Star Standard (April 22, 1992 – December 9, 1997) was a millionaire 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. Bred 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 ...

by Highclere, Inc. & Louis Roussel III and raced under the William Condren banner as his owner. He was sired by top stallion Risen Star, who in turn was a son of

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

. His dam was Hoist Emy's Flag daughter of graded stakes winner Hoist The Flag. He finished racing with a record of 7–4–3 in 25 starts with career earnings of $1,121,512. Star Standard was best known for his win in the grade one

Pimlico Special The Pimlico Special is a Grade 3 American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles ( furlongs) held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland in mid May. The race currently offers a purse of $300,000. ...

and his runner-up finish in the grade one Belmont Stakes.Pedigree Online, Thoroughbred Databas

Two-year-old season

Star Standard got a late start to his racing career and only raced twice as a two-year-old and only won a maiden special weight race on his second attempt.

Three-year-old season

As a three-year-old, Star Standard began improving in the spring of 1995. After a ninth-place finish to

Thunder Gulch Thunder Gulch (May 23, 1992 – March 19, 2018) was a Champion American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his wins in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in 1995, which earned him the title of U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt. Background ...

, Suave Prospect and Mecke in the

Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Sat ...

he shipped to Kentucky. With only two weeks until the Kentucky Derby, Zito decided to pass the Derby and run in the second jewel of the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

, the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

. Star Standard was bumped in the $500,000 Preakness, coming out of the gate. He was pushed back into the rear tier but jockey

Chris McCarron Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years o ...

charged him up to the leader Mystery Storm. At the 5/16th pole he put a head in front while splitting rivals. He held on well until the final sixteenth and weekend to finish fourth still earning a check. Nick Zito had a legitimate excuse in the Preakness and decided to send him to the Belmont. In the Belmont Stakes, Star Standard ran the race of his life and finished second to Dual Classic winner Thunder Gulch. In the late summer and early fall of the year, Zito decided to run Star Standard against the best older horses in training in two races. In the first of those races he finished a strong second in September to the incomparable Cigar in the grade one

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 ...

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 ...

. In the second, Cigar again dominated the field in the grade one

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the s ...

in October as Star Standard ran third to him and Unaccounted For.

Four-year-old season

At the beginning of his four-year-old season in 1996, Star Standard ran in the grade one

Gulfstream Park Handicap The Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (formerly known as the Gulfstream Park Handicap) is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt. A Grade II even ...

, leading almost the entire race. Near the wire, the gray Wekiva Springs wore him down to win by a half length. In the $600,000 grade one

Handicap at "Old Hilltop" in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Star Standard broke from gate four and rushed straight to the lead under jockey

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 a ...

. He was the longest shot in the short field at

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

at 6–1. Going into the far turn, Star Standard had led every step of the way in the first three quarters of a mile. At the top of the stretch, Key of Luck, Geri, and Wekiva Springs all made a bid at the leader but failed to gain even terms. Star Standard won by a length over Key of Luck. Geri finished almost seven lengths back in third, and 4-5 favorite Wekiva Springs was fourth, nine lengths back. On October 22, 1997, Star Standard was pulled off of the race track during an allowance race at Keeneland. Injuries that had kept him out of racing for a year had taken a more life-threatening turn to laminitis, which his grandfather Secretariat was euthanized for. Initially, treatments appeared to be working, but by early December, he had stopped responding to treatments and could not stand. The decision was made to euthanize him on the morning of December 9.

References

{{reflist 1992 racehorse births 1997 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family A1 Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States