Horse Chestnut (horse)
Encyclopedia
Horse Chestnut is a champion thoroughbred
racehorse
bred in South Africa
by Harry F. Oppenheimer at his Mauritzfontein Stud in Kimberley
. Sired by Fort Wood who, as of 2007, has sired ten Group One
winners, including Dynasty, the 2003 South African Horse of the Year. Fort Wood is a son of the British champion sire
, Sadler's Wells
.
Horse Chestnut was raced by Oppenheimer and his wife, Bridget. The colt won the South African Triple Crown and was awarded both the Equus Award for Horse of the Year and Champion 3-year-old Colt at three. He ran 10 races, winning 9 and being placed 3rd once. Some notable wins include the Group One
J&B Metropolitan Stakes over 2000m by 8¼ lengths, the Group I South African Derby
over 2450m by 10 lengths and the Group I South African Classic over 1800m by 4 lengths.
Sent to race in the United States
, he won the Grade III
Broward Handicap
at Gulfstream Park
in Hallandale Beach, Florida
over 1700m by five-and-a-half lengths. During his preparation for the Grade I Donn Handicap
, Horse Chestnut fractured a piece of his splint bone on his near-foreleg, resulting in his early retirement from racing. The Oppenheimer's subsequently sold the majority of shares in Horse Chestnut to Seth Hancock's Claiborne Farm
in Kentucky
where he went to stud.
At stud
, some of Horse Chestnut's most notable offspring include Lucifer's Stone, Spanish Chestnut, Smart Enough and Fete.
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
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
bred in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
by Harry F. Oppenheimer at his Mauritzfontein Stud in Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
. Sired by Fort Wood who, as of 2007, has sired ten Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
winners, including Dynasty, the 2003 South African Horse of the Year. Fort Wood is a son of the British champion sire
Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The list below shows the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1751. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
, Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells (horse)
Sadler's Wells was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was later a leading sire in France, Great Britain & Ireland and North America during the 1990s. He was foaled in 1981 in the United States, but achieved most of his racing and breeding fame in Europe....
.
Horse Chestnut was raced by Oppenheimer and his wife, Bridget. The colt won the South African Triple Crown and was awarded both the Equus Award for Horse of the Year and Champion 3-year-old Colt at three. He ran 10 races, winning 9 and being placed 3rd once. Some notable wins include the Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
J&B Metropolitan Stakes over 2000m by 8¼ lengths, the Group I South African Derby
South African Derby
The South African Derby is a Group I stakes race for three year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Johannesburg, South Africa.- Winners :*1907 Diana*1908 Fillette*1909 Adair*1910 Desert Queen*1911 Devinco*1912 Van Raalte*1913 Eiffel Tower...
over 2450m by 10 lengths and the Group I South African Classic over 1800m by 4 lengths.
Sent to race in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he won the Grade III
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...
Broward Handicap
Skip Away Handicap
The Skip Away Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. A Grade III event open to horses age four and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of 1³/16 miles ....
at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
in Hallandale Beach, Florida
Hallandale Beach, Florida
Hallandale Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, a worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,113...
over 1700m by five-and-a-half lengths. During his preparation for the Grade I Donn Handicap
Donn Handicap
The Donn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late January/early February at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.The race is named after the Donn family, who for many years owned and operated the racetrack....
, Horse Chestnut fractured a piece of his splint bone on his near-foreleg, resulting in his early retirement from racing. The Oppenheimer's subsequently sold the majority of shares in Horse Chestnut to Seth Hancock's Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...
in 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...
where he went to stud.
At stud
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
, some of Horse Chestnut's most notable offspring include Lucifer's Stone, Spanish Chestnut, Smart Enough and Fete.