Fraise (1988–2005) was 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 ...

best known for winning the 1992

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

Background

Fraise was a bay horse bred by Allen E. Paulson. He was sired by Strawberry Road, the 1983 Australian Horse of the Year, acquired by Paulson in 1986. His dam, Zalataia, acquired by Paulson in 1983, raced in France and the United States, notably winning the Grand Prix de Deauville and the

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

Oak Tree Invitational Stakes. Fraise, which is French for

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

, was raced by Madeleine Paulson, who won the colt on a wager with her husband by beating him in a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

game.

Racing career

Trained for racing on

turf Sod is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Bill Mott, Fraise did not race at age two but made ten starts in 1991 at age three, notably winning the Round Table Handicap at Chicago's

Arlington Park Arlington Park (formerly known as Arlington International Racecourse) is a former horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Once called the ''Arlington Park Jockey Club'', it was located adjacent to the Illinois Rou ...

. Age four was Fraise's best year in racing when he won five of his ten starts. He got his first

win in the Sword Dancer Handicap at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Springs, New York (state), New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting v ...

on August 8, 1992, setting a course record while winning by four lengths. He followed this up with a fourth-place finish in the

Man o' War Stakes The Man o' War Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four-years-old and older. It is run over a distance of one and three-eighth miles on grass, turf and is scheduled annually for early May at Be ...

and a second place in the Turf Classic Invitational, both at Belmont. On October 31, the mile-and-a-half Breeders' Cup Turf was hosted by Gulfstream Park Racetrack in

Hallandale Beach, Florida Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. It is al ...

. Facing a top-class international field, Fraise was sent off at odds of 14-1. He was up against Sky Classic, the even-money favorite from Canada,

Subotica Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...

, that year's winner of the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...

, and two

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

winners,

Dr Devious Dr Devious (10 March 1989 – 7 March 2018) was an Irish-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, race horse and Sire (horse), sire. In a career which lasted from May 1991 until November 1992, he ran fifteen times and won six races. H ...

(1992) and Quest for Fame (1991). Fraise was in the last place for most of the race, then started his move on the far turn with jockey Patrick Valenzuela guiding him through traffic. As they entered the stretch, Valenzuela spotted a small hole on the rail and Fraise responded with a strong drive to win by a nose over Sky Classic (ridden by

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 an ...

). He finished the year in the Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes, in which he was disqualified to second for interference. In the Eclipse Award voting for champion turf male, Fraise finished second to Sky Classic. Fraise returned to racing at age five, starting with a win in the Grade II Pan American Handicap at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. He then suffered a splint injury while finishing third in the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita and missed several months. In October, he finished fifth in the Turf Classic at Belmont, then finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf despite a rough trip. He ended the year in the Grade I

Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes The Hollywood Turf Cup is a Graded stakes race, Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old or older over a distance of one and one-half miles (12 furlongs) on the Grass, turf track scheduled annually in late November at Del Mar R ...

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred horse racing, race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to The Forum (Inglewood, California), the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, winning by a stakes record six lengths. At age six, Fraise raced seven times with one win in the Pan American Handicap before his breeding rights were sold to Japanese interests. Fraise finished his career with a tenth-place finish in the 1994

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

Retirement

In Japan, Fraise entered

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

duty in 1995. He stood for eight years but was largely unsuccessful. Eventually gelded, he was used as a lesson horse at the Olympic Riding Club in Chiba, Japan. In the summer of 2005, original owner Madeleine Paulson provided the

Old Friends Equine Old Friends is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) equine retirement facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). The organization started with one leased paddock and two horses, but it now ...

retirement facility in

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the sixth-most populous city in Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originally called Lebanon whe ...

with a substantial gift to enable them to acquire the horse, bring him home from Japan, and look after him during his retirement years. On November 7, 2005, the seventeen-year-old Fraise died suddenly from a ruptured

blood vessel Blood vessels are the tubular structures of a circulatory system that transport blood throughout many Animal, animals’ bodies. Blood vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to most of the Tissue (biology), tissues of a Body (bi ...

in his

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

. He was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

and his remains were interred in the Old Friends Dream Chase Farm cemetery.

References

{{reflist

External links

Video at YouTube of Fraise winning the 1992 Breeders' Cup Turf
1988 racehorse births 2005 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 6 Breeders' Cup Turf winners Old Friends Equine Retirement