Left Bank (May 9, 1997 – October 7, 2002) 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 ...

Background

Out of the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

, Marshesseaux, Left Bank was sired by

Jerome Handicap The Jerome Stakes is a stakes race for thoroughbred horses run each January at Aqueduct Racetrack. Open to three year olds, the race is run at one mile and carries a purse of $150,000. It is a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying race, with the wi ...

winner, French Deputy, a son of Deputy Minister who was the 1981

Canadian Horse of the Year The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honour in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing. Part of the Sovereign Awards program since 1975, ...

and two-time

Leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to stallions which are based in N ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

horseman

Michael Tabor Michael Barry Tabor (born 28 October 1941) is a British businessman, bookmaker, gambler and owner of thoroughbred racehorses. Tabor regularly appears on the ''Sunday Times Rich List'' of the richest people in Britain. In 2012 his fortune w ...

purchased Left Bank as a two-year-old for $600,000 at a February 1999

Fasig-Tipton The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an American auction house for Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Elkton, Maryla ...

sale at

Calder Race Course Calder Casino is a casino located in Miami Gardens, Florida. It includes slots, electronic table games, and bingo. The casino opened in 2010 and features a gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic r ...

. Tabor turned him over to trainer

Todd Pletcher Todd Pletcher (born June 26, 1967 in Dallas, Texas) is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. He won the Eclipse Award seven times as Trainer of the Year, four of these in consecutive years. His horses Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (20 ...

to race in the United States. However, the colt suffered from

colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube ( small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content out ...

that necessitated

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

which resulted in the removal of twelve feet of

small intestine The small intestine or small bowel is an organ in the gastrointestinal tract where most of the absorption of nutrients from food takes place. It lies between the stomach and large intestine, and receives bile and pancreatic juice through the p ...

Racing career

2000: Three-year-old season

Recovered, Left Bank was able to race the following year notably winning the 2000

Discovery Handicap The Discovery Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the latter part of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Listed event open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one an ...

at New York's

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

2001: Four-year-old season

At age four in 2001, Left Bank got off to a slow start but in the fall won two

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by re ...

races. He first beat the

betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three eleme ...

favorite

Squirtle Squirt {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Squirtle Squirt , image = , caption = , sire = Marquetry , grandsire = Conquistador Cielo , dam = Lost The Code , damsire = Lost Code , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1998 , country = United States , co ...

to capture the September 22

Vosburgh Stakes The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender. A Grade II sprint race, it is ra ...

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

, clocking the second-fastest time in the race's 62 year history. Then, on November 24 at

, Left Bank won the

Cigar Mile Handicap The Cigar Mile Handicap is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three-years-old and older held in late November or early December at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Typically New York's final Grade I thoroughbred sta ...

by defeating top-rated challengers, Graeme Hall and

Red Bullet Red Bullet (foaled 13 April 1997 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2000 Preakness Stakes. Background Red Bullet is a chestnut horse bred and raced by auto parts magnate Frank Stronach. He was sired b ...

2002 Championship year and death

Rested since his win in November's Cigar Mile, Left Bank began his five-year-old campaign on May 12, 2002 with a win in the Grade 3

Bold Ruler Handicap The Bold Ruler Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of seven furlongs run annually in late October Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event currently offers a purse of $200,0 ...

br>
After a poor showing in the May 27

Metropolitan Handicap The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile", is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile (8 furl ...

, on July 4 Left Bank set a Belmont Park track record for seven

furlong 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 hors ...

s in winning the Grade 2

Tom Fool Handicap The Tom Fool Handicap is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for four-year-olds and older at a distance of six furlongs on the dirt run annually in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. The event currently of ...

by six and a quarter lengths

Moving up from Sprint (horse racing), sprint race distances, Left Bank followed his record-setting win in the Tom Fool by equaling the

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

track record for 1⅛ miles (9 furlongs) in his victory in the Grade 1

Whitney Handicap The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1 ...

After his win in the Whitney, Left Bank was being prepared to run in the

Woodward Stakes The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. It is named for prominent racehorse owner William Woodward. The race was first run in 1954 at Aqueduct Rac ...

at Belmont Park but suffered another attack of colic. On August 10, 2002 the horse was rushed to the equine hospital at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

near Boston, Massachusetts where he underwent emergency surgery. Following his surgery, Left Bank was sent to recover at

Ashford Stud Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is headquarters of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champions. The operat ...

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 ...

but had to undergo further operations from which he was unable to recover and died on October 7, 2002.

Assessment

Left Bank posthumously earned the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

when he was voted the 2002

American Champion Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of ...

. It marked the first Eclipse Award for trainer, Todd Pletcher

Pedigree

{{Pedigree , name = Left Bank , f = French Deputy , m = Marshesseaux , ff = Deputy Minister , fm = Mitterand , mf = Dr. Blum , mm = Loboette , fff =

Vice Regent Vice Regent (April 29, 1967 – June 18, 1995) was a Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse and Canada's leading sire for thirteen years. Owned and bred by E. P. Taylor, he was from Northern Dancer's second crop and out of the mare Victoria ...

, ffm = Mint Copy , fmf = Hold Your Peace , fmm = Laredo Lass , mff =

Dr. Fager Dr. Fager (April 6, 1964 – August 5, 1976) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who had what many consider one of the greatest single racing seasons by any horse in the history of the sport. In 1968 at the age of four, he became the only hors ...

, mfm = Due Dilly , mmf = Good Counsel , mmm = Chanderelle , ffff =

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

, fffm = Victoria Regina , ffmf = Bunty's Flight , ffmm = Shakney , fmff = Speak John , fmfm = Blue Moon , fmmf =

Bold Ruler Bold Ruler (April 6, 1954 – July 11, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame racehorse who was the 1957 American Horse of the Year, Horse of the Year. This following a three-year-old campaign t ...

, fmmm = Fortunate Isle , mfff =

Rough'n Tumble Rough'n Tumble (foaled in 1948) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Santa Anita Derby and became what Bloodhorse called "one of the most successful stallions in Florida breeding history." Rough'n Tumble was purchased privately for ...

, mffm = Aspidistra , mfmf =

Sir Gaylord Sir Gaylord (February 12, 1959 – 1981) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who later became a successful sire. Background He was bred and raced by Christopher Chenery. Sir Gaylord was sired by the British-bred, American-raced Turn-To out ...

, mfmm = Lord Matron , mmff =

Hail To Reason Hail to Reason (April 18, 1958 – February 24, 1976) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire. In a racing career cut short by injury, he was named the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1960 after winning seven stake ...

, mmfm = Polylady , mmmf =

Graustark Graustark is a fictional country in Eastern Europe used as a setting for several novels by George Barr McCutcheon. Graustark's neighbors, which also figure in the stories, are Axphain to the north and Dawsbergen to the south. Description Gra ...

, mmmm = Chandalle }

References

Left Bank's pedigree and partial racing stats

Video at YouTube of Left Bank setting new Belmont Park track record

* ttp://espn.go.com/horse/news/2002/1008/1443227.html October 8, 2002 ESPN report titled ''Left Bank dead after colic surgeries'' 1997 racehorse births 2002 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 9-c Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners