Unbridled (March 5, 1987 – October 18, 2001) was a champion 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 ...

who won the 1990

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 ...

and

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 ...

. He retired with a career record of eight wins, six places, and six shows in 24 starts, and $4,489,475 in career earnings. Unbridled had a rivalry with

Summer Squall Summer Squall (March 12, 1987 – September 22, 2009) was an American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire, best known for his win in the 1990 Preakness Stakes, and his rivalry with Unbridled, whom he defeated ...

over their three and four-year-old seasons. Summer Squall defeated Unbridled in four of their six meetings.

Background

Unbridled was a bay horse with a broad white blaze bred in Florida by Tartan Stable He was sired by

Fappiano Fappiano (May 19, 1977 – September 3, 1990) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose most important win was the 1981 Metropolitan Handicap. When retired to stud, he became a major sire whose offspring included Kentucky Derby winner Unbrid ...

(10 wins in 17 starts), by Mr. Prospector, and his dam was Gana Facil, by Le Fabuleux. Gana Facil was descended from Magic, a half-sister to both the champion sprinter

Ta Wee Ta Wee (1966–1980) was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame race horse. Background Ta Wee was bred at the Tartan Stable of William L. McKnight (chairman of the board of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.). (The W. L. McKnight Ha ...

and

Dr Fager Dr. Fager (April 6, 1964 – August 5, 1976) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who had what many consider one of the greatest single racing seasons by any horse in the history of the sport. In 1968 at the age of four, he became the only horse ...

Racing career

In 1987, Trainer Tony Barnard was given charge of and broke Unbridled, at Tartan Farms, in Ocala, Florida. In 1989, at age two, Unbridled won the What A Pleasure Stakes and placed in all six of his starts. At age three, ridden by jockey

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 an ...

, he 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 ...

Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturd ...

by four lengths, then finished second behind Summer Squall in the

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is ru ...

. He then won America's most prestigious race, the

, by 3½ lengths with jockey

Craig Perret Craig Perret (born February 2, 1951, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races. At age fifteen he began his career in thorou ...

, while Summer Squall finishing second. He finished second in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

to Summer Squall, and finished fourth without

Lasix Furosemide, sold under the brand name Lasix among others, is a loop diuretic medication used to treat edema due to heart failure, liver scarring, or kidney disease. Furosemide may also be used for the treatment of high blood pressure. It can ...

in the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

to the Irish colt

Go And Go Go And Go (March 2, 1987 – 2000) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning an American Triple Crown race- the Belmont Stakes. Background Owned and bred by Swiss businessman Walter Haefner, Go And Go was bred at his Moyglar ...

. In the fall, ridden by Day, Unbridled won the 1¼ mile

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 ...

in 2:02.20 minutes. His performances for the year earned him the prestigious

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected A ...

as champion three-year-old male of 1990. When Unbridled won the Derby, a network television camera in the

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 ...

stands captured his trainer,

Carl Nafzger Carl A. Nafzger (born August 29, 1941) is an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. Before he was involved in horse racing, he was a champion rodeo bull rider. Nafzger trained Unbridled, who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. In ...

, giving the horse's elderly owner, Frances Genter, a stretch call because of her poor vision. Nafzger shouted, "He's going to win! He's going to win! Oh, Mrs. Genter, I love you!" Racing as a four-year-old, Unbridled won the Deputy Minister Handicap 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 ...

and placed second behind Summer Squall in the Fayette Handicap at

Keeneland Race Course 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 it ...

. Unbridled lost four of six meetings with rival Summer Squall.

Stud record

Unbridled sired 292 runners that produced 183 winners (38 of those stakes winners) out of 437 foals, earning over $31 million by 2000. Ten of his offspring were Grade I stakes winners, four were classic winners, and three received Eclipse Awards. Unbridled is the last Kentucky Derby winner to sire another Derby winner:

Grindstone A grindstone, also known as grinding stone, is a sharpening stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools, used since ancient times. Tools are sharpened by the stone's abrasive qualities that remove material from the tool through friction ...

, that won the Kentucky Derby in 1996. Unbridled is also the last stallion to have sired at least one winner in each of the American Triple Crown races (first for each listed): Grindstone, Kentucky Derby, 1996;

Red Bullet Red Bullet (foaled 13 April 1997 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2000 Preakness Stakes. Background Red Bullet is a chestnut horse bred and raced by auto parts magnate Frank Stronach. He was sired by ...

, Preakness Stakes, 2000; and

Empire Maker Empire Maker (April 27, 2000 - January 18, 2020)Unbridled's Song Unbridled's Song (February 18, 1993 – July 26, 2013) was an American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Florida Derby and Wood Memorial. He was the favorite for the 1996 Kentucky Derby but suffered a cr ...

, Eddington, Anees, Unshaded, Saarland, Mustanfar, Symphony Sid, Rebridled, Malabar Gold, Unbridled Jet, Unbridled's Image, Niigon, Greed is Good, Wheelaway, Unrestricted, Broken Vow, Pupil, and Uncoupled. *Fillies/Mares:

Banshee Breeze Banshee Breeze (1995–2001) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. A winner of five Grade 1 races, she was voted the 1998 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly. Background Banshee Breeze was bred in Kentucky by James B. Tafel. She w ...

, Halfbridled, Exogenous, Santa Catarina, Surya, Lady Ballade, Happily Unbridled, Boom Town Girl, Unrestrained, Manistique, and Belterra. Unbridled was grandsire through Unbridled's Song of the filly

Eight Belles Eight Belles (February 23, 2005 – May 3, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby to the winner Big Brown. Her collapse just after the race resulted in immediate euthanasia. Earlier in the year ...

, who finished second at the

2008 Kentucky Derby The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 2008, with 157,770 in attendance, the second largest in Derby history.pastern The pastern is a part of the leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof. It incorporates the Equine_forelimb_anatomy#Metacarpal_bones, long pastern bone (proximal phalanx) and the Equine_forelimb_anatomy#Middle_phalanx, short past ...

s at the finish and was euthanized on the track, and of the colt

Arrogate Arrogate (April 11, 2013June 2, 2020) was a Thoroughbred racehorse, and was the richest horse in equine history (by earnings). He won the 2016 Travers Stakes in a record time in his first stakes appearance. He won the Breeders' Cup Classic a ...

, who won the 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic and placed first in the

World's Best Racehorse Rankings The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR), known as World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) before 2012, are horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf R ...

for that year. By his daughter Oatsee, he was also the broodmare sire of

Shackleford Shackleford is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Guildford, Surrey, England centred to the west of the A3 between Guildford and Petersfield southwest of London and southwest of Guildford. Shackleford includes the localities of ...

, winner of the

2011 Preakness Stakes The 2011 Preakness Stakes was the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes and was won by Shackleford. The race took place on May 21, 2011, and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network. The post time was EDT ( UTC). The race ...

. One of Grindstone's foals,

Birdstone Birdstone (foaled May 16, 2001, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2004 Belmont Stakes and has become a successful sire. On August 28, 2020 Birdstone was pensioned from stud duty to Old Friends Retirem ...

, upset

Smarty Jones Smarty Jones (February 28, 2001) is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and came second in the Belmont Stakes. Background Born at Fairthorne Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the horse was ...

to win the 2004 Belmont Stakes. Birdstone, in turn, sired

Mine That Bird Mine That Bird (foaled May 10, 2006) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby at 50-1 odds and came second in the Preakness Stakes and third in the Belmont Stakes. He had earnings of $2,228,637 and was inducte ...

, a gelding that won the

2009 Kentucky Derby The 2009 Kentucky Derby was the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. The value of the race was $2,177,000 in stakes. The race was sponsored by Yum! Brands and hence officially was called ''Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.'' The race took p ...

, and

Summer Bird Summer Bird (April 7, 2006 – December 23, 2013) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse, son of 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone. He was bred by retired cardiologist Kalarikkal Jayaraman and his wife, retired pathologist Vilasin ...

, a colt that won the

2009 Belmont Stakes The 2009 Belmont Stakes was the 141st running of the Belmont Stakes. The race took place on June 6, 2009, and was televised on ABC and ESPN360. The value of the race was $1,000,000 in stakes. Post time was 6:19 p.m. EST. As the final jewel i ...

. Empire Maker, which won the 2003 Belmont Stakes, sired

Pioneerof the Nile the Nile (May 5, 2006 – March 18, 2019) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2009 Kentucky Derby and sired the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, as well as 2016 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Classic Empire. B ...

, who placed behind his cousin Mine That Bird in the 2009 Kentucky Derby, and eventually sired

American Pharoah American Pharoah (foaled February 2, 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2015. He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and in winning all four races, became the first ...

, the first-ever winner of the

Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing The Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing is an informal name for winning four major Thoroughbred horse races in one season in the United States. The term has been applied to two configurations of races, both of which include the races of the Triple ...

in 2015. American Pharoah gave Unbridled the honour of four generations of Triple Crown race winners.

Death

In September 2001, Unbridled underwent two operations at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, 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 ...

, to be treated for intestinal issues. He underwent his first surgery on September 21, where three feet of his intestine was removed. Five days removed from the first surgery, he suffered a setback, and underwent a second surgery on September 26. Unbridled recovered again and was sent home to Claiborne Farm on October 8. On October 19, 2001, at 6:00 PM, Unbridled was

euthanized Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

at the clinic after a severe bout of

colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube (small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content ou ...

, with his condition being deemed inoperable. Unbridled was laid to rest at Claiborne Farm.

Pedigree

References