Geaux Rocket Ride (April 4, 2020 – November 1, 2023) 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 who won 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 ...

Haskell Stakes at

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease ...

in 2023 as a three-year-old.

Background

Geaux Rocket Ride was a

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 ...

colt that was bred in Kentucky, United States by OXO Equine in 2020. He was sired by

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

-bred

Candy Ride Candy Ride (foaled September 27, 1999 in Argentina) is a retired Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse who went undefeated in six starts on both turf and dirt racing surfaces in Argentina and the United States. In Argentina, he won the Gran Premio ...

, winner of the 2003

Pacific Classic Stakes The Pacific Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually August or September at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. This Grade I race is open to horses, age three and up, which race one and one-quarter miles on the ...

. Geaux Rocket Ride earned Candy Ride his 18th Group 1/Grade I victory. Candy Ride stands at

Lane's End Farm Lane's End Farm is a Thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Versailles, Kentucky established in 1979. The original land was part of Bosque Bonita Farm and was originally owned by Abraham Buford, a Confederate Army general. The land was later boug ...

for $75,000. Out of the

Uncle Mo Uncle Mo (March 10, 2008 – December 19, 2024) was an American champion Thoroughbred racehorse who went undefeated in his two-year-old season and was named the American Champion Two-Year-Old of 2010. However, his three-year-old season was disrup ...

mare Beyond Grace, Geaux Rocket Ride was purchased from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale by James Bernhard for $350,000. James Bernhard later bought the historic Pin Oak Stud in Kentucky in November 2022 and registered the horse under the stud's ownership. Beyond Grace was a full-sister to SP Mighty Mo, and was out of Flowers Athefinish, a half to Grade III winner Lotus Pool and Grade I placed Golden Larch. In 2023 the mare produced a filly by Rowayton earlier this season and was bred back to Instilled Regard.

Career

Geaux Rocket Ride debuted with an eye-catching -length victory going six furlongs at Santa Anita on January 29, 2023, before coming home a respectable second to

Practical Move Practical Move (April 30, 2020 – October 31, 2023) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Grade I Santa Anita Derby and Grade II San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park in 2023 as a three-year-old. Background Practical Move was a ba ...

in the -furlong GII

San Felipe Stakes The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in early -March, it is raced at a distance of one and one-s ...

on March 4. Geaux Rocket Ride missed the GI

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 ...

because of a fever with

winning the

. Geaux Rocket Ride once again found the winner's circle in the Santa Anita's Listed Affirmed Stakes on June 4. His next start would be his grade 1 debut in the Haskell Stakes. It was the first time his trainer Richard Mandella had run a horse in the Haskell since the year 2000 when he ran that years winner Dixie Union. Among his rivals were the

2023 Kentucky Derby The 2023 Kentucky Derby (branded as the 149th Running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve for sponsorship reasons) was the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. It took place on May 6, 2023, the first Saturday in May, in Louisvil ...

Mage Mage most commonly refers to: * Mage (paranormal) or magician, a practitioner of magic derived from supernatural or occult sources * Mage (fantasy) or magician, a type of character in mythology, folklore, and fiction * Mage, a character class in ...

and Arabian Knight who despite not racing since February was the post time favorite. Arabian Knight broke the fastest with Salute the Soldier while Geaux Rocket Ride rested a few lengths behind them. He got on even terms when they reached the far turn and past him at the top of the stretch. Mage would mount a challenge on the outside but Geaux Rocket successfully held him off to win his first Grade 1. Geaux Rocket Ride did not stay on the east coast for the Travers Stakes and the plan was always to bring him back to California for his next race. The Pacific Classic would be a new challenge for Geaux Rocket Ride as it was the first time he would go the classic distance of 1 1/4 and the first time he would face against older horses. He would have another match against Arabian Knight where the race initially started the same way as the Haskell. Arabian Knight took the lead but this time had no one to challenge him early and Geaux Rocket Ride stalked in third. Geaux Rocket Ride would charge late on the outside but this time was unable to catch Arabian Knight and lost by a neck.

Injury and death

In preparation for the Breeders' Cup, Geaux Rocket Ride sustained a serious condylar fracture during a morning run at Santa Anita Park. On November 1, 2023, Pin Oak Stud announced that Geaux Rocket Ride had been euthanized. He was 3.

Statistics

''Notes:''
An (*) asterisk after the odds means Geaux Rocket Ride was the post-time favorite.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2 2020 racehorse births 2023 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 1-n American Grade 1 Stakes winners Animal deaths by euthanasia