Waquoit
Encyclopedia
Waquoit was an American Thoroughbred
racehorse
who won races at short and long distances en route to career earnings of more than $
2.2 million. Standing close to seventeen hands, Waquoit was sired by Relaunch
, a multiple stakes winner who sired several top runners including two Breeders' Cup
winners. Waquoit's dam was Grey Parlo, a daughter of Grey Dawn
, the French Champion Two-Year-Old Colt who was the only horse to ever beat the great Sea Bird
and who became the leading broodmare sire in North America
in 1990.
Waquoit was purchased at the 1984 Keeneland fall yearling sale
for a very modest $15,000 by Joseph Federico, a Boston, Massachusetts building contractor and a native of Sulmona
, in the Abruzzo Region
of Italy
. The colt was given the name of the village of Waquoit
on Cape Cod
. Trained by Guido Federico, the owner's cousin, Waquoit would become known for his ability to run on muddy dirt tracks. He began racing from a base at Suffolk Downs
in Boston. While he won several minor stakes as a two-year-old, during the latter part of his three-year-old campaign he began to show his true ability in October of 1986 with wins in the Jamaica Handicap
at New York's
Belmont Park
followed by the Yankee Handicap at Suffolk Downs. As a four-year-old in 1987, Waquoit won the Massachusetts Handicap
, much to the delight of his hometown fans, plus the prestigious Brooklyn Handicap
at Belmont Park. He was voted Horse of the Year by members of the New England Turf Writers Association.
Injured, Waquoit did not return to training until April 2, 1988. Making his first start on June 4, the now five-year-old Waquoit won the Governor's Handicap at Suffolk Downs by an impressive seven lengths
. On July 24, he defeated Personal Flag to win his second consecutive edition of the Brooklyn Handicap. During his career, Waquoit had show ability at both short and longer distances, most exceptionally demonstrating that on October 8, 1988 with a fifteen-length win in the mile and a half Jockey Club Gold Cup
.
Not nominated for the Breeders' Cup
, Waquoit's owner paid a $360,000 supplemental fee in order to run him in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Classic
. The final start of his career, Waquoit finished third to Alysheba
.
Northview Annex at Chesapeake City, Maryland
.
During his career at stud he sired 348 winners including thirty stakes race winners. Of his progeny, millionaire Grade 1
winner Halo America was the most successful on the track. Through his daughter, Ice Beauty, Waquoit was the damsire of Sweetnorthernsaint
.
Twenty-four-year-old Waquoit was euthanized
due to infirmities brought on by old age on June 14, 2007, at Northview Stallion Station.
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...
who won races at short and long distances en route to career earnings of more than $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2.2 million. Standing close to seventeen hands, Waquoit was sired by Relaunch
Relaunch (horse)
Relaunch was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. While he won five of his eighteen starts, he is best remembered as a sire at Wimbledon Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.Relaunch was the sire of:...
, a multiple stakes winner who sired several top runners including two Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
winners. Waquoit's dam was Grey Parlo, a daughter of Grey Dawn
Grey Dawn II
Grey Dawn was an French Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who was the only horse to ever beat the great Sea Bird. Grey Dawn was bred and raced by American Gertrude Widener, a member by marriage of the prominent racing Widener family...
, the French Champion Two-Year-Old Colt who was the only horse to ever beat the great Sea Bird
Sea Bird II
Sea Bird II is considered by many to be the greatest post-war European flat racehorse. His Timeform rating of 145 is still the highest ever flat figure awarded by that publication. Sea Bird II is most famous for his breathtaking victories in two of Europe's most prestigious races: the Epsom Derby...
and who became the leading broodmare sire in North America
Leading broodmare sire in North America
The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of broodmares in North America for each year since 1924. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won during the year by racehorses which were foaled by a daughter of the sire.-----References:* *...
in 1990.
Waquoit was purchased at the 1984 Keeneland fall 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...
for a very modest $15,000 by Joseph Federico, a Boston, Massachusetts building contractor and a native of Sulmona
Sulmona
thumb|150px|Celestine V's hermitage and the remains of the Shrine of Hercules Curinus.thumb|150px|Palazzo SS. Annunziata and Museo Civicothumb|150px|Church of SS...
, in the Abruzzo Region
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The colt was given the name of the village of Waquoit
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States; Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 31,531 at the 2010 census....
on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. Trained by Guido Federico, the owner's cousin, Waquoit would become known for his ability to run on muddy dirt tracks. He began racing from a base at Suffolk Downs
Suffolk Downs
Suffolk Downs, a thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States opened in 1935. Famous horses that have raced at this track include Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Funny Cide and Cigar. The MassCap is held there, as well at the annual Hot Dog Safari...
in Boston. While he won several minor stakes as a two-year-old, during the latter part of his three-year-old campaign he began to show his true ability in October of 1986 with wins in the Jamaica Handicap
Jamaica Handicap
The Jamaica Handicap is American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run annually on the turf at Belmont Park in Elmont on Long Island, New York...
at 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...
Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
followed by the Yankee Handicap at Suffolk Downs. As a four-year-old in 1987, Waquoit won the Massachusetts Handicap
Massachusetts Handicap
The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Suffolk Downs in Boston, Massachusetts. It is currently an Ungraded stakes race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt. The race received...
, much to the delight of his hometown fans, plus the prestigious 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....
at Belmont Park. He was voted Horse of the Year by members of the New England Turf Writers Association.
Injured, Waquoit did not return to training until April 2, 1988. Making his first start on June 4, the now five-year-old Waquoit won the Governor's Handicap at Suffolk Downs by an impressive seven lengths
Length (horse racing)
A horse length, or simply length, is a unit of measurement that refers to the length of a horse from nose to tail, approximately 8 feet, It is commonly used in Thoroughbred horse racing, where it describes the distance between horses in a race...
. On July 24, he defeated Personal Flag to win his second consecutive edition of the Brooklyn Handicap. During his career, Waquoit had show ability at both short and longer distances, most exceptionally demonstrating that on October 8, 1988 with a fifteen-length win in the mile and a half Jockey Club Gold Cup
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
.
Not nominated for the Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
, Waquoit's owner paid a $360,000 supplemental fee in order to run him in the 1988 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...
. The final start of his career, Waquoit finished third to Alysheba
Alysheba
Alysheba was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won two legs of the Triple Crown in 1987. A successful sire, he produced 11 stakes winners....
.
Syndicated to stud
Syndicated for $3 million, beginning with the 1989 breeding season Waquoit stood at stud at the newly established Northview Stallion Station on acreage that had been Windfields Farm'sWindfields Farm
Windfields Farm is a six square kilometre thoroughbred horse breeding farm founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor originated with a property near the city of Toronto known as Parkwood Stable when it was owned by...
Northview Annex at Chesapeake City, Maryland
Chesapeake City, Maryland
Chesapeake City is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 787 at the 2000 census.The town was originally named by Bohemian colonist Augustine Herman the Village of Bohemia , but the name was changed in 1839 when the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was built...
.
During his career at stud he sired 348 winners including thirty stakes race winners. Of his progeny, millionaire Grade 1
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...
winner Halo America was the most successful on the track. Through his daughter, Ice Beauty, Waquoit was the damsire of Sweetnorthernsaint
Sweetnorthernsaint
Sweetnorthernsaint is a Thoroughbred race horse. A Florida foal of March 2003, he was a top contender for the Triple Crown in 2006. Late in his two year-old season he was very hard to handle, so much so that they could not get him to focus enough to train on the track and his owners made the...
.
Twenty-four-year-old Waquoit was euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
due to infirmities brought on by old age on June 14, 2007, at Northview Stallion Station.