Aptitude (foaled March 27, 1997) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 2001

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the sp ...

Career

Aptitude's first race was on October 21, 1999, where he came in 6th place. On January 1, 2000, he won his first race at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

. He finished in 2nd place at both the

2000 Kentucky Derby The 2000 Kentucky Derby took place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The winner of the race was Fusaichi Pegasus with a finishing time of 2:01.02. The 2000 Kentucky Derby was the 126th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place ...

and the

2000 Belmont Stakes The 2000 Belmont Stakes was the 132nd running of the Belmont Stakes and the 96th time the event took place at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. In a field of 11 horses, the 1 1/2-mile race was won by Commendable.Durso, Joseph"Commendable Pull ...

. On July 1, 2001, he won his first

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by re ...

race, the

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...

. He followed that victory up with a win on August 19, 2001, at the

Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap The Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap was a Grade II Thoroughbred race for horses three-years-old and up run on dirt at Saratoga Race Course in New York from 1994 through 2005. From 1994 through 1996, it was run as the Saratoga Cup Handicap, the nam ...

. Aptitude won the biggest race of his career by winning the

2001

. He raced one last time at the 2001

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 on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

, coming in 8th.

Stud career

Aptitudes's descendants include: ''c =

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

, f =

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1997 racehorse births