Hansen (foaled April 23, 2009 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 ...
), nicknamed 'White Lightning' and 'The Great White Hope', is a
grey
Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...
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 ...
racehorse. Out of the
Sir Cat mare Stormy Sunday, he is sired by
Tapit
Tapit (foaled February 27, 2001, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won three of his six races, including the Wood Memorial Stakes, then a Grade I event. He was an immediate success after retiring to stud, becoming the leadi ...
. He is famous for having a coat that has grayed out to white far more rapidly than is typical, which led sportscaster
Frank DeFord
Benjamin Franklin Deford III (December 16, 1938 – May 28, 2017) was an American sportswriter and novelist. From 1980 until his death in 2017, he was a regular sports commentator on NPR's ''Morning Edition'' radio program.
Deford wrote fo ...
to describe him as a "four-legged
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...
. He is named after his owner and breeder, Dr. Kendall Hansen. He was trained by
Mike Maker, and his regular
jockey was
Ramon Dominguez.
Racing career
In his two-year-old season, Hansen was lightly raced. He had two wins at
Turfway Park
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located within the city limits of Florence, Kentucky, about south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati. The track conducts live Thoroughbred horse racing during two meets each year—Holiday (December), ...
over distances of miles and
furlongs
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 ho ...
. After winning the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Stakes, he then went to
Churchill Downs and won the
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 W ...
over
Union Rags
Union Rags (foaled March 3, 2009 in Kentucky) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2012 Belmont Stakes. He also won the Champagne Stakes and the Saratoga Special Stakes
Background
Union Rags is a bay with a white blaze si ...
.
on November 5, 2011. Sent off at odds of 7–1, Hansen broke sharply from post 5 under Dominguez and set fractions of :23.26, :47.39, and 1:12.24 on a fast main track with Speightscity, Fort Loudon and Creative Cause tracking him early. He led down the backstretch with favorite
Union Rags
Union Rags (foaled March 3, 2009 in Kentucky) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2012 Belmont Stakes. He also won the Champagne Stakes and the Saratoga Special Stakes
Background
Union Rags is a bay with a white blaze si ...
right behind and held onto the lead to win by a head. Hansen earned $1,080,000 for the victory and subsequently was voted 2011 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
Hansen began his three-year-old season with the first loss of his career in the
Holy Bull Stakes
The Holy Bull Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses run over the distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt, held annually in January at Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida. The event c ...
on January 29, 2012. He stumbled out of the gate and then went to the front with an opening fraction of 23.64 and opening half-mile in 45.67. He tired in deep stretch and was passed by Algorithms, ultimately finishing second in front of My Adonis.
On March 3, 2011, Hansen won the Grade III
Gotham Stakes
The Gotham Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Grade III event with a current purse of US$300,000, it is set at a distance of 1 mile on the d ...
in a time of 1:43.84.
Hansen's most controversial appearance was in the
Blue Grass Stakes
The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is ru ...
, due to pre-race controversy when his
eponymous
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
owner dyed the horse's white tail blue as a promotional stunt. Under pressure from the track stewards, who sent security to the barn to seize and test the dye container, his trainer washed out the dye. Hansen placed second in the race behind
Dullahan
The Dullahan (Irish: Dubhlachan ; dúlachán, ), also called Gan Ceann (meaning "without a head" in Irish), is a type of mythological creature in Irish folklore. He is depicted as a headless rider, on a black horse, who carries his own head ...
.
On May 5, 2012, Hansen finished 9th in the
2012 Kentucky Derby. Early in the race, he ran in third place before tiring and dropping back.
Next racing on June 30, 2012, he won the
Iowa Derby
The Iowa Derby is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on the dirt annually at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Iowa. The purse of the event is US$250,000. Race History
The ...
. Dominguez flew from
Belmont Park to Iowa after a day's riding in New York to guide the colt to his win. On August 4, 2012, Hansen finished fourth in the
West Virginia Derby to Macho Macho. While he was preparing for the
Travers, a tear in his tendon was discovered.
Miami Herald
Retirement and stud career
Hansen was officially retired from racing in September 2012 after his injury and stood at Ashford Stud in for the 2013 breeding season. In October 2013, he was sold to interests in South Korea, where he joined other notable American Thoroughbreds exported to that nation. On January 28, 2014, Hansen was represented by his first foal, a chestnut colt out of the mare Havelsee, later named Mookie.
On June 5, 2016, gelding Hansen's Victory (owned by North American Thoroughbred Horse Company, Russell Morrison, and Peter Tom) won a maiden special weight at Hastings Racecourse
Hastings Racecourse and Casino has been capturing the hearts and minds of visitors since 1889, featuring live thoroughbred racing, nearly 450 slots, dining, and more.
A horse-racing facility and casino at Hastings Park, four miles from downtown Va ...
, becoming his sire's first recognized winner.
As of 2017, Hansen's best progeny includes Fast and Accurate, who won the 2017 Spiral Stakes (Hansen's first graded stakes winner), and stakes winners En Hanse and Han Sense. He has also been represented by stakes placed runners Lady Hansen, The Walk, Two Charley's, and Hansenation.
Pedigree
References
{{reflist
Resources
Pedigree & Partial Stats
Stats & News
2009 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in the United States
Breeders' Cup Juvenile winners
Thoroughbred family 22-d