Tomcito
Encyclopedia
Tomcito is a Peruvian
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. He was bred by Lexington, Kentucky's
Chesapeake Farm and Darley Stud
, the latter a part of the worldwide breeding/racing interests of Dubai's
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
. Sired by Street Cry
, who notably sired the 2007 Kentucky Derby
winner, Street Sense
, his grandsire Machiavellian was a son of the very important Champion American sire, Mr. Prospector
. Tomcito's dam is Inside or Outside, a daughter of the Paul Mellon
-bred Eastern Echo who was a son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee, Damascus
.
Tomcito was bought at the 2006 Keeneland September yearling sale
by bloodstock agent Dante Zanelli for Peruvian businessmen Omar Mahchi and Esteban Ripamonti who race under the name Stud Jet Set. The purchase price was $7,500; a very tiny amount in the world of Thoroughbred breeding.
Because Tomcito was to race in the Southern Hemisphere
where horses are foaled beginning in July, in his first year on the track in 2007 the two-year-old colt had to compete against horses aged three or older. Racing at Lima
, Peru's
Hipodromo de Montericco, Tomcito won his debut race in such impressive fashion that his handlers decided to enter him in the September 23 Group One
Clasico Polla de Potrillos (Peruvian 2000 Guineas). Ridden by Benjamin Padilla, the colt showed a tremendous kick in coming from far back to finish a fast-closing second in the 1600 metre race. He was then entered in the October 20 Clasico Ricardo Ortiz de Zevallos, a 2000 metre (approximately 1¼ miles) Group One race that is the second leg of the Peruvian Quadruple Crown. Once again, Tomcito came from behind then ran away from the field to win the race by 9 ¾ lengths. In his final race of 2007, on November 17 Tomcito charged from near the back of the back to win Peru's very prestigious Group One Derby Nacional
.
in Boynton Beach, Florida
and has been nominated to the 2008 U.S. Triple Crown series beginning with the May 3 Kentucky Derby.
Breaking from gate 4 of 12 in the $1 million Grade 1 Florida Derby
at Gulfstream Park
on March 29, 2008 at 1 1/8 miles distance Tomcito finished 3rd after closing from last place. With jockey Jorge Chavez up he earned $100,000 in graded stakes earnings towards a potential Kentucky Derby
start.
Trainer Dante Zanelli Jr. is likely going to send Tomcito in to the $325,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes (Grade 2) at Keeneland on polytrack April 19, 2008. The exclusive purpose of which is to add to the graded stakes earnings of Tomcito in order to secure one of the 20 (maximum) starting gates in the Kentucky Derby.
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
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...
. He was bred by Lexington, Kentucky's
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
Chesapeake Farm and Darley Stud
Darley Stud
Darley Stud is a Thoroughbred breeding operation owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. Darley breeds horses in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Dubai, Japan and Australia....
, the latter a part of the worldwide breeding/racing interests of Dubai's
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
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:...
. Sired by Street Cry
Street Cry
Street Cry is a Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 2002 Dubai World Cup, the 2002 Stephen Foster Handicap and runner up in the 2002 Whitney Handicap...
, who notably sired the 2007 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...
winner, 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...
, his grandsire Machiavellian was a son of the very important Champion American sire, Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector was a thoroughbred racehorse foaled in Kentucky, whose descendants have been dominant in the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. He won half of his 14 career races.-Background:...
. Tomcito's dam is Inside or Outside, a daughter of the Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon KBE was an American philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
-bred Eastern Echo who was a son of 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, Damascus
Damascus (horse)
Damascus was a thoroughbred race horse sired by Sword Dancer out of Kerala foaled at the Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky...
.
Tomcito was bought at the 2006 Keeneland September 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...
by bloodstock agent Dante Zanelli for Peruvian businessmen Omar Mahchi and Esteban Ripamonti who race under the name Stud Jet Set. The purchase price was $7,500; a very tiny amount in the world of Thoroughbred breeding.
Because Tomcito was to race in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
where horses are foaled beginning in July, in his first year on the track in 2007 the two-year-old colt had to compete against horses aged three or older. Racing at Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru's
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
Hipodromo de Montericco, Tomcito won his debut race in such impressive fashion that his handlers decided to enter him in the September 23 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...
Clasico Polla de Potrillos (Peruvian 2000 Guineas). Ridden by Benjamin Padilla, the colt showed a tremendous kick in coming from far back to finish a fast-closing second in the 1600 metre race. He was then entered in the October 20 Clasico Ricardo Ortiz de Zevallos, a 2000 metre (approximately 1¼ miles) Group One race that is the second leg of the Peruvian Quadruple Crown. Once again, Tomcito came from behind then ran away from the field to win the race by 9 ¾ lengths. In his final race of 2007, on November 17 Tomcito charged from near the back of the back to win Peru's very prestigious Group One Derby Nacional
Derby Nacional
The Derby Nacional is a Peruvian Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Hipódromo de Monterrico in Lima, Peru. Open to three-year-olds, the Peruvian Derby is raced on dirt over a distance of 2400 metres...
.
3-year old race season
For the 2008 racing season, Tomcito was shipped north to the Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training CenterPalm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center
Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center is an American stable and training facility for Thoroughbred racehorses located near Boynton Beach, Florida, just north of the Gulfstream Park racetrack. It is owned by MI Developments Inc. who built it at a cost of $90 million...
in Boynton Beach, Florida
Boynton Beach, Florida
Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 60,389 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the city had a population of 66,714 according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research...
and has been nominated to the 2008 U.S. Triple Crown series beginning with the May 3 Kentucky Derby.
Breaking from gate 4 of 12 in the $1 million Grade 1 Florida Derby
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 on the Saturday closest to the end of March or the first of April. Added to the racing schedule in 1952, the Grade 1 race is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt...
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....
on March 29, 2008 at 1 1/8 miles distance Tomcito finished 3rd after closing from last place. With jockey Jorge Chavez up he earned $100,000 in graded stakes earnings towards a potential 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...
start.
Trainer Dante Zanelli Jr. is likely going to send Tomcito in to the $325,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes (Grade 2) at Keeneland on polytrack April 19, 2008. The exclusive purpose of which is to add to the graded stakes earnings of Tomcito in order to secure one of the 20 (maximum) starting gates in the Kentucky Derby.