Epicenter (foaled January 29, 2019) is a retired Champion American

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. In 2022 he won the

Risen Star Risen Star (March 25, 1985 – March 13, 1998) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1988. Background The dark bay colt was the son of the great Triple Crown winner Secretariat and out of ...

Louisiana Derby The Louisiana Derby is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Run in late March, the race is open to horses, age three, willing to race miles on the dirt. It currently o ...

, Jim Dandy and

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds acco ...

. He also finished second as the favorite in both the 2022 Kentucky Derby and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

Background

Epicenter was bred in Kentucky by Westwind Farms. He was sired by Not This Time, a graded stakes winner who finished second in the 2016

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup ...

before his career has cut short by injury. His dam, Silent Candy, is a stakes-winning daughter of

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 ...

. Not This Time stands at Taylor Made Stallions in Kentucky for US$75,000 service fee. Epicenter was sold at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $260,000 to Winchell Thoroughbreds, owned by Ron Winchell. He is trained by

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 ...

Steve Asmussen Steven Mark Asmussen (born November 18, 1965) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. The leading trainer in North America by wins, he is a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer and was inducted into the National M ...

. Winchell and Asmussen had previously combined forces with champions

Untapable Untapable (foaled 13 February 2011) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 2013 when she won two of her four races including the Pocahontas Stakes and was placed in the Starlet Stakes. In 2014 she emerge ...

and

Gun Runner Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small ...

Racing career

2021: two-year-old season

Epicenter made his first start on September 18, 2021, in a maiden special weight race at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

over seven furlongs. He went to the early lead, setting fast opening fractions of 22.37 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 45.72 for the half. However, he tired in the stretch and finished sixth. He returned on November 13 in another maiden special weight at Churchill Downs, this time at a distance of one mile. He vied for the earlier lead with Surfer Dude, then kicked clear in the stretch to win by lengths. Epicenter made his final start of the year on December 26 in the newly-created

Gun Runner Stakes A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, ...

, an early prep race on the

Road to the Kentucky Derby The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a points system by which horses qualify for a position in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. It features dozens of stakes races for 2 and 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the number and specific races have chang ...

over miles at

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

in Louisiana. He pressed the early pace while racing two-wide, then moved to the lead at the top of the stretch and won handily by lengths. "To be able to win the inaugural running of the Gun Runner today is special for us," said Scott Blasi, Asmussen's assistant trainer. "Gun Runner had his start and a number of breakout performances here at the Fair Grounds, and to see what he has done in the stallion barn has been historical. He's the leading two-year-old stallion in the world. To be able to win this race for the Winchell family is very special."

2022: three-year-old season

Epicenter began his three-year-old campaign on January 22, 2022, in the

Lecomte Stakes The Lecomte Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenths miles on the dirt run annually in mid-January, at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event ...

at the Fair Grounds. He went to the early lead and set sensible fractions. In the stretch, first Pappacap and then Call Me Midnight made strong moves. Epicenter held off Pappacap but was caught at the wire by Call Me Midnight, losing by a head. Epicenter returned to racing on February 19 in the

Risen Star Stakes The Risen Star Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt run annually in February, usually during the President's Day weekend at Fair Grounds Race Course i ...

. He went to the early lead and set a moderate pace, then opened up a wide lead in mid-stretch. Geared down for the final strides, he still won by lengths over Smile Happy, with Zandon closing late for third. "It was a little different than his last race, as every fraction was perfect for him," said Winchell. "He was nice and comfortable and you just hope he'll finish the race, which he did." On March 26, Epicenter went off as the even-money in the

. He broke slowly so jockey

Joel Rosario Joel Rosario (born January 14, 1985) is a Champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing, originally from the Dominican Republic. In the space of five weeks in 2013 he rode the winners of the Dubai World Cup and the Kentucky Derby. More rec ...

moved him to the inside where he rated in third place. On the final turn, he moved to the outside and began closely steadily, striking the lead near the head of the stretch. He continued to draw away and won easily by lengths over Zozos. His time of 1:54.38 for miles set a new track record. "He took a little dirt today and he didn't mind it," said Rosario. "He was off the pace today and inside of horses. It seems like he can be special. The way he did it today, the mile and a quarter (of the Derby) shouldn't be a problem. We will see what happens." Epicenter went off as the 4-1 favorite in a very deep field for the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Other highly regarded contenders included Zandon (Blue Grass Stakes), Taiba (Santa Anita Derby), White Abarrio (Florida Derby), Messier (second in Santa Anita Derby), Cyberknife (Arkansas Derby) and

Mo Donegal Mo Donegal (foaled April 19, 2019) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 2022 Belmont Stakes horse race. The horse is owned by Donegal Racing and Repole Stable. Background Mo Donegal is named for his sire the champion horse ...

(Wood Memorial). Epicenter broke slowly and settled in mid-pack behind a very fast pace set by Summer is Tomorrow and Crown Pride. He saved ground around the first turn then shifted out around the final turn as he started to make up ground. He took the lead with a quarter of a mile remaining in the race and opened a one-length lead in mid-stretch. Zandon was closing on his outside while on the inside, Rich Strike found room on the rail. Epicenter responded to the challenge from Zandon but could not match Rich Strike's closing kick. He finished second by three-quarters of a length to one of the biggest upset winners in the history of the Derby. After the race, Asmussen said he could not believe Epicenter had lost after he took the lead in the stretch. "Then "I saw ich Strike and I'm like, 'No! He's not going to beat us.' And he did", said Asmussen. "Hats off to him. They won the Kentucky Derby. What a story." Epicenter went off as the 6-5 favorite in the 2022 Preakness Stakes on May 21. He was squeezed back at the break and settled near the back of the pack. Still in seventh place after three-quarters of a mile, he began to make up ground along the rail near the top of the stretch. Meanwhile,

Early Voting Early voting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as via postal voting, or in ...

tracked the early pace set by Armagnac and moved to the lead entering the stretch, pulling well clear with an eighth of a mile remaining. Epicenter closed steadily, first on the inside and then to the outside as Early Voting shifted towards the rail. He finished second by lengths. Epicenter was given a layoff, then returned to racing on July 30 in the

Jim Dandy Stakes The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three over one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. ...

at Saratoga. The field of four were all stakes winners, with Epicenter going off as the even-money favorite. Early Voting went to the early lead while Epicenter settled in last place along the rail. He swung five-wide moving into the stretch and moved steadily to the lead to win by lengths over Zandon, with Early Voting finishing in fourth. The

on August 27 attracted a very strong field, including the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby (Rich Strike, Epicenter and Zandon), Preakness winner Early Voting and Cyberknife, who had won the

Haskell Haskell () is a general-purpose, statically-typed, purely functional programming language with type inference and lazy evaluation. Designed for teaching, research and industrial applications, Haskell has pioneered a number of programming lan ...

in his last start. Epicenter was again the even-money favorite. He settled in fourth-place behind Cyberknife, who set moderate fractions for the first three-quarters of a mile. Epicenter then began his move on the outside, taking the lead at the quarter-pole. He continued to draw away down the stretch to win by lengths over Cyberknife, with Zandon in third and Rich Strike fourth. It was the first Travers Stakes win for Asmussen and Rosario. "We walked over today with a tremendous amount of confidence in the horse," said Asmussen, "but definitely remember we felt exactly that way walking over for this year's Derby. He was away cleanly and thought he was very comfortable and attending close enough to the pace, and just ran a very dominating performance against a very good group." Epicenter made his final start in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for its ...

on November 5. He was pulled up on the first turn after an injury to his right forelimb. He walked onto the equine ambulance and was transported to nearby

Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital was established in Lexington, Kentucky in 1986 as a partnership between veterinarians William Rood and Thomas Riddle. The facility offers a range of services for the treatment of horses. They have cared for many famous ...

for further evaluation. The

Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of raceh ...

later reported that Epicenter suffered a lateral

condylar A condyle (;Entry "condyle"
in
2019 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 21-a American Grade 1 Stakes winners