{{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Escena , image = , caption = , sire =

Strawberry Road Strawberry Road (28 September 1979 – 1 June 1995) was a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who went on to race in Germany, France, the United States, and Japan. Bred in New South Wales, he was by the 'superbly-bred' Whiskey Road (Ni ...

, grandsire = Whiskey Road , dam = Claxton's Slew , damsire =

Seattle Slew Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who became the tenth winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American Triple Crown (1977). He is one of only ...

, sex =

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 ...

, foaled = 1993 , country = United States , colour =

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

, breeder =

Allen E. Paulson Allen Eugene Paulson (April 22, 1922 – July 19, 2000) was an American businessman. Business career in aviation Born in Clinton, Iowa, Clinton, Iowa, Allen E. Paulson was on his own at age 13, supporting himself selling newspapers and doing ...

, owner = Guy and Diane Snowden , trainer = William I. Mott , record = 29: 11-9-3 , earnings =

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

2,962,639 , race = Fantasy Stakes (1996)

Ramona Handicap The John C. Mabee Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race contested in early August at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. It is run on the turf for fillies and mares, age three or older, at a distance of one and one-eighth miles. ...

(1997)

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 ...

(1998)
Vanity Invitational Handicap (1998)
Louisville Breeders' Cup Handicap (1998)

Fleur de Lis Handicap The Fleur de Lis Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt run annually in mid-June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. History The event was i ...

(1998)

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

wins:

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

(1998) , awards = American Champion Older Female Horse (1998) , honours = , updated= Escena (foaled 1993 in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, died 2015) is an 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 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 ...

. She had her best season as a five-year-old in 1998 when her wins included the

. In that season she was voted American Champion Older Female Horse at the Eclipse Awards.

Background

Bred and raced by Allen Paulson, she was out of the mare Claxton's Slew, a daughter of 1977 U.S. Triple Crown champion

. Her sire was the great international runner

, who was the 1983

Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year The Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year is awarded to the Thoroughbred horse who is voted to be the champion horse within an Australian racing season. This award is open to all racehorses racing within Australia, regardless of age and sex, ...

and the 1984

German Champion Older Male Horse German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. Strawberry Road also sired Allen Paulson's Champion filly and 1997

winner

Ajina {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Ajina , image = , caption = , sire = Strawberry Road , grandsire = Whiskey Road , dam = Winglet , damsire = Alydar , sex = Mare , foaled = 1994 , country = United States , colour = Dark Bay , breede ...

. Escena was trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee William I. Mott.

Racing career

Escena raced from age two through age five. She won two of her three starts in her debut season at age two, then at age three earned her first

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is then ...

at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in the 1996 Fantasy Stakes. After finishing second in three Grade I races in 1996, the following year she got her first Grade I win in the

at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. She went on to finish third in the 1997

behind winner and stablemate

. At age five, Escena blossomed into a racing star under

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an Thoroughbred Racing on NBC, NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born ...

. She won the Grades 1 Vanity Invitational and

s plus 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 ...

, and the Grades II Louisville Breeders' Cup and

s. She capped off her 1998 campaign with a win in the

and was voted American Champion Older Female Horse honors.

Retirement

Escena was retired at the end of her 1998 racing campaign and sold to Guy Snowden for $3.25 million at the January 1999 Horses of All Ages Sale 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 it ...

. It was the highest price ever paid for a broodmare or broodmare prospect in Keeneland's history. She remained in service at Allen Paulson's Brookside Farm (now Diamond A Farm) near

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 ...

, where she was born and died of old age in 2015.

References

Escena's pedigree and partial racing stats

February 07, 2000 ''Thoroughbred Times'' article titled ''Champion Escena delivers first foal''
1993 racehorse births 2015 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 13-c Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners Breeders' Cup Distaff winners