Best Pal
Encyclopedia
Best Pal was an American Hall of Fame champion racehorse, who to this day holds the record for purses of any California-bred racehorse, earning his owners, the Golden Eagle Farm
John C. Mabee
John C. Mabee was an American Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder whom the New York Times Company's subsidiary About.com called "a California racing icon."...

, US$5.6 million over his lifetime.

A descendant of Princequillo
Princequillo
Princequillo was a Thoroughbred racehorse conceived in France and born in Ireland. He is known for his performances in long-distance races and his successes as a sire.-Background:...

 on both his sire's
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...

 and dam's line, Best Pal won the first running of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar
Del Mar
- Places :In the United States* Del Mar, California* Del Mar, Texas* Del Mar High School, located in San Jose, California* Del Mar Racetrack, located in Del Mar, California* Del Mar Fairgrounds located in Del Mar, California- People :...

, and finished second in the 1991 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...

. He won the Hollywood Gold Cup at and the Santa Anita Handicap, thus capturing all three of California's premier handicap races. In all, Best Pal won 18 races -- 17 of them stakes -- nearly all in California.

Retired in 1996, Best Pal had a massive heart attack while on his way to a training track at Golden Eagle Farm. He was buried at the farm, and a large boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....

 with a plaque covers his grave. Best Pal was voted into the National Museum of Racing and 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...

in 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=horse&id=5229404
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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