{{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Squirtle Squirt , image = , caption = , sire =

Marquetry Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French ''marqueter'', to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case furn ...

, grandsire = Conquistador Cielo , dam = Lost The Code , damsire = Lost Code , 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 = 1998 , country = United States , colour = Dark Bay/Brown , breeder = Dr. Audrey Narducci , owner = David J. Lanzman Racing Stable Inc. , trainer = Jose Garcia, Jr.
Robert J. Frankel (2001) , record = 16: 8-4-0 , earnings =

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

1,112,220 , race = Willard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes (2000)
Haggin Stakes (2000)

Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes The Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early July at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. Open to two-year-old horses, the Graded stakes race, Grade III event is contested on ...

(2000)
Barretts Juvenile Stakes (2000)

King's Bishop Stakes The H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt held in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The current purse for th ...

(2001)

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, ...

wins:

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 ...

(2001) , awards = American Champion Sprint Horse (2001) , honours = , updated= Squirtle Squirt (foaled 1998 in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

) is 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

Squirtle Squirt was out of the mare Lost The Code, by multiple

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 ...

winner Lost Code. His sire was 1991

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...

winner

, who also sired the 1999

winner, Artax. Marquetry was a son of 1982

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Hor ...

and

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

winner Conquistador Cielo. Consigned to the 1998 Keeneland November sale, Squirtle Squirt was sold to Donna Wormser for $30,000. She put him up for auction again at the March 2000

Barretts Auction Barret, Barrett, or Barretts may refer to: People * Barrett (name), including a list of people with the surname * Barrett Brown (born 1981), American journalist and activist) * Barrett Foa, American actor Court cases * '' Barrett v. Rosenthal' ...

of 2-year-olds-in-training, where David Lanzman paid $25,000 for the colt with a bad knee. Lanzman turned him over to trainer Jose Garcia, Jr. for race conditioning.

Racing career

In his two-year-old season, Squirtle Squirt won five of his eight starts, including the Grade III

in July. In November, he underwent surgery for a persistent knee problem, after which his new owner sent him to trainer Bobby Frankel. In 2001, Squirtle Squirt raced exclusively in sprint races, winning three of his six starts and finishing a close second in the others. Sent east to 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 ...

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 ...

, on August 25 the colt won the Grade I

. He then finished second in the

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 ...

, where he remained for that year's

. Entered in the six furlongs

, Squirtle Squirt defeated a strong field that included horses such as

Xtra Heat Xtra Heat (March 3, 1998—December 2022) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and broodmare. Despite competing almost exclusively at sprint distances, she was named American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly at the Eclipse Awards for 200 ...

(2nd), Caller One (3rd), and the 7:2

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,

Kona Gold Kona Gold (March 19, 1994 – September 25, 2009) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Kona Gold was foaled at Carlos Perez's Twilite Farm outside LaGrange, Kentucky. He was sold as a yearling for $35,000 at the 1995 Keeneland Septe ...

. For Frankel, it marked his first win in a Breeders' Cup race after thirty-eight starters. For his 2001 performances, Squirtle Squirt was voted 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 ...

as the American Champion Sprint Horse. At age four, Squirtle Squirt won two of four starts, with his best graded stakes result a second-place finish in the G2

Palos Verdes Handicap The Palos Verdes Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for four-year-olds and older over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt track held annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA ...

Retirement and stud

Retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

, Squirtle Squirt stands at

Iburi Stallion Station The Japan Bloodhorse Breeding Association ( ja, 日本軽種馬協会, or ) is a public company established to manage the racehorse breeding industry in Japan. It was founded in 1946 as the Thoroughbred Corporation Association, and was renamed to ...

on the island of

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Later, Squirtle Squirt were moved to Kyushu. The most success horses is Yoka Yoka, she is a Graded Stakes winner at Kitakyushu Kinen.

References

Video at YouTube of Squirtle Squirt winning the 2001 Breeders' Cup Sprint

January 26, 2002 ''Los Angeles Times'' article titled ''Squirtle Squirt Has Turned Out to Be a Bargain''

''Bloodhorse'' profile of Squirtle Squirt

Squirtle Squirt at the official Breeders' Cup website
1998 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners Breeders' Cup Sprint winners Thoroughbred family 9-h