Azeri (foaled May 6, 1998) is an American Hall of Fame champion

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. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse who was 2002 US Horse of the Year and Champion Older Female from 2002 to 2004.

Breeding

Azeri was foaled May 6, 1998, in

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

. She was bred and owned by Allen E. Paulson, who named her for an aviation checkpoint in Baku,

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

. She was sired by Jade Hunter (winner of the

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 ...

Donn Handicap The Donn Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1959 through 2016 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. A race for horses age four and older, it was contested on turf from inception through 1964 at a distan ...

and the G1

Gulfstream Park Handicap The Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (formerly known as the Gulfstream Park Handicap) is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt. A Grade II even ...

), who was a son of Mr. Prospector. Azeri is the only starter out of the Ahonoora mare Zodiac Miss, who was bred in Australia by John Messara's Arrowfield Stud. She is a descendant of the family of 1999

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incepti ...

winner Silic (FR). Australian bloodstock agents Brian King and James Bester (with California-based agent Denny Boultinghouse) recommended Zodiac Miss to Paulson, and the filly was shipped to US to race for her new owner. At the end of her racing career, Paulson sent Zodiac Miss to the breeding shed. Paulson was an aerospace magnate (Gulfstream Aerospace) whose global investments included racehorses, casinos, and oil exploration. He also bred and raced Cigar (Horse of the Year in 1995 and 1996), who ranks #2 on the North American all-time money-earners' list. Azeri was a buyback for $110,000 at the 1999 Keeneland September yearling sale from the consignment of Jonabell Farm.

Racing career

Azeri was originally trained by Simon Bray before Allen Paulson's son Michael (whose father died in 2000) transferred her to trainer Laura de Seroux in August 2001. Of Azeri, Seroux said, "She didn't let anyone down, and she did it in great style. She's simply the fastest filly in the world now. You can't catch her early, and you can't catch her late." She won her first race (a six-furlong maiden race late in her three-year-old season) at Santa Anita on November 1, 2001, in the good time of 1:08.

Injury and trainer change

After an 11-race winning streak, Azeri suffered a tendon injury while going for her 12th straight win in the Lady's Secret Breeders' Cup Handicap at Santa Anita. She finished second, but the injury was career-threatening. Laura de Seroux recommended that she be retired, but Michael Paulson decided she could race again and turned her training over to

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

D. Wayne Lukas. In her first start for Lukas, six months after her injury, Azeri won an unprecedented third consecutive Apple Blossom Handicap. She then lost three races in a row, including the Metropolitan Mile, in which she raced against colts for the first time. Lukas entered her in the

Go For Wand Handicap The Go For Wand Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race established in 1954 for fillies and mares age three and up. Raced in the fall, it is a Grade III race (Grade I before 2010) on dirt at a distance of one mile. Inaugurated in 1954 a ...

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...

, where she faced multiple-Grade 1 winner

Sightseek Sightseek (foaled 1999 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse and current broodmare. She was bred and raced by Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms and was trained by Hall of Fame inductee Robert Frankel. Background Sightseek ...

, beating that rival by two lengths. Azeri was an early favorite for the 2004 Breeders' Cup Distaff, but her handlers entered her in the

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 ...

, where she faced male horses for the second time. She finished fifth behind

Ghostzapper Ghostzapper (foaled April 6, 2000) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2004, outdistancing Roses in May by three lengths in a track record time of 1:59.02. His gate-to-wire Classic victory completed a 4-for-4 season, ...

. Azeri was retired from racing in December 2004. In 24 starts, she won 17 races, finished second four times, and was unplaced three times. When Azeri was awarded the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year, she was the third female to win since voting began in 1971 (the other two female winners of HOY were

All Along All Along (7 April 1979 – 23 February 2005) was a champion Thoroughbred racemare that was foaled in France. She was one of the top fillies of the last part of the 20th century, racing mostly in Europe. All Along was named into the Nationa ...

in 1983 and

Lady's Secret Lady's Secret (April 8, 1982 – March 4, 2003) was an American Eclipse Award winning Thoroughbred horse racing, racemare that was listed in the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. Lady's Secret was bred by Robert H. Spreen at Lucas ...

in 1986; both fillies defeated males in their HOY campaigns, but Azeri did not run against males until 2004). She was also named Champion Older Filly or Mare from 2002 to 2004. In 2005, the Oaklawn Breeders' Cup Stakes at Arkansas's

Oaklawn Park Oaklawn Plantation may refer to: * Oaklawn (Huntsville, Alabama), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) * Oaklawn Plantation (Leon County, Florida) *Oaklawn Plantation (Natchez, Louisiana) The Oaklawn Plantation is a historic ...

was renamed the Azeri Stakes in her honor.

As a broodmare

Michael Paulson retired Azeri in December 2004. Azeri originally stood at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Lexington, Kentucky, with other leading broodmares, including

Silverbulletday Silverbulletday (foaled January 22, 1996 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred champion racehorse. Bred in Kentucky, she was sired by Silver Deputy and out of the GII winning mare Rokeby Rose. Her damsire was Tom Rolfe, the 1965 Preakness Sta ...

and Better Than Honour (the dam of Belmont Stakes winners

Jazil Jazil (February 11, 2003 – October 11, 2014) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2006, Jazil dead-heated for fourth place in the Kentucky Derby but then won the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown. Connections Ja ...

and

Rags to Riches Rags to riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype in literature and popul ...

). Azeri was sold to Japanese owners in fall 2009 and, as of 2011, resides at Japan's Northern Farm. In her first breeding season in 2005 she was barren to

Storm Cat Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North America in 1999 ...

, but she has since produced the following offspring: * Take Control, a colt by A.P. Indy, foaled February 14, 2007 (won 2 races) * Arienza, a filly by

Giant's Causeway The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (5 km) northeast of ...

, foaled May 10, 2008 (winner, graded stakes placed) * Wine Princess, a filly by Ghostzapper (who defeated Azeri in the 2004 Breeders' Cup Classic), foaled May 1, 2009 (graded stakes winner) * Amelie, a filly by

Distorted Humor Distorted Humor (foaled March 19, 1993 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire. Bloodline Distorted Humor's sire is Forty Niner, 1987's Eclipse Award winning Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse by the champio ...

, foaled May 17, 2010, in Japan (winner) * Azerina Gakki, a colt by Zenno Rob Roy, foaled 2011 (unraced) * Leukerbad, a colt by Deep Impact, foaled 2013 (winner, graded stakes placed) * Admire Azeri, a colt by Deep Impact, foaled 2014 (winner) Azeri was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2010. Azeri is one of only two female winners of the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year to have produced foals by more than one stallion who was also Horse of the Year (A.P. Indy and Ghostzapper), the other mare being Lady's Secret, who produced foals by Seattle Slew and Skip Away.

Race record

Age four (2002)

* 1st, Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) * 1st,

Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap The Santa Margarita Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California for fillies and mares age four and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one and one-eighths mile ...

(G1) * 1st,

Apple Blossom Handicap The Apple Blossom Handicap is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older, run under handicap conditions over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track held annually in April ...

(G1) * 1st, Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap (G1) * 1st,

Vanity Handicap The Beholder Mile Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three and up. It is run over a distance of one mile on the dirt each year in March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. History The event wa ...

(G1) * 1st, Clement L. Hirsch Handicap (G2) * 1st, Lady's Secret Breeders' Cup Handicap (G2) * 2nd,

La Cañada Stakes The La Cañada Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age four-years-old and older over a distance of one-and-one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track held annually in January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Ca ...

(G2)

Age five (2003)

* 1st, Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) * 1st, Milady BCH (G1) * 1st, Vanity Handicap (G1) * 1st, Clement L. Hirsch Handicap (G2) * 2nd, Lady's Secret BCH (G2)

Age six (2004)

* 1st, Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) * 1st,

(G1) * 1st, Spinster Stakes (G1) * 2nd, Humana Distaff Handicap (G1) * 2nd,

Personal Ensign Handicap The Personal Ensign Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to fillies and Mares age three and older, it is contested at a dist ...

(G1)

Awards and honors

* National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (2010) * Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year (2002) *

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Female Horse The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of th ...

(2002, 2003, 2004) * Second-highest female money-earner in North America with $4,079,820 (first as of 2011 is

Zenyatta Zenyatta (foaled April 1, 2004) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Classic and Breeders' Cup Distaff and 19 of her 20 starts. She was the 2010 American Horse of the Year, and Champion Older Female in 2008, ...

with $6,404,580)

Notes

References

* ''Women of the Year - Ten Fillies Who Achieved Horse Racing's Highest Honor'' by the Staff and Correspondents of The Blood-Horse magazine (2004) Eclipse Press {{ISBN, 1-58150-116-1

External links

December 23, 2004 ''Bloodhorse'' article on Azeri's retirement

Hill 'n' Dale Farms

Azeri's pedigree and racing stats

Profile of Azeri at Hello Race Fans
1998 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 1-l Racehorses trained in the United States Racehorses bred in Kentucky Eclipse Award winners American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Breeders' Cup Distaff winners