Kona Gold (March 19, 1994 – September 25, 2009) 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 ...

. Kona Gold was foaled at Carlos Perez's Twilite Farm outside

LaGrange, Kentucky La Grange is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 8,082 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census. It is the seat of its county. An unusual feature of La Grange is the CSX Transportation street-r ...

. He was sold as a yearling for $35,000 at the 1995 Keeneland September yearling sale to trainer Bruce Headley on behalf of a partnership that included Headley,

Irwin Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County, Pe ...

and Andrew Molasky, and Michael Singh. Headley trained Kona Gold at his base in southern California, where the horse was brought along very patiently. Kona Gold suffered a few minor physical setbacks, including a knee chip as a three-year-old that kept him from the races until May of his four-year-old season in 1998.

Early races

After a second-place finish in his debut 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 ...

, Kona Gold won his next three races by a combined 28½ lengths. His 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 ...

(the Grade 3 Ancient Title Handicap at Santa Anita in which he finished 5th, beaten 2¼ lengths) was solid enough to earn him a trip to Churchill Downs for the 1998

Breeders' Cup Sprint The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older. Run on dirt Corrected grade for Santa Anita sprintover a distance of 6 Furlongs ( mile), the race has been held annually si ...

. In his 6th lifetime start, Kona Gold finished 3rd, losing by two lengths.

1999

Kona Gold returned in January 1999, setting a

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 ...

track record for 5½ furlongs in the El Conejo Handicap with a time of 1:01 3/5. (The runner-up Big Jag, who chased Kona in vain throughout the stretch, went on to trounce his field in the prestigious

Dubai Golden Shaheen The Dubai Golden Shaheen is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) on the dirt course at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in late M ...

that March.) Kona Gold's four additional 1999 starts resulted in four runner-up finishes, never losing by more than 2 lengths. In his '99 finale (the Breeders' Cup Sprint), he made up ground in the stretch but fell short by a half-length to Artax, who set a new Breeders' Cup Sprint stakes record and

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

six-furlong track record of 1:07 4/5. Artax also won the Eclipse Award as champion sprinter of 1999.

2000

Kona Gold's best year in racing was at age six in 2000. He capped off the year with a victory in the

and was subsequently voted the American Champion Sprint Horse. Kona Gold raced until he was 9 years old. After spending several years as a stable pony for former trainer Bruce Headley, he became a permanent resident of the

Kentucky Horse Park Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 (Iron Works Pike) and Interstate 75, at Exi ...

in 2008 after the death of John Henry.

Death

Kona Gold was euthanized on September 25, 2009, at the age of 15 after fracturing his left front leg while exercising in his paddock at the Kentucky Horse Park.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Kona Gold's pedigree and partial racing stats
1994 racehorse births 2009 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters Breeders' Cup Sprint winners Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 5-f