Sky Conqueror (foaled May 9, 2002 in Ontario) is a Canadian Thoroughbred

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 Heavenly Ballerina, a daughter of 1982 United States Horse of the Year,

Conquistador Cielo Conquistador Cielo (March 20, 1979 – December 17, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He is best known for his performances as a three-year-old in 1982 when he won the Belmont Stakes and was voted United States Horse of the Year. ...

, he was sired by Sky Classic, a son of the 1970 British Triple Crown champion, Nijinsky. Sky Conqueror was trained by

Darwin Banach Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...

Racing career

Sky Conqueror was sent to the track at age three with his best Stakes race result a second in the

Chief Bearhart Stakes The Chief Bearhart Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on turf over a distance of a mile and a quarter (10 furlongs ...

at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto and a third at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

in November's Commonwealth Turf Stakes. Back on the track in April 2006, he had a fourth-place finish at Keeneland Race Course before being sent north to race again at Woodbine. After another third-place finish, he won the Grade II King Edward Breeders' Cup Stakes and the Northern Dancer Breeders' Cup Turf. He won an allowance race tune-up for the prestigious $2 million Canadian International Stakes in which he ran third. Sky Conqueror made his 2007 debut in April at Keeneland Race Course, finishing fifth in the Grade II Maker's Mark Mile Stakes. In May, he defeated

Better Talk Now Better Talk Now (February 25, 1999 – June 27, 2017) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the Breeders' Cup Turf in 2004. His racing career stretched over nine seasons, during which he won 14 times, five of them Grade I ...

and the favored Einstein in winning the Grade I Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs. Back at Woodbine, in July he won his second consecutive Northern Dancer Breeder's Cup Turf. In August he finished third in the Nijinsky Stakes.

References

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Video at YouTube of Sky Conqueror winning the 2007 Northern Dancer Breeders' Cup Turf
2002 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Canada Racehorses trained in Canada Sovereign Award winners Thoroughbred family 1-l