Fleet Indian
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Fleet Indian (March 8, 2001 – October 1, 2011) was an American Champion
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 was named American Champion Older Female Horse at the 2006
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 ...
s, an honor she is best known for.


Background

The dark bay Fleet Indian was bred in New York by the Thomas-Lakin partnership. She was sired by Indian Charlie, winner of the 1998
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 . It is one of t ...
, who was in turn sired by four-time Gr.I winner In Excess. Fleet Indian's dam Hulstleeta was sired by Afleet, the 1987
Canadian Horse of the Year The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honour in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing. Part of the Sovereign Awards program since 1975, ...
. Fleet Indian was known for her large, over-sized frame. Standing at 17 hands high, she was given the nickname "Large Marge". Fleet Indian was sold at auction twice before making her race debut, the first time selling for $40,000 at the 2002 Fasig-Tipton New York Yearling Sale, and again for $230,000 at Ocala's Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. She was again sold at the beginning of 2006 in the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, being bought by Paul H. Saylor for a price tag of $290,000.


Racing career


2004: Sophomore Season

Fleet Indian was originally trained by James "Jimmy" Toner, later being transferred to Todd Pletcher's barn in 2006, during championship season. Fleet Indian did not race as a juvenile. She made her first start at
Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...
on April 9, 2004, in a maiden race, which she won in a hand-ride by over 8 lengths. She won her following three races, and made her graded stakes debut in the
Alabama Stakes The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, i ...
, going into the race undefeated in four starts. The Alabama field was notable in that it featured Ashado, who was named Champion Juvenile Filly the year before, and who would be named Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 2004. Fleet Indian finished a disappointing fifth in the race behind Yearly Report, Ashado, Stellar Jayne, and winner Society Selection. Fleet Indian followed her poor performance with a third-place finish in an allowance the next month. After the allowance, she made her final start of 2004 in the Iroquois Handicap, an ungraded black-type race at
Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...
, finishing fourth.


2005: Four-Year-Old Season

After going 10 months without a race, Fleet Indian opened her career as an older mare in August 2005 in an allowance race at Saratoga, finishing ninth and last of the field. She greatly improved on her recent poor races next-out when she won an allowance, this time at Belmont Park. Afterwards, she again contested the Iroquois Handicap, finishing eighth. This would mark the end of Fleet Indian's poor performances. Fleet Indian won her first stakes race, and first of many, after the Iroquois, when she won the Montauk Handicap at Aqueduct. She closed out her 2005 campaign with another allowance race.


2006: Championship Season

Fleet Indian returned to graded stakes company in the first race of what would become her Championship year. Now trained by Todd Pletcher, Fleet Indian entered the Gr.III Next Move Handicap, one of the favorites in the small field of four. She on the race by just over a length, with a final time of 1:49.32. Following her graded win, Fleet Indian contested another, this time the Gr.III Sixty Sails Handicap. The race favorite, she dominated the field of 8, pulling away in the stretch to win by over 12 lengths. Her next race was the ungraded black-type Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park, a race Fleet Indian was using as a prep for the prestigious Gr.II Delaware Handicap. She won the Obeah by over 7 lengths. Next came the Delaware Handicap. Once again the 2–5 favorite for the race, Fleet Indian broke cleanly from the gate, and led the field early on. She won the race by 5 1/2 lengths in gate-to-wire fashion. Fleet Indian won her first Gr.I race, the Personal Ensign, next out, winning by 4 lengths, again in gate-to-wire fashion. Fleet Indian looked to keep her seven-race winning streak going when she contested the Gr.I Beldame Stakes, a final prep for the
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 ...
. Unlike most of her other races, Fleet Indian was confronted down the stretch by familiar foe Balletto, and the two dueled to the wire. Fleet Indian narrowly prevailed, however, by a head victory over Balletto. Round Pond notable finished third in the race.


2006 Breeders' Cup Distaff

Fleet Indian was made the co-favorite for the 2006 Breeders' Cup Distaff, alongside Pine Island. Fleet Indian broke well, but raced far back in the pack, which was unusual for the mare who typically raced on or close to the lead. Entering the turn, Fleet Indian labored and was pulled up, shortly being vanned off. Entering the stretch, Pine Island dislocated her left front fetlock and fell. Like Fleet Indian, she was rushed onto an equine ambulance and vanned off. After the race, which was won by Beldame Stakes third-place finisher Round Pond, it was discovered that Fleet Indian had suffered a lateral colyndar fracture. Fleet Indian had surgery at Dr. Larry Bramlage's Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...
, and survived her injuries. Pine Island was not so lucky, however, and she was euthanized shortly after the Distaff. Her injuries career-ending, Fleet Indian was retired with a record of 19: 13–0–1 and earnings of $1,704,513. Fleet Indian was named the 2006 American Champion Older Dirt Female Horse for her racing efforts in 2006.


Retirement


Recovery

Fleet Indian was originally supposed to be sold at auction as a broodmare prospect at either Keeneland's November Breeding Stock Sale, but her injury kept her out of the sale. Her injury proved to be worse than initially thought; veterinarians discovered that she had also suffered an injury to her cannon bone. After her second surgery to repair the cannon bone, Fleet Indian's recovery went smoothly. While in recovery, Fleet Indian was bred to champion sire
Storm Cat Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North A ...
.


Broodmare career

Fleet Indian was offered at the 2007 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in foal with a colt by Storm Cat. The now six-year-old mare failed to reach her reserve price, $3.9 million. She was sold privately to Summer Wind Farm after the sale. Fleet Indian produced four foals during her career as a broodmare: * Fleet of Gold (2011 filly by Medaglia d'Oro)- Stakes-placed earner of $106,892 * Storm N Indian (2008 colt by Storm Cat)- Earner of $8,940, failed to win in two starts. Now an eventing horse. * Fleeting Smile (2010 filly by Distorted Humor)- Sent to race in
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
, two-time winner with earnings of £22,469. * Indyan Giving (2009 filly by A.P. Indy)- Unraced. Dam of Game Winner (Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Del Mar Futurity, American Pharoah Stakes)


Death

Champion Fleet Indian was euthanized on the night of October 1, 2011, due to complications from colic. The mare had been sent to Rood and Riddle Hospital a few days prior. Summer Wind Farm, who owned the mare all throughout her retirement, released a statement regarding the passing of fleet Indian- ''"Where do you begin to describe a mare like Fleet Indian? She seemed too grand for words. She was Fleet Indian.'' ''She was an incredible racehorse. She was awe inspiring. She was a champion. She was Fleet Indian.'' ''She broke her leg. She survived. She was a fighter. She was Fleet Indian.'' ''She was a wonderful broodmare. She was a loving mother. Her first foal was a sales topper, no surprise. She was Fleet Indian.'' ''She was big and beautiful. She was kind and gentle. She was Fleet Indian.'' ''She graced our pastures and our lives. Now our hearts break. May God smile on her in heaven. May she live on in our hearts and in her foals. After all, she was Fleet Indian.''"


Honors

In addition to being named an Eclipse Champion, a four-year college scholarship was awarded in Fleet Indian's name. Through the Race for Education program, the scholarship was awarded to a child of a worker in the racing industry. Saratoga Race Course honored the mare by naming a race in her honor, the Fleet Indian Stakes. Run at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, the restricted race is for New York-bred sophomore fillies. The inaugural running of the race was held on August 1, 2007, on what was named "Fleet Indian Day", a day created to promote the scholarship, which was also awarded to its winner that day.{{Cite news, url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/158998/fleet-indian-day-aug-1-at-saratoga, title=Fleet Indian Day Aug. 1 at Saratoga, work=BloodHorse.com, access-date=2017-10-07, language=en


References


Fleet Indian pedigree and partial racing stats
2001 racehorse births 2011 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 1-x Racehorses bred in Virginia Racehorses trained in the United States