Goodbye Halo (February 12, 1985 – August 23, 2014) 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 ...

and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. A daughter of the noted sire

Halo HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...

, she won 10 graded stakes races over a race career spanning from ages two to four. Following her racing career, she was sent to Japan for broodmare duty and most notably produced the sire King Halo.

Background

Goodbye Halo was a chestnut mare bred in Kentucky by Dr. William O. Reed. Reed was an equine surgeon who most notably performed surgery on Ruffian following her breakdown during her match race with Foolish Pleasure. In addition to practicing veterinary medicine, Reed also bred racehorses at his Mare Haven Farm near

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 ...

. Goodbye Halo was sired by

, a good turf runner who won the 1974 United Nations Handicap and three other stakes races. At stud at

Windfields Farm Windfields Farm was a six square kilometre (1,500 acre) Thoroughbred Stud farm, horse breeding farm that was founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Origin The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor o ...

in Maryland and later Stone Farm in Kentucky, Halo sired 62 stakes winners including

Sunday Silence Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an United States, American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Cr ...

Glorious Song {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Glorious Song , image = , caption = , sire = Halo , grandsire = Hail To Reason , dam = Ballade , damsire = Herbager , sex = Filly , foaled = 1976 , country = Canada , colour = Bay , breeder = E. ...

, Devil's Bag, Saint Ballado, Misty Gallore, and Coup de Folie. As a yearling, Goodbye Halo sold for $47,000 to Lion Crest Stable, acting as an agent.

Racing career

1987: two-year-old season

Goodbye Halo won her first race, a maiden special weight 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 ...

on October 11, 1987, by eight lengths. Just six days later, her connections entered her in the Frizette Stakes, where she finished eighth. Despite that loss, she came back to win the Grade 1

Demoiselle Stakes The Demoiselle Stakes is a stakes race for thoroughbred horses open to two-year-old fillies who are willing to race the one and one-eighth miles on dirt. The Grade II event is run at Aqueduct Racetrack every November for a current purse of $250, ...

. Following her win in the Demoiselle, Goodbye Halo left the barn of her original trainer Jose Martin and was sent to the West Coast to join the barn of Charlie Whittingham. Goodbye Halo's connections opted to skip the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and send her to the Hollywood Starlet Stakes, which she won by lengths. In the voting for

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving ...

, she finished second to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner

Epitome An epitome (; , from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "to the degree of." A ...

1988: three-year-old season

Goodbye Halo began her three-year-old season with a victory in the Grade 3

Santa Ynez Stakes The Santa Ynez Stakes is a Listed American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track held annually in early January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA. The event current ...

on February 3, 1988. The 123-pound highweight and odds-on favorite, she went out to an early lead and easily won by five lengths in a final time of 1:23 for seven furlongs. On February 20, she also won the

Las Virgenes Stakes The Las Virgenes Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over the distance of one mile on the dirt scheduled annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The eve ...

, in which she defeated future

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

winner Winning Colors by a neck. On March 13, she finished third in the Santa Anita Oaks to Winning Colors. Goodbye Halo was then shipped to

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 ...

for the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Frida ...

. She and stablemate Jeanne Jones, coupled for betting purposes, were sent off as 0.9–1 favorites. Goodbye Halo ultimately won the race over Jeanne Jones, with Willa on the Move third. She then spent the summer of 1988 racing in

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 * ...

. In the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes on June 10, Goodbye Halo stalked the early pace-setters from the outside and took the lead in the stretch, winning by lengths over 36–1 longshot Make Change. She also won the Coaching Club American Oaks and finished fourth in the Grade 1

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 ...

. In October, Goodbye Halo ran third in the

Las Palmas Handicap The Goldikova Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three years old or older over the distance of one mile on the turf scheduled annually in November at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California. The event ...

before being shipped back to Churchill Downs 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 ...

. She finished third behind the undefeated

Personal Ensign Personal Ensign (April 27, 1984 – April 8, 2010) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who retired undefeated with 13 wins. At the time, this was the longest win streak for a horse at the elite level of American racing in 80 years. Her come ...

and 1988 Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors. She finished her 1988 campaign back in

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 ...

with a second-place run in the Dahlia Handicap and a fifth-place finish in the

Matriarch Stakes :'' This article is about an American horse race. For the Australian horse race, see Matriarch Stakes (Australia).'' The Matriarch Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are of age thre ...

, both at Hollywood Park.

1989: four-year-old season

Goodbye Halo's four-year-old season began with wins in the

El Encino Stakes The El Encino Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run between 1954 and 2011 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to four-year-old fillies, it was raced over a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on the synthetic Cushion Tra ...

and

La Cañada Stakes The La Cañada Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age four-years-old and older over a distance of one-and-one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track held annually in January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, C ...

at Santa Anita. Two weeks after her win in the La Cañada, she finished second in the

Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap The Santa Margarita Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California for fillies and mares age four and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one and one-eighths mil ...

. In April, she was sent to

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 ...

for the

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 ...

, where she finished second. Returning to California for the summer, Goodbye Halo ran second in the Hawthorne Handicap and third in the Vanity Handicap, both at Hollywood Park. On September 2, she won the Grade 2 Chula Vista Handicap. Following that win, she was again shipped east for a second-place finish in the

Spinster Stakes The Spinster Stakes (also known as the "Juddmonte Spinster" with Juddmonte Farms sponsorship) is an American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three or up run annually in early October at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentuc ...

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 ...

to Bayakoa. Goodbye Halo stumbled at the start and was unable to catch Bayakoa, who was loose on the lead and won the race by lengths. Goodbye Halo closed out her career finishing sixth in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, held 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 ...

Retirement

In January 1990, Goodbye Halo was offered at Keeneland January as a broodmare prospect, where she was bought for $2.1 million by Morio Sakurai and was subsequently sent to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. In 1995, Goodbye Halo produced King Halo, who went on to become a Japanese Group 1 winner and sire. Sired by

Dancing Brave Dancing Brave (11 May 1983 – 2 August 1999) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from the autumn of 1985 until October 1986, he ran ten times and won eight races. Dancing Brave ...

, he won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen as a five-year-old before retiring to stud, where he sired Group 1 winners and , as well as , who is the dam of

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun appears directly above the equator, rather than to its north or south. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise directly east and set directly west. This occurs twice each year, arou ...

Pedigree

{{Pedigree , name=Goodbye Halo, chestnut mare, foaled February 12, 1985{{Cite web, url=http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm/Goodbye%20Halo?page_state=DISPLAY_REPORT&reference_number=1022914®istry=T&horse_name=Goodbye+Halo&foaling_year=1985&dam_name=Pound+Foolish&include_sire_line=Y&nicking_stats_indicator=Y&sire_reference_number=0&dam_reference_number=0&color=&sex=&hypo_foaling_year=&breeder=&g-recaptcha-response=03ACgFB9sLRAZGYLGzQY-3674_C1SZA-ScXHYgzXzW3ucpHHrez_rLe1Ibv4J01Q5M0C67N_r50BQFkr9zWDPblFyhZsRZHNnPPxIDISW6ifvdUrCpFc8H-o7PrR1Quxpq8_aQ54-KFEb227wzk7se6nq2QCB345jDlr6rkRypYFTiNy2GpekNfEH5xQu5Uc8aC0cZ4_I3U_ZCi8ZrM3dOO6sffF8WhJ63ZBs1m7_UEDMkQcPbfmypmyTJt51Bb7hfxBslO_Ko3wp13fM7fKkK7x4RGFhA10CSPACuIsS-zNdubUxW8xx_ahBL3XsWGm0RY2tBVZVAv9w4LxStKwoVI6d6-j_NOuvNhQ, title=Goodbye Halo pedigree, website=www.equineline.com, language=en, access-date=2018-06-20 , f=

black 1969 , m=Pound Foolish
bay 1979 , ff=

Hail To Reason Hail to Reason (April 18, 1958 – February 24, 1976) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire. In a racing career cut short by injury, he was named the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1960 after winning seven stake ...

br. 1958 , fm= Cosmah
b. 1953 , mf=

Sir Ivor Sir Ivor (5 May 1965 – 10 November 1995) was an American-bred, Irish-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from July 1967 to October 1968 he ran thirteen times and won eight races. He won major races in ...

b. 1965 , mm=Squander
b. 1974 , fff= Turn-To
b. 1951 , ffm=Nothirdchance
b. 1948 , fmf= Cosmic Bomb
dkb/br. 1944 , fmm= Almahmoud
ch. 1947 , mff= Sir Gaylord
dkb/br. 1959 , mfm=Attica
ch. 1953 , mmf=

Buckpasser Buckpasser (1963– March 6, 1978) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a ...

b. 1963 , mmm=Discipline
b. 1962 , ffff=

Royal Charger Royal Charger (1942–26 November 1961) was a British Thoroughbred that was successful as a horse racing, racehorse, but much more important as a Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. Background Royal Charger was a chestnut horse sired by the import ...

, fffm=Source Sucree , ffmf=

Blue Swords Blue Swords () is an international figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union. It is usually held in Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of Single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair ...

, ffmm=Galla Colors , fmff=

Pharamond Pharamond, also spelled Faramund, is a legendary early king of the Franks, first referred to in the anonymous 8th-century '' Liber Historiae Francorum'', which depicts him as the first king of the Franks. Historical sources and scholarship Phara ...

, fmfm=Banish Fear , fmmf= Mahmoud , fmmm=Arbitrator , mfff= Turn-To , mffm= Somethingroyal , mfmf=Mr. Trouble , mfmm=Athenia , mmff=

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 ...

, mmfm= Busanda , mmmf=

Princequillo Princequillo (1940–1964) was a Thoroughbred Thoroughbred horse race, racehorse conceived in France and born in Ireland. He is known for his performances in long-distance races and his successes as a Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. Backgroun ...

, mmmm=Lady Be Good (

Family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

8-h) Goodbye Halo is inbred 3x4 to Turn-to, meaning that Turn-to appears once in the third generation and once in the fourth generation of her pedigree.

References

1985 racehorse births 2014 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Kentucky Oaks winners Thoroughbred family 8-h