, France, the United States, and Japan. Bred in New South Wales, he was by the 'superbly-bred' Whiskey Road ( N ...

, grandsire = Whiskey Road , dam = Claxton's Slew , damsire =

Seattle Slew Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who became the tenth winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American Triple Crown (1977). He is one of only ...

, sex =

Filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

, foaled = 1993 , country = United States , 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, ci ...

, breeder = Allen E. Paulson , owner = Guy and Diane Snowden , trainer = William I. Mott , record = 29: 11-9-3 , earnings =

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

2,962,639 , race = Fantasy Stakes (1996)
Ramona Handicap (1997)

Apple Blossom Handicap The Apple Blossom Handicap is a Graded stakes race, Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for filly, fillies and mares that are four years old or older, run under handicap conditions over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt tra ...

(1998)
Vanity Invitational Handicap (1998)
Louisville Breeders' Cup Handicap (1998)

Fleur de Lis Handicap The Fleur de Lis Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt run annually in late-June or early-July at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. History Th ...

(1998)

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

wins:

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, three years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United Stat ...

(1998) , awards =

American Champion Older Female Horse The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of the ...

(1998) , honours = , updated= Escena (foaled 1993 in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, died 2015) is an American

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 ...

. She had her best season as a five-year-old in 1998 when her wins included the

. In that season she was voted

at the

Eclipse Awards 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 Am ...

Background

Bred and raced by

Allen Paulson Allen Eugene Paulson (April 22, 1922 – July 19, 2000) was an American businessman. Business career in aviation Born in Clinton, Iowa, Allen E. Paulson was on his own at age 13, supporting himself selling newspapers and doing janitorial wo ...

, she was out of the mare Claxton's Slew, a daughter of 1977 U.S. Triple Crown champion

. Her sire was the great international runner

, who was the 1983

Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year The Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year is awarded to the Thoroughbred horse who is voted to be the champion horse within an Australian racing season. This award is open to all racehorses racing within Australia, regardless of age and sex, ...

and the 1984

German Champion Older Male Horse German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ger ...

. Strawberry Road also sired Allen Paulson's Champion filly and 1997

winner

Ajina {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Ajina , image = , caption = , sire = Strawberry Road , grandsire = Whiskey Road , dam = Winglet , damsire = Alydar , sex = Mare , foaled = 1994 , country = United States , colour = Dark Bay , breed ...

. Escena was trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee William I. Mott.

Racing career

Escena raced from age two through age five. She won two of her three starts in her debut season at age two, then at age three earned her first

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...

Oaklawn Park Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track, is an American thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to "The Racing Festival of the South", a four-day series of races that concludes with the ...

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County, Arkansas, Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs ...

, in the 1996 Fantasy Stakes. After finishing second in three Grade I races in 1996, the following year she got her first Grade I win in the Ramona Handicap at

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 ...

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The population was 3,954 ...

. She went on to finish third in the 1997

behind winner and stablemate

. At age five, Escena blossomed into a racing star under

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957) is a retired American Hall of Fame jockey and current NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest jockeys of all time. Early years Bailey was born in Dallas, Texas bu ...

. She won the Grades 1 Vanity Invitational and

s plus at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

, and the Grades II Louisville Breeders' Cup and

s. She capped off her 1998 campaign with a win in the

and was voted

honors.

Retirement

Escena was retired at the end of her 1998 racing campaign and sold to Guy Snowden for $3.25 million at the January 1999 Horses of All Ages Sale at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...

. It was the highest price ever paid for a broodmare or broodmare prospect in Keeneland's history. She remained in service at Allen Paulson's Brookside Farm (now Diamond A Farm) near

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 10,534 according to 2024 ce ...

, where she was born and died of old age in 2015.

References

Escena's pedigree and partial racing stats

February 07, 2000 ''Thoroughbred Times'' article titled ''Champion Escena delivers first foal''
1993 racehorse births 2015 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 13-c Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners Breeders' Cup Distaff winners