Island Whirl (foaled March 17, 1978) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 1983

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, ...

Career

Island Whirl's first race was on May 31, 1980, at

Calder Racecourse Calder Casino is a casino located in Miami Gardens, Florida. It includes slots, electronic table games, and bingo. The casino opened in 2010 and features a gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic rou ...

, where he came in 8th. In his third start on October 29, 1980, again at Calder, he got his first win. Island Whirl captured his first stakes race win on September 4, 1981, in the

El Cajon Stakes The Shared Belief Stakes (formerly the El Cajon Stakes) is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the last week of August or the first week of September at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. Open to three-year-old hors ...

. He then set a new

Louisiana Downs Louisiana Downs Casino & Racetrack is a horse racing track and racino located in Bossier City, Louisiana, Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana. It opened in 1974. The casino features over 800 slot machines. The track specification is a dirt trac ...

track record for miles in his second stakes race in the

Super Derby The Super Derby is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually in September at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana. Inaugurated in 1980, the Super Derby is open to three-year-olds and the distance is miles on the dirt. It is the rich ...

. Island Whirl won his first

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...

win on January 3, 1982 in the

Malibu Stakes The Malibu Stakes is a race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses of either gender held each December at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is at a distance of seven furlongs and is the first leg of Santa Anita Park's Strub Series. ...

. He competed in multiple other Graded stakes races throughout 1982, and won another in the

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 ...

on September 4 that year. His wins throughout 1982 helped him gain entry to the 1982

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 ...

, where he placed 4th. During the summer of 1983, Island Whirl picked up two major Graded Stakes wins in a row with victories in the prestigious

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $200,000 ...

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 ...

and the 1983

, which turned out to be the last wins of his career. Island Whirl's final races of his career came in the 1983

Monmouth Handicap The Philip H. Iselin Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Open to horses three years of age and older, the race was first run in 1884. In 1891, New Jersey state legislator ...

in which he finished in second-place. That was followed by a fifth-place finish in the 1983

on September 3, 1983.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1978 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters Thoroughbred family 1-c