Very Subtle
Encyclopedia
Very Subtle was an American
Thoroughbred
Filly
racehorse who won three Grade I
stakes including the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint
against male opponents in which she defeated the heavily favored Groovy
by four lengths.
Very Subtle was trained by Mel Stute
and initially raced by the California-based partnership of Carl Grinstead and Ben Rochelle who had owned a number of other top runners including the 1986 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and Preakness Stakes
winner Snow Chief
who was also trained by Stute. Following the March 1987 passing of Carl Grinstead, the partnership horses were auctioned at an October sale at which Ben Rochelle bought Very Subtle for $1.2 million.
Subsequent to her Breeders' Cup win, Very Subtle raced for two more years before retiring to broodmare duty after her 1989 campaign.
and Caerleon
, Very Subtle's most successful earner among her foals was the mare Dianehill, a winner of $426,551 sired the outstanding Champion sire Danehill
.
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...
Filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
racehorse who won three Grade I
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...
stakes including the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint
Breeders' Cup Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs , the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World...
against male opponents in which she defeated the heavily favored Groovy
Groovy (horse)
Groovy was an American Thoroughbred Champion sprint racehorse known for his love of jelly donuts. As at 2011, he is the last horse to break the 130 Beyer Speed Figure having accomplished that milestone in his first two starts of 1987. In the Roseben Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack he earned a 131...
by four lengths.
Very Subtle was trained by Mel Stute
Melvin F. Stute
Melvin Frederick "Mel" Stute is an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. On December 11, 2010 at Hollywood Park Racetrack he won the 2000th race of a career that includes a win in the second leg of the U.S...
and initially raced by the California-based partnership of Carl Grinstead and Ben Rochelle who had owned a number of other top runners including the 1986 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse 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 Snow Chief
Snow Chief
Snow Chief was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.-Background:Bred by Carl Grinstead, in 1984 retired vaudevillian and successful real estate investor Ben Rochelle bought a fifty percent interest in Grinstead's Blue Diamond Ranch thus becoming a half owner of the yearling, Snow Chief...
who was also trained by Stute. Following the March 1987 passing of Carl Grinstead, the partnership horses were auctioned at an October sale at which Ben Rochelle bought Very Subtle for $1.2 million.
Subsequent to her Breeders' Cup win, Very Subtle raced for two more years before retiring to broodmare duty after her 1989 campaign.
As a broodmare
Bred tro Snow Chief as well as other notable sires such as AlydarAlydar
Alydar was a chestnut colt and an American thoroughbred race horse who was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a feat not achieved before or repeated since.-Racing career:Trained by John M...
and Caerleon
Caerleon II
Caerleon was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who was a Champion runner in France and a two-time Champion sire in Great Britain & Ireland. Bred by Seth Hancock at his famous Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, he was out of the mare Foreseer, a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Round Table...
, Very Subtle's most successful earner among her foals was the mare Dianehill, a winner of $426,551 sired the outstanding Champion sire Danehill
Danehill (horse)
Danehill was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was bred in the United States. During his phenomenal stud career Danehill became a champion sire on both sides of the Equator...
.