Gelding
A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...
, foaled = 1996
, country = United States
, colour =
Gray
Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...
, breeder = Angela Rugnetta
, owner = Gatsas Thoroughbreds
, trainer = Charlie Assimakopoulos John Terranova
, record = 60: 15-10-9
, earnings = $1,824,011
, race = Albany Stakes (1999) Empire Classic Handicap (1999, 2002) Evan Shipman Handicap (2000) Meadowlands Cup Handicap (2001) Kings Point Handicap (2004)
, awards= Champion New York Three-Year-Old (1999) New York Horse of the Year (2000) Champion New York Older Horse (2000)
, honours = The
Gander Stakes
The Gander Stakes is an ungraded stakes race for New York bred Thoroughbred race horses, three-years-old and older, run at Belmont Park or at Aqueduct Racetrack. The Gander serves as a prep for the Evan Shipman Handicap running at Belmont Pa ...
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 ...
run in his honor.
, updated= November 23, 2007
Gander (May 15, 1996 - December 7, 2022) was a
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 ...
race horse
''Race Horse'' was an 1850 clipper barque. She set a record of 109 days from New York to San Francisco during the first Clipper Race around the Horn.
Construction
''Race Horse'' was similar to a barque built by Samuel Hall a few years earlier, ...
by Cormorant (who won eight of his twelve starts) out of Lovely Nurse (a hard-knocker who made one hundred and one starts) by Sawbones. His pedigree includes the top
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
Tom Fool
Tom Fool (March 31, 1949 – August 20, 1976) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1953 American Horse of the Year and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Racing Hall of Fame. He sired the champi ...
,
Count Fleet
Count Fleet (March 24, 1940 – December 3, 1973) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the sixth winner of the American Triple Crown. He won the Belmont Stakes by a then record margin of twenty-five lengths. After an undefeated ...
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
-bred and spent almost his entire racing career of 60 starts in and around New York and
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
. Bred by Angela Rugnetta, and owned by Gatsas Thoroughbreds, Gander was originally trained by Charlie Assimakopoulos, and then by John Terranova. In seven seasons, he made 60 starts and won fifteen times, placed ten times, and came in third nine times, earning $1,824,011.
As a two-year-old he placed in the Damon Runyon Stakes at Aqueduct Race Track.
At three, he won the Albany Stakes at the
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 ...
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 ...
. He also placed in the Paterson Stakes and came third in the
Sam F. Davis Stakes
The Sam F. Davis Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Tampa Bay Downs racetrack in Oldsmar, Florida. The event currently carries a ...
Grade 1
First grade (also 1st Grade or Grade 1) is the first year of formal or compulsory education. It is the first year of elementary school, and the first school year after kindergarten. Children in first grade are usually 6–7 years old.
Examples ...
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race, held at the Saratoga Race Course in the United States, that is open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fal ...
to Albert the Great. He was third to
Lemon Drop Kid
Lemon Drop Kid (May 26, 1996 – December 13, 2024) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Best known for winning the 1999 Belmont Stakes, he was also the champion older horse of 2000 after winning the Brooklyn, Suburban, Whitney H ...
in the Grade I
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade Il stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. It is named for prominent racehorse owner William Woodward.
The race was first run in 1954 at Aqueduct Ra ...
John Velazquez
John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey ...
aboard, also started in the 2000 $4 million
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...
in a field that included
Albert the Great
Albertus Magnus ( 1200 – 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great, Albert of Swabia, Albert von Bollstadt, or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop, considered one of the great ...
Fusaichi Pegasus
Fusaichi Pegasus (, ; April 12, 1997 – May 23, 2023) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2000 Kentucky Derby, and subsequently set a record at auction—selling for US$70 million to Coolmore Stud.
Background
The colt w ...
,
Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway () is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...
,
Lemon Drop Kid
Lemon Drop Kid (May 26, 1996 – December 13, 2024) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Best known for winning the 1999 Belmont Stakes, he was also the champion older horse of 2000 after winning the Brooklyn, Suburban, Whitney H ...
, and
Tiznow
Tiznow (foaled March 12, 1997 in California) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2000 and 2001, becoming the only horse to win this race twice. He was the 2000 American Horse of the Year a ...
Donn Handicap
The Donn Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1959 through 2016 at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destinati ...
Whitney Handicap
The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses four years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...
to Lido Palace.
At the age of six, with Richard Migliore up, he won the Empire classic for the second time, placed in the Woodward Stakes to Lido Palace, and placed in the Kings Point Handicap to Toddler. In the 2002 Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap, Gander stumbled coming out of the gate and lost his jockey, Mike Smith. He ran around the track riderless and crossed the wire but was disqualified, with Evening Attire the official winner of the race.
Seven in 2003, Gander came home second in the Empire Classic and third in the Grade III Stuyvesant Handicap.
At eight, he took the Kings Point Handicap.
In 1999, Gander was the Champion New York Three-Year-old. In 2000, he was the New York Horse of the Year and the Champion New York Older Horse. As a four-year-old in 2000, he was 3-1-2 from 11 starts with earnings of $388,290.
Gander then lived at Stone Bridge Farm in
Schuylerville, New York
Schuylerville () is a village in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The village is located in the northeastern part of the Town of Saratoga, east of Saratoga Springs. It is part of the Capital Region of New York. The Village of Vict ...
. He died peacefully in his sleep due to the infirmities of old age on December 7, 2022.