Einstein (October 23, 2002 – October 28, 2020) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in the United States.

Einstein
Einstein at Old Friends (2019)
SireSpend A Buck
GrandsireBuckaroo
DamGay Charm
DamsireGhadeer
SexStallion
FoaledOctober 23, 2002[1]
DiedOctober 28, 2020 (aged 18)
CountryBrazil
ColourDark Bay/Brown
BreederFazenda Mondesir
OwnerFrank Stronach
TrainerHelen Pitts-Blasi
Record30: 11-4-4
EarningsUS $2,945,238
Major wins
Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (2006, 2008)
Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap (2007)
Turf Classic Stakes (2008, 2009)
Clark Handicap (2008)
Santa Anita Handicap (2009)
Woodford Reserve (2008, 2009)

Background edit

Einstein was a dark bay or brown horse bred in Brazil by Fazenda Mondesir. He was sired by the 1985 American Horse of the Year, Spend A Buck. His dam, Gay Charm, was the 1988 Brazilian Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.[2] His damsire was Ghadeer, a son of Lyphard and an influential stallion in Brazil who sired twenty-five Group One winners.

When he was brought to the United States, Einstein's new owners entrusted his race conditioning to Helen Pitts, who had taken over their stable upon the retirement of Kenneth McPeek.

Racing career edit

Einstein made his American debut on February 25, 2006, at Gulfstream Park in Florida, where he won the first of his two Gulfstream Park Turf Handicaps. He went on to wins that include races on three different track surfaces: the Turf Classic Stakes on turf and the Clark Handicap on dirt, both in 2008 at Churchill Downs, and in 2009, California's richest race, the Santa Anita Handicap on Pro-Ride synthetic dirt.[3]

Einstein successfully defended his title in the Grade I Woodford Reserve-sponsored Turf Classic Stakes on May 2, 2009. on June 13 he was going for a world record, trying to be the first horse to win Grade 1 races on all three surfaces in the same year, first in the Santa Anita, then in the Woodford, and lastly on dirt in the race he got second in before, the Stephen Foster Handicap. In the Stephen Foster, he struggled to obtain a clear run and was repeatedly blocked before finishing third to Macho Again.

Next, he ran in the Arlington Million, a race he placed badly in 2008. He went up against the world's top turf horses, including American stars Gio Ponti and Presious Passion and International turf horses Gloria De Campeao (the French horse who placed second in the 2009 Dubai World Cup), Cima de Triomphe, and Stotsfold. Other American entries were Mr. Sidney, Just As Well, and Recapturetheglory, who placed fifth in the 2008 Kentucky Derby. Einstein ran a bad race, and never showed the late kick he usually had, coming in sixth to rising star Gio Ponti.

On September 3, 2009, it was announced that Frank Stronach purchased the horse from Midnight Cry Stables.[4]

Einstein ran in the Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar Racetrack in California but was beaten by a neck by longshot Richard's Kid. His next race was the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 7. He had already won on the same track at the same distance over the same surface, but due to the entries of Rip Van Winkle and the top mare in the country Zenyatta, he was not a favorite. "It's the biggest race of his life, I want him to come in fresh," trainer Helen Pitts said [1]. Einstein proved to be one of the major disappointments in the race, finishing 11th out of 12 runners.

On November 27 at Churchill Downs Einstein ran in the Grade II Clark Handicap[5] and, carrying the high weight of the race, finished a game third after starting from the outside gate (14th Post Position) and being blocked in the stretch.

In 2006, Einstein was rated 117 (tied for 72nd) in the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings.[6] In 2007, Einstein was rated 117 (tied for 79th) in the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings.[7] In 2008, Einstein was rated 118 (tied for 80th) in the World Thoroughbred Rankings.[8] In 2009, Einstein was rated 120 (tied for 43rd) in the World Thoroughbred Rankings.[9]

Racing statistics edit

Einstein's Career Statistics
Date Age Distance Surface Race Grade Track Odds Time Field Finish Margin Jockey Trainer Owner Ref
Oct 22, 2005 3 7 furlongs Dirt Maiden Maiden Special Weight Keeneland 4.70 1:28.07 12 5 (1414 lengths) Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [10]
Nov 6, 2005 3 1 mile Dirt Maiden Maiden Special Weight Churchill Downs 2.40* 1:36.98 9 1 534 lengths Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [11]
Nov 25, 2005 3 1116 miles Turf Allowance Allowance Churchill Downs 9.90 1:43.44 12 4 (212 lengths) Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [12]
Jan 7, 2006 3 118 miles Turf Allowance Allowance Gulfstream Park 5.30 1:45.84 12 1 12 length Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [13]
Feb 4, 2006 3 118 miles Dirt Allowance Allowance Gulfstream Park 1.60* 1:49.36 9 1 7 lengths Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [14]
Feb 25, 2006 3 1716 miles Turf Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Stakes G1 Gulfstream Park 7.20 2:23.91 8 1 Neck Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [15]
Apr 1, 2006 3 112 miles Turf Pan American Handicap G2 Gulfstream Park 2.60 2:24.35 8 4 (434 lengths) Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [16]
May 6, 2006 3 118 miles Turf Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes G1 Churchill Downs 15.80 1:47.15 10 4 (134 lengths) Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [17]
Jan 31, 2007 4 1 mile Turf Allowance Allowance Optional Claiming Gulfstream Park 1.40* 1:33.97 8 4 (414 lengths) Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [18]
Feb 24, 2007 4 138 miles Turf Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Turf Stakes G1 Gulfstream Park 3.60 2:12.28 11 3 (12 length) Rafael Bejarano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [19]
Mar 10, 2007 4 118 miles Turf Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap G2 Fair Grounds Race Course 3.40 1:49.57 11 1 12 length Robby Albarado Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [20]
May 5, 2007 4 118 miles Turf Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes G1 Churchill Downs 2.40* 1:49.01 10 7 (414 lengths) Robby Albarado Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [21]
May 19, 2007 4 118 miles Turf Dixie Stakes G2 Pimlico Race Course 2.60 1:46.36 11 DNF - Robby Albarado Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [22]
Jan 11, 2008 5 1 mile Turf Allowance Allowance Optional Claiming Gulfstream Park 1.70* 1:33.26 9 1 1 length Edgar Prado Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [23]
Feb 2, 2008 5 118 miles Dirt Donn Handicap G1 Gulfstream Park 11.70 1:48.35 8 6 (1914 lengths) Edgar Prado Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [24]
Feb 23, 2008 5 138 miles Turf Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes G1 Gulfstream Park 3.00 2:12.87 10 1 Neck Jose Lezcano Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [25]
Apr 11, 2008 5 1 mile Turf Maker's Mark Mile Stakes G1 Keeneland 7.70 1:36.78 10 2 (1 length) Robby Albarado Helen Pitts Cunningham, Patricia and Green, Lessee, Melissa [26]
May 3, 2008 5 118 miles Turf Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes G1 Churchill Downs 2.20* 1:50.50 7 1 1 length Robby Albarado Helen Pitts Cunningham, Patricia and Green, Lessee, Melissa [27]
June 14, 2008 5 118 miles Dirt Stephen Foster Handicap G1 Churchill Downs 6.00 1:49.68 10 2 (414 lengths) Julien Leparoux Helen Pitts Cunningham, Patricia and Green, Lessee, Melissa [28]
July 4, 2008 5 1 mile Turf Firecracker Handicap G2 Churchill Downs 0.50* 1:36.69 5 2 (1 length) Robby Albarado Helen Pitts Cunningham, Patricia and Green, Lessee, Melissa [29]
Aug 9, 2008 6 114 miles Turf Arlington Million Stakes G1 Arlington Park 3.20 2:02.17 7 5 (414 lengths) Robby Albarado Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [30]
Nov 28, 2008 6 118 miles Dirt Clark Handicap G2 Churchill Downs 4.90 1:49.79 7 1 112 length Julien Leparoux Helen Pitts Matthew Garretson (Receiver) [31]
Jan 31, 2009 6 118 miles Dirt Donn Handicap G1 Gulfstream Park 3.30 1:50.96 10 3 (512 lengths) Julien Leparoux Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [32]
Mar 7, 2009 6 114 miles All Weather Synthetic Santa Anita Handicap G1 Santa Anita Park 5.00 2:01.93 13 1 1 length Julien Leparoux Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [33]
May 2, 2009 6 118 miles Turf Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes G1 Churchill Downs 1.80* 1:49.62 9 1 Head Julien Leparoux Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [34]
June 13, 2009 6 118 miles Dirt Stephen Foster Handicap G1 Churchill Downs 1.20* 1:49.75 8 3 (1 length) Julien Leparoux Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [35]
Aug 8, 2009 7 114 miles Turf Arlington Million Stakes G1 Arlington Park 3.00 2:04.19 8 5 (812 lengths) Julien Leparoux Helen Pitts Midnight Cry Stable [36]
Sep 6, 2009 7 114 miles All Weather Synthetic Pacific Classic Stakes G1 Del Mar 4.30 2:02.39 12 2 (Neck) Julien Leparoux Helen Pitts Stronach Stables [37]
Nov 7, 2009 7 114 miles All Weather Synthetic Breeders' Cup Classic G1 Santa Anita Park 10.40 2:00.62 12 11 (2834 lengths) Julien Leparoux Helen Pitts Stronach Stables [38]
Nov 27, 2009 7 118 miles Dirt Clark Handicap G2 Churchill Downs 5.80 1:49.39 14 3 (34 lengths) Rajiv Maragh Helen Pitts Stronach Stables [39]

An asterisk after the odds means Einstein was the post time favorite.

Stud career edit

Einstein was retired to stand stud at Stronach's Adena Springs farm near Paris, Kentucky for a stud fee of $7,500 in 2010. In 2015, he was moved to Adena Springs' Canada location. He stood at Magali Farms in 2016 and Dealing Ranch in 2017 and 2018.[40] His progeny include graded stakes placed horses Rankhasprivileges,[41] Scholar Athlete,[42] Seeking Albert,[43] and Iranistan.[44]

He was pensioned to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky on March 11, 2019. He was euthanized at the age of 18 on October 28, 2020, after suffering complications from cancer.[45]

Pedigree edit

Pedigree of Einstein (BRZ), bay stallion, 2002[1]
Sire
Spend A Buck (USA)
1982
Buckaroo (USA)
1975
Buckpasser Tom Fool
Busanda
Stepping High No Robbery
Bebop
Belle de Jour (USA)
1973
Speak John Prince John
Nuit de Folies
Battle Dress Jaipur
Armorial
Dam
Gay Charm (BRZ)
1985
Ghadeer (FR)
1978
Lyphard Northern Dancer
Goofed
Swanhilda Habitat
Sweet and Lovely
Virga (BRZ)
1977
Waldmeister Wild Risk
Santa Iabel
Merry Sunshine Santa Claus
Los Angeles (Family:3-c)[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Einstein pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  2. ^ a b "Whisker Mare - Family 3-c". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  3. ^ http://www.ntra.com/races.aspx?id=36944[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Stronach Stables Buys Einstein". www.bloodhorse.com. 2009-09-03. Archived from the original on 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  5. ^ McGee, Marty, Daily Racing Form (2009-11-12). "Clark could be Einstein's final race". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2009-11-16.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "The 2006 World Thouroughbred Racehorse Rankings". www.ifhaonline.org. Archived from the original on 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  7. ^ "The 2007 World Thouroughbred Racehorse Rankings". www.ifhaonline.org. Archived from the original on 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  8. ^ "The 2008 World Thoroughbred Rankings". www.ifhaonline.org. Archived from the original on 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  9. ^ "The 2009 World Thoroughbred Rankings". www.ifhaonline.org. Archived from the original on 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  10. ^ "Chart for Maiden at Keeneland". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-24. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  11. ^ "Chart for Maiden at Churchill Downs". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  12. ^ "Chart for Allowance at Churchill Downs". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  13. ^ "Chart for Allowance at Gulfstream Park". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  14. ^ "Chart for Allowance at Gulfstream Park". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  15. ^ "Chart for 2006 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Stakes". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  16. ^ "Chart for 2006 Pan American Handicap". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  17. ^ "Chart for 2006 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-22. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  18. ^ "Chart for Allowance Optional Claiming at Gulfstream Park". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-05. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  19. ^ "Chart for 2007 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Turf Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  20. ^ "Chart for 2007 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-27. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  21. ^ "Chart for 2007 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  22. ^ "Chart for 2007 Dixie Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  23. ^ "Chart for Allowance Optional Claiming at Gulfstream Park". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  24. ^ "Chart for 2008 Donn Handicap". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-31. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  25. ^ "Chart for 2008 Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  26. ^ "Chart for 2008 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  27. ^ "Chart for 2008 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  28. ^ "Chart for 2008 Stephen Foster Handicap". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  29. ^ "Chart for 2008 Firecracker Handicap". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  30. ^ "Chart for 2008 Arlington Million Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  31. ^ "Chart for 2008 Clark Handicap". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  32. ^ "Chart for 2009 Donn Handicap". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-10. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  33. ^ "Chart for 2009 Santa Anita Handicap". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-24. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  34. ^ "Chart for 2009 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  35. ^ "Chart for 2009 Stephen Foster Handicap". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  36. ^ "Chart for 2009 Arlington Million Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  37. ^ "Chart for 2009 Pacific Classic Stakes". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  38. ^ "Chart for 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  39. ^ "Chart for 2009 Clark Handicap". www.equibase.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-22. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  40. ^ "EINSTEIN 2002-2020". Old Friends. Archived from the original on 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  41. ^ "Rankhasprivileges Horse Profile". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  42. ^ "Scholar Athlete Horse Profile". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  43. ^ "Seeking Albert Horse Profile". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  44. ^ "Iranistan Horse Profile". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  45. ^ "Five-Time Grade 1 Winner Einstein Euthanized". Blood-Horse. October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.