{{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Precisionist , image = , caption = , sire = Crozier , grandsire =

My Babu My Babu (1945–1970) was a French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who became one of the most influential sires in American breeding of show jumpers, eventers and hunters. His descendants include Bruce Davidson's former eventing mount JJ Babu, ...

, dam = Excellently , damsire = Forli , sex =

Stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

, foaled = 1981 , country = USA , colour =

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

, breeder =

Fred W. Hooper Fred William Hooper (October 6, 1897 – August 4, 2000) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. He was a member of The Jockey Club, an honorary director of the Breeders' Cup, and one of the founders of the Thoroughbred Owners ...

, owner =

, trainer = L. Ross Fenstermaker
John W. Russell (1988) , record = 46: 20-10-4 , earnings = $3,485,398 , race =

Swaps Stakes The Los Alamitos Derby (formerly the Swaps Stakes) is a race for Thoroughbred horses run annually at Los Alamitos Race Course in Los Alamitos, California. The race is open to three-year-old horses and is contested at one and one-eighth miles on th ...

(1984)

San Miguel Stakes The San Miguel Stakes was American Thoroughbred horse race run between 1956 and 2009 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A race for three-year-olds, it was contested on dirt until its final two years when the synthetic Cushion Track was i ...

(1984)

Malibu Stakes The Malibu Stakes is a race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses of either gender held each December at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is at a distance of seven furlongs '' and is the first leg of Santa Anita Park's Strub Seri ...

(1985)

San Fernando Stakes The San Fernando Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to four-year-old horses, it is contested on at a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on Pro-Ride synthetic ...

(1985)
Charles H. Strub Stakes (1985)

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 ...

(1985)

Californian Stakes The Californian Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California (relocated from the now closed Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California). The Grade II event is open to hor ...

(1986)

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 ...

(1986)

San Pasqual Handicap The San Pasqual Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The Grade II event is open to horses, age four and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on ...

(1986)
Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap (1988)
Cabrillo Handicap (1988) , awards= U.S. Champion Sprint Horse (1985) , honours = United States Racing Hall of Fame (2003) , updated= March 17, 2008 Precisionist (February 28, 1981 – September 27, 2006) was an American

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

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 ...

Race career

In 1985, Precisionist won the Strub Series 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 ...

becoming only the fifth horse to win the

, the

and the Charles H. Strub Stakes. Although he earned an

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 ...

as a champion sprinter and was a

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

sprint winner, Precisionist was also a winner of races beyond a mile including

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 ...

races at 1¼ miles. In 1986, Precisionist won the Woodward Stakes over Lady's Secret (eventual Horse of the Year). In the fall, Precisionist and Turkoman were the heavy favorites for the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

but he ran second and third respectively to upset winner,

Skywalker The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes ...

. In 1988, overcoming both the 20-month layoff and a fracture to his left foreleg that was repaired with a pin, Precisionist set the current one-mile track record 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 ...

in 1:33 1/5. William Donovan handled training duties for Precisionist's final start when he finished twelfth in the 1988 Sunny Isle Handicap 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 ...

Stud career

Retired initially at age 6, Precisionist proved nearly sterile, siring only four offspring in three foal crops. He produced three daughters and a son, all started and two were winners; none were stakes winners. His progeny earned a total of $34,230. He managed to become a one-time proven dam-sire when his daughter, Preciseness, produced the graded stakes winner Dawn Again, and his granddaughters had several stakes performers.

Retirement

As a result of his inability to reliably produce foals, his owners returned him to racing under trainer John Russell. He was permanently retired after a successful 1988 campaign. Several attempts were made to improve his fertility, but nothing worked to satisfaction. He was sent to live at a farm in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

where he remained until June 2006 when he was sent to the Old Friends, Inc. equine retirement center near

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originall ...

Death

Diagnosed with inoperable sinus

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

s, Precisionist was

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 ...

on September 27, 2006. He was buried in his entirety at the Old Friends cemetery.

References

Precisionist's pedigree and stats

Old Friends official website
1981 racehorse births 2006 racehorse deaths Breeders' Cup Sprint winners Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters Eclipse Award winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 11-g Byerley Turk sire line Old Friends Equine Retirement