Chinook Pass (April 28, 1979 – June 1, 2010) was an American

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

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 c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. He was noted for his performances over sprint distances and was voted

American Champion Sprint Horse The American Champion Sprint Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1947, in 1971 it became part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to the top horse in sprint races (usually those run at a distance ...

in 1983.

Background

Chinook Pass was named for the stunning mile-high mountain pass that takes motorists to the very foot of 14,411 feet (4,392 m)

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...

as they travel between Eastern and Western Washington State, USA. Bred and raced by retired Seattle policeman Ed Purvis under his Hi Yu Stables banner, Chinook Pass was out of the mare Yu Turn, a daughter of the important sire,

Turn-To Turn-To (1951–1973) was a British-born, American-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background He was sired by the British stallion Royal Charger, out of the French mare Source Sucree, whose sire, Admiral Drake, was third on the Fre ...

. His sire was the Vanderbilt-bred Native Born, who was a son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee,

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...

out of Sagamore Farm's two-time national champion mare,

Next Move {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Next Move , image = , caption = , sire = Bull Lea , grandsire = Bull Dog , dam = Now What , damsire = Chance Play , sex = Filly , foaled = 1947 , country = United States , colour = Brown , breeder ...

. He was foaled at Dewaine Moore's Rainier Stables near

Enumclaw, Washington Enumclaw ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 12,543 at the 2020 census. The Enumclaw Plateau, on which the city resides, was formed by a volcanic mudflow (lahar) from Mount Rainier approximately 5,700 y ...

Racing career

Racing at age two, he won three of five starts, including the Washington Stallion Stakes at

Longacres Racetrack Longacres was a Thoroughbred horse racetrack in Renton, Washington, United States. Owned by the Gottstein/Alhadeff family and operated by the Washington Jockey Club for the vast majority of its existence, the racetrack was the home of Thor ...

in track record time. An injury in the Gottstein Futurity kept him out of racing for seven months. Back on the track at age three, Chinook Pass made thirteen starts, winning eight, finishing second three times and third, once. He became the first three-year-old to win the Washington State Governor's Handicap in twenty-seven years. At Longacres Racetrack in

Renton, Washington Renton is a city in King County, Washington, and an inner-ring suburb of Seattle. Situated southeast of downtown Seattle, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington, at the mouth of the Cedar River. As of the 2020 census, the ...

on September 17, 1982 Chinook Pass set a new world record of 0:55 1/5 for five

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s in winning the Longacres Owners Handicap, which remains the North American dirt record. Near the end of 1982, he won the Meteor Handicap at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...

in a time of 0:56 for five furlongs on turf which equalled the American record, and capped his three-year-old season with a track record-tying victory in the Palos Verdes Handicap, then the Santa Anita opening day feature, on a hand ride by jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. to finish in 1:07 3/5. That year, he finished third in Eclipse Award balloting for Sprinter of the Year, and was voted Washington Horse of the Year. At age four in 1983, Chinook Pass won five of seven starts and won the Eclipse Award as that year's

, the first by a horse bred in the state of Washington. Following four more stakes wins 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 ...

and an eight length victory in the

Bing Crosby Handicap The Bing Crosby Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The Grade 1 race is open to horses three years of age and up. It is run on Dirt at a distance of six furlong and presently of ...

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundin ...

, he made a triumphal return to Washington where his six length win in the

Longacres Mile The Longacres Mile Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race generally held in August at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington. The race is open to horses three years of age and older and is run on dirt over a distance of one mile (eight furlon ...

equalled the largest margin in the race's history. However, he came out of the race with an injury to a front foreleg. Near the end of the year, he re-injured the leg and, although several attempts were made to bring him back to training, he never raced again. At the end of the year he was again Washington Horse of the Year.

Retirement

Hall of Fame Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr., who was aboard Chinook Pass for all his Southern California stakes wins and the Longacres Mile, has often stated that, "Chinook Pass is the fastest horse I ever rode and the fastest horse I ever saw." Ron Charles, former president of Santa Anita Park, stated upon the occasion of the horse's 31st birthday that “Chinook Pass is, by far, the fastest sprinter I have ever seen, (and) on our 75th Anniversary, it is still my belief that he was the fastest sprinter ever to race at Santa Anita.” In 2000, Chinook Pass was named Washington's Horse of the Century. In 2008, the 29-year-old Chinook Pass made his final visit to the racetrack, being honored at

Emerald Downs Emerald Downs is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Auburn, Washington, located a half mile east of Highway 167. It is named after Seattle, the Emerald City. History Emerald Downs first opened its doors to race fans on June 20, 1996, with the inaug ...

on the 25th anniversary of his win in the 1983 Longacres Mile. Chinook Pass was euthanized on June 1, 2010 due to an emergent heart condition. In very good health up until his final day, he was the oldest living Eclipse Award winner at the time of his death at age 31 years, 1 month and 5 days.

References

External links

Pedigree and partial racing stats for Chinook Pass

* Lightning in a Bottle: The Story of Chinook Pass I, ''WA Thoroughbred magazine'

* Lightning in a Bottle: The Story of Chinook Pass II, ''WA Thoroughbred magazine'

* Lightning in a Bottle: The Story of Chinook Pass III, ''WA Thoroughbred magazine'

* Honoring Chinook Pass on his 30th Birthday, ''WA Thoroughbred magazine'

* Legends Reunited: Chinook Pass and Laffit Pincay, Jr., ''WA Thoroughbred magazine'

* Oldest Living Eclipse Award winner turns 31, ''WA Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association'

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinook Pass (Horse) 1979 racehorse births 2010 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 2-h Racehorses bred in Washington (state) Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners