Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
) was an Irish-bred
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 ...
who competed successfully in Ireland as well as in the United States, where she set a
world record
A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
for a mile and an eighth on
turf
Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls.
In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...
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 ...
in
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...
.
Breeding
Kostroma was bred in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
Tommy Stack
Tommy Stack (born 15 November 1945 in Moyvane, County Kerry, Ireland) is a former National Hunt racing jockey and trainer. As a jockey, he is probably best known for piloting Red Rum to a third Grand National victory. Stack was National Hunt Champ ...
. Out of the mare Katie May, whose sire was the 1967 English Horse of the Year, Busted, she was sired by
Caerleon
Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...
, a two-time
leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The title of champion, or leading, sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current champion is Frankel, who r ...
and son of
English Triple Crown
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplis ...
champion
Nijinsky
Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...
.
Racing in Ireland
At age three, Kostroma made a winning debut on May 20, 1989, for owner
Robert Sangster
Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)
and trainer Tommy Slack in the Glengarrif Fillies Maiden at Ireland's
Curragh Racecourse
The Curragh Racecourse -- usually referred to as simply the Curragh -- is one of Ireland's most important Thoroughbred racecourses. It is situated on the Curragh plain in County Kildare, between the towns of Newbridge and Kildare.
History
T ...
. She raced four more times that year without another win, but at age four won her 1990 debut, taking the
Mooresbridge Stakes
The Mooresbridge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) at the Curragh in ...
Brownstown Stakes
The Brownstown Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), ...
and
Desmond Stakes
The Desmond Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled t ...
before being sent to
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
to compete in the November 4, 1990,
Grade I
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
Owner Robert Sangster sold a share of Kostroma to Americans William de Burgh and Prestonwood Farm, and her race conditioning was then taken over by California-based trainer Gary Jones. A stomach disorder kept Kostroma out of racing until early September 1991, but she returned to set a stakes record in winning the Osunitas Handicap at
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 ...
. Six weeks later, Kostroma won the October 20
Las Palmas Handicap
The Goldikova Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three years old or older over the distance of one mile on the turf scheduled annually in November at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California. The event ...
at Santa Anita, setting a world record time of 1:43.92 for 1 1/8 miles on turf. She next won the Grade I Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes on November 10 at Santa Anita Park.
Racing at age six in 1992, Kostroma added two more Grade I wins, capturing the Beverly D. Stakes at
Arlington Park
Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago regi ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
and the
Santa Barbara Handicap
The Santa Barbara Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Graded stakes race, Grade III event open to Filly, fillies and Mare (horse), mares, age four and older, it is co ...
at Santa Anita Park. In addition, she won the Grade II
Dahlia Handicap
The Dahlia Handicap was a race for thoroughbred horses run annually at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The Dahlia is open to fillies and mares, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the turf. A Grade I ...
and Grade III
Wilshire Handicap
The Wilshire Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older. The race runs over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on turf track and is scheduled annually in May at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, C ...
, both at
Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California
* Hollywood Park, Chicago, a neighborhood in North Park, Chicago, Illinois
* Hollywood Park, Inglewood, an entertainment complex and m ...
.
Broodmare
Kostroma was bred to top sires including
Storm Cat
Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North America in 1999 ...
, Danzig, and AP Indy. Her best offspring on the track was a 2005 filly by Doneraile Court named Ariege, who earned more than half a million dollars with wins including the Grade I
Kentucky Oaks
The Kentucky Oaks is a Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred Filly, fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky O ...