Any Given Saturday
Encyclopedia
Any Given Saturday is an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
.
and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee, A.P. Indy
, Any Given Saturday was sired by the increasingly important stallion
Distorted Humor
, who produced 2003 Kentucky Derby
and Preakness Stakes
winner Funny Cide
. Consigned to the September 2005 Keeneland yearling sale
, he was sold for $1.1 to WinStar Farm
and partnered to Padua Stables who entrusted his race conditioning to the United States' leading horse trainer
, Todd Pletcher.
in Florence, Kentucky
. He won again in his second outing in an October allowance race at Keeneland Race Course. Moved up to compete in a Grade II
event, at the end of November he finished second in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes
.
Racing as a three-year-old, Any Given Saturday won his first outing in the February 2007 Sam F. Davis Stakes
followed by a strong second to Street Sense
in the Tampa Bay Derby
. Sent north to New York's
Aqueduct Racetrack
, he ran third behind winner Nobiz Like Shobiz
in the Wood Memorial Stakes
before finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby
at Churchill Downs
, some 10½ lengths behind winner, Street Sense.
According to his trainer, Any Given Saturday came out of the Kentucky Derby with a "pretty bad foot bruise." Given two months to recuperate, by the time the colt returned to the track on July 4, he was all but forgotten as a contender in his three-year-old age group. However, he scored a very impressive four-length win in the Independence Day
Dwyer Stakes
then on August 5 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey
he defeated highly regarded Hard Spun
and Preakness Stakes
winner Curlin by 4½ lengths in the million dollar Grade I Haskell Invitational Handicap
.
On August 15, 2007 it was announced that Any Given Saturday had been purchased privately by Sheikh Mohammed's
Darley
operations. The horse will continue to race for its current owners until after this year's Breeders' Cup Classic
. A spokesman for Darley stated that no decision has been made as to whether Any Given Saturday will compete next year at age four.
On September 22, 2007, Any Given Saturday won the Brooklyn Handicap
by 2½ lengths as the favorite over Tasteyville and Helsinki, topping $1 million in career earnings. In late October at Monmouth Park Racetrack
, he finished sixth on a sloppy track in the Breeder's Cup Classic.
Darley Stud
at Jonabell, near Lexington, Kentucky
, announced that Any Given Saturday would be retired to stand for $40,000 live foal
for the 2008 season.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
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...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
.
Background
From the mare Weekend in Indy, a daughter of the 1992 U.S. Horse of the YearEclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee, A.P. Indy
A.P. Indy
A.P. Indy is a champion stallion Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky, USA, by William Farish III and William Kilroy. He is known for his ancestry, his own record, and his successful progeny. He was sired by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew through mare Weekend Surprise, who herself was sired...
, Any Given Saturday was sired by the increasingly important stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
Distorted Humor
Distorted Humor
Distorted Humor is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire.-Bloodline:Distorted Humor's sire is Forty Niner, 1987's Eclipse Award winning Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse by the champion sire, Mr. Prospector. Distorted Humor's dam was Danzig's Beauty by Danzig. Distorted...
, who produced 2003 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
winner Funny Cide
Funny Cide
Funny Cide is a Thoroughbred race horse who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 2003. He is the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the first gelding to win since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.-Bloodlines:...
. Consigned to the September 2005 Keeneland yearling sale
Keeneland Sales
The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...
, he was sold for $1.1 to WinStar Farm
WinStar Farm
WinStar Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing farm near Versailles, Kentucky. Formerly known as Prestonwood Farm, it was owned by Houston, Texas oilmen Jack, Art, and J. R...
and partnered to Padua Stables who entrusted his race conditioning to the United States' leading horse trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
, Todd Pletcher.
Racing Career
On September 15, 2006, Any Given Saturday won his racing debut at Turfway ParkTurfway Park
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located just outside the city limits to the north of Florence, Kentucky, about 10 miles south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati...
in Florence, Kentucky
Florence, Kentucky
Florence is a city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,951 at the 2010 census.-History:The Florence area was originally known as Crossroads, because of the convergence of several roads from Burlington and Union at Ridge Road...
. He won again in his second outing in an October allowance race at Keeneland Race Course. Moved up to compete in a Grade II
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
event, at the end of November he finished second in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes
Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes
The Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the last week of November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky...
.
Racing as a three-year-old, Any Given Saturday won his first outing in the February 2007 Sam F. Davis Stakes
Sam F. Davis Stakes
The Sam F. Davis Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid February at Tampa Bay Downs racetrack in Tampa, Florida. It is open to three-year olds and is used as a prep race for the Tampa Bay Derby. In recent years it has begun being used as an early prep for the Kentucky...
followed by a strong second to Street Sense
Street Sense (horse)
Street Sense is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt and winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the 2007 Travers Stakes and runner up in the 2007 Preakness Stakes by a head. Owned and bred by James B...
in the Tampa Bay Derby
Tampa Bay Derby
The Tampa Bay Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held in mid March at Tampa Bay Downs. A Grade III event since 2002, it is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. The race has gained in popularity over the past few years and is now listed as an...
. Sent north to New York's
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
, he ran third behind winner Nobiz Like Shobiz
Nobiz Like Shobiz
Nobiz Like Shobiz is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, who during his three-year-old season was considered a top contender for the 2007U.S. Triple Crown series of races...
in the Wood Memorial Stakes
Wood Memorial Stakes
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
before finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
, some 10½ lengths behind winner, Street Sense.
According to his trainer, Any Given Saturday came out of the Kentucky Derby with a "pretty bad foot bruise." Given two months to recuperate, by the time the colt returned to the track on July 4, he was all but forgotten as a contender in his three-year-old age group. However, he scored a very impressive four-length win in the Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
Dwyer Stakes
Dwyer Stakes
The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade II stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over a distance of 1 1/16-miles on dirt...
then on August 5 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey
Oceanport, New Jersey
Oceanport is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,832.Oceanport was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1920, from portions of Eatontown Township , based on the results of a...
he defeated highly regarded Hard Spun
Hard Spun
Hard Spun is an American Thoroughbred racehorse that finished second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. He is from one of the last crops of three-time leading sire in North America Danzig. Hard Spun is owned by Wilmington, Delaware automobile dealer Richard C...
and Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
winner Curlin by 4½ lengths in the million dollar Grade I Haskell Invitational Handicap
Haskell Invitational Handicap
The Resorts Casino & Hotel Haskell Invitational is an American Grade I race for thoroughbred horses. In 1968, the Board of Directors of Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey honored its former President and Chairman Amory L. Haskell with the Amory L. Haskell Handicap, a race for older...
.
On August 15, 2007 it was announced that Any Given Saturday had been purchased privately by Sheikh Mohammed's
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also Sheikh Mohammed, , is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates , and absolute monarch of Dubai.-Personal life and education:...
Darley
Darley Racing
Darley Racing is a one of the world's preeminent thoroughbred horse racing operations. It is controlled by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates....
operations. The horse will continue to race for its current owners until after this year's Breeders' Cup Classic
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 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
. A spokesman for Darley stated that no decision has been made as to whether Any Given Saturday will compete next year at age four.
On September 22, 2007, Any Given Saturday won the Brooklyn Handicap
Brooklyn Handicap
The Brooklyn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to three-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-half miles on dirt....
by 2½ lengths as the favorite over Tasteyville and Helsinki, topping $1 million in career earnings. In late October at Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.Monmouth Park's marquee event...
, he finished sixth on a sloppy track in the Breeder's Cup Classic.
Retirement
Sheikh Mohammed'sMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also Sheikh Mohammed, , is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates , and absolute monarch of Dubai.-Personal life and education:...
Darley Stud
Darley Racing
Darley Racing is a one of the world's preeminent thoroughbred horse racing operations. It is controlled by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates....
at Jonabell, near Lexington, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, announced that Any Given Saturday would be retired to stand for $40,000 live foal
Foal
A foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam , it may also be called a suckling...
for the 2008 season.