Seattle Song (February 19, 1981 – February 3, 1996) was a French-bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic ...

who won the 1983 Prix de la Salamandre and 1984 Washington, D.C. International Stakes.

Background

Bred in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, Seattle Song was sired by 1977 U.S. Triple Crown winner

Seattle Slew Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who became the tenth winner of the American Triple Crown (1977). He is one of only two horses to have won the Triple Crown while being undefeated in ...

. He was out of the

mare 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 f ...

Incantation, who was sired by

Prince Blessed Prince Blessed (foaled 1957 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who, at $77,000, was the highest priced yearling auctioned in 1958. He is best known for winning the 1961 Hollywood Gold Cup as well as for siring Ole Bob Bowers who ...

, winner of the 1961

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I 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 $400,000. ...

and American Handicap. He was selected by trainer

François Boutin François Boutin (21 January 1937 – 1 February 1995) was a French Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young age and c ...

for Greek shipping magnate

Stavros Niarchos Stavros Spyrou Niarchos ( el, Σταύρος Σπύρου Νιάρχος, ; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both ...

who paid US$350,000 at the September 1982 Keeneland yearling sale.

Racing career

After winning the 1983 Prix de la Salamandre and 1984 Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup, Seattle Song was scheduled to run in the inaugural

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 curre ...

in 1984, but he fractured his left front

cannon bone Good conformation in the limbs leads to improved movement and decreased likelihood of injuries. Large differences in bone structure and size can be found in horses used for different activities, but correct conformation remains relatively simil ...

in a workout at

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

and was retired from racing.Lexington Herald-Leader – November 8, 1984
/ref>

Stud career

At stud in the United States, Seattle Song sired a number of stakes winners, the best of which was

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern race system introduce ...

(

Prix Lupin The Prix Lupin was a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs), and it was scheduled to take place each year in ...

) winner Cudas, who, like his sire, raced successfully in France and the United States, and

Irish Linnet Irish Linnet (foaled 1988 in New York) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who accomplished the very rare feat in Thoroughbred racing of winning five consecutive editions of the same stakes race, doing it from 1991 through 1995. She was bred a ...

, a millionaire

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

who won five consecutive editions of the

Yaddo Handicap The Yaddo Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The mile-and-an-eighth race on turf is open to fillies and mares, age three and old ...

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 ...

between 1991 and 1995. Seattle Song died prematurely at age fifteen on February 3, 1996, as the result of

paddock A paddock is a small enclosure for horses. In the United Kingdom, this term also applies to a field for a general automobile racing competition, particularly Formula 1. Description In Canada and the United States of America, a paddock is a smal ...

accident at

Domino Stud Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also c ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1981 racehorse births 1996 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 4-m