{{Infobox thoroughbred racehorse , horsename = Pine Island , image = , caption= Pine Island and jockey

Javier Castellano Javier Castellano (born October 23, 1977, in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Castellano began his riding career in 1996 at Santa Rita and La Rinconada racecourses in Venezuela. In June 1997 ...

winning the 2006 Gazelle Stakes. , sire = Arch , grandsire =

Kris S. Kris S. (foaled April 25, 1977 – May 7, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred race horse who is best known as a highly successful sire. Background Kris S. was a son of the 1972 Epsom Derby winner Roberto who was a sire of international influenc ...

, dam = Matlacha Pass , damsire = Seeking The Gold , sex = Filly , foaled = 2003 , country =

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, colour =

Dark Bay Bay is a hair coat color of horses, characterized by a reddish-brown or brown body color with a black point coloration on the mane, tail, ear edges, and lower legs. Bay is one of the most common coat colors in many horse breeds. The black ...

, breeder =

Ogden Phipps Ogden Phipps (November 26, 1908 – April 21, 2002) was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist. In 2001, he was induc ...

, owner =

Phipps Stable Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps (September 18, 1940 – April 6, 2016) was an American financier, Thoroughbred racehorse industry executive, and horse breeder. Widely known by the nickname "Dinny," he was chairman of the family's Bessemer Trust until ...

, trainer = Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey III , record = 7: 4-2-0 , earnings = $666,800 , race =

Alabama Stakes The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, it cu ...

(2006)

Gazelle Stakes The Gazelle Stakes (formerly Gazelle Handicap until 2004) is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It is a Grade III event run over a distance of miles on dirt that is open to three-year ...

(2006) Pine Island (April 19, 2003 – November 4, 2006), was 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 ...

racehorse whose career and life were cut short by an injury suffered during the running of the 2006 Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Racing career

Pine Island, unraced as a two-year-old quickly displayed her promise by winning her first career start, a maiden special weight race on the turf at

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 ...

Hallandale, Florida Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 2 ...

, in February 2006. Rested for almost three months after her triumphant debut, Pine Island returned to the racetrack in May, this time winning an allowance race on the main track at Belmont Park in

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...

. After two strong second-place finishes in the

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 ...

Mother Goose Stakes The Mother Goose Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt in late June or early July, the race currently offers a purse of $300,000. Inaugurated in 1957 at a m ...

and

Coaching Club American Oaks The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in ...

, both at Belmont, Pine Island notched her first major score in August by winning the Grade 1

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 actu ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

. She followed up this success with a win in the Grade 1

at Belmont in September.

Death

Pine Island's promising career and ultimately her life came to an end on November 4, 2006 when she broke down on the backstretch during the running of the Breeders' Cup Distaff which was held at Churchill Downs in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

that year. It was discovered that she had dislocated her left front ankle so severely that there would be virtually no chance of her survival. Dr. Wayne McIlwraith, a track veterinarian at Churchill Downs who examined her said that there were likely multiple fractures and soft tissue injuries as well. Due to the decreased blood supply and the risk of contamination from the open wound caused by the injury, she was humanely

euthanized Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

after being vanned off the racetrack.

Legacy

Pine Island was buried on November 13 in a private ceremony at Claiborne Farm's Marchmont Cemetery. Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey III, who trained Pine Island for the Phipps Stable, was quoted as saying: "She was a pleasure to be around because she liked doing it, and she made very few mistakes around the barn." Gus Koch, the Farm Manager of Claiborne, said: "It was a sad, sad day. It was sad for the Phippses and all of us at Claiborne. We foaled her and weaned her and raised her as a yearling. She was a lovely individual to be around and very nice to get along with. It's just a tragic loss." Pine Island's grave is located right next to 1998

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

, Banshee Breeze. Others who share the same cemetery space as her include the Phipps's racing superstar

Easy Goer Easy Goer (March 21, 1986 – May 12, 1994) was an American Champion Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse known for earning American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors in 1988 and defeating 1989 American Horse of the Year Sunday Silence in t ...

References

Pine Island's pedigree and partial racing stats

November 4, 2006 Bloodhorse.com article on the death of Pine Island
2003 racehorse births 2006 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Horses who died from racing injuries Thoroughbred family 1-g