Stay Thirsty (foaled on 29 March 2008) is 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 sired by the leading stallion

Bernardini Bernadini can mean: * Bernardini (horse), thoroughbred race horse, at Darley Stable in Kentucky * Bernardini (company), safe manufacturer which operated from 1912 to 1992 * Bernardini (surname), family name of Italian origin See also * Bern ...

. He was 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 John D. Gunther and John Darren Gunther. His dam, Marozia, was sired by

Storm Bird Storm Bird (19 April 1978 – 3 December 2004) was a Canadian-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the outstanding European two-year-old of 1980, when he was unbeaten in five races, including the Anglesey Stakes, Natio ...

. Stay Thirsty was consigned as lot 1147 by Glenwood Farm to the 2009 Keeneland September yearling auction and was bought for $160,000 by Whitehorse Stables. His trainer,

Todd Pletcher Todd Pletcher (born June 26, 1967 in Dallas, Texas) is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. He won the Eclipse Award seven times as Trainer of the Year, four of these in consecutive years. His horses Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (20 ...

, bought him for his owner, Mike Repole, for $500,000 at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton sale of 2-year-olds in training in Florida.

Racing career

2010: two-year-old season

Stay Thirsty first raced in a maiden special weight race at Belmont Park on July 15, 2010, finishing second to Sovereign Default. He broke his maiden in an August 14, 2010, race at

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 ...

. Stay Thirsty also placed in the Three Chimneys

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...

on September 6, 2010, losing by 3/4 of a length to Boys At Tosconova. He finished fifth in the Grey Goose

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...

at Churchill Downs on November 6, 2010. The race was won by stablemate

Uncle Mo Uncle Mo (foaled March 10, 2008, in Kentucky) is an American champion Thoroughbred racehorse who went undefeated in his two-year-old season and was named the American Champion Two-Year-Old of 2010. However, his three-year-old season was disrupte ...

2011: three-year-old season

Stay Thirsty won the Grade 3

Gotham Stakes The Gotham Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Grade III event with a current purse of US$300,000, it is set at a distance of 1 mile on the d ...

before coming second to

Ruler on Ice Ruler on Ice (foaled April 2, 2008) is a Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 2011 Belmont Stakes. He was bred and foaled in Kentucky by Brandywine Farm in partnership with Liberation Farm on. He is a chestnut gelding sired by Hill 'n' Dale ...

in the 2011 Belmont Stakes.

2011 Travers Stakes

Like his sire five years earlier, Stay Thirsty has won both the Grade II

Jim Dandy Stakes The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three over one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. ...

and the 2011

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 ...

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds acco ...

. In the Travers, in which he was favored to win, he competed against the top three leaders of the 3-year-old division:

Shackleford Shackleford is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Guildford, Surrey, England centred to the west of the A3 between Guildford and Petersfield southwest of London and southwest of Guildford. Shackleford includes the localities of ...

(winner of the 2011

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 ...

(winner of the 2011 Belmont Stakes), and Coil (winner of the 2011

Haskell Invitational Handicap The Haskell Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles on the dirt held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event is a signature event at Monmouth ...

). He was also the first horse since 1901 to win from the number 9 post. Stay Thirsty was ridden by

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 ...

in the race, who also won his second straight Travers. Castellano was the first rider in 30 years to win consecutive Travers Stakes. The last to do so was National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame jockey

Eddie Maple Edward Retz "Eddie" Maple (born November 8, 1948, in Carrollton, Ohio) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. One of eight siblings, he is an older brother to jockey Sam Maple, who won more than 2,500 races. Maple began riding h ...

, who won in 1980 and 1981. Castellano also won the 2006 Travers Stakes while riding

, Stay Thirsty's sire. Stay Thirsty became the leader of the American 3-year-old colt division after the Travers win. As of that date, he became the most likely 3-year-colt to be considered the best of his class for 2011.

Remainder of the season

Stay Thirsty was third in the

Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes 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 ...

. He then finished poorly in the 2011

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 ...

, finishing next to last in eleventh place behind the race favorite,

, who finished tenth.

2012: four-year-old season

Stay Thirsty returned to racing on May 17 in the Vanlandingham Stakes run at Belmont Park, where he finished second to Trickmeister. In July, Stay Thirsty finished fifth out of seven horses in the Grade II Suburban Handicap, having exited the starting gate poorly. He completed his racing career in November with a win in the Grade I Cigar Mile.

Stud career

He was retired after his four-year-old season and now stands at

Ashford Stud Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is headquarters of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champions. The operat ...

, the American arm of the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

breeding giant Coolmore near

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

. In 2017 Stay Thirsty was sold to Lovacre Ranch in

Warner Springs, California Warner Springs is set of springs and a small unincorporated community in northern San Diego County, California. Warner Springs is on the Pacific Crest Trail. Geography Warner Springs has a post office and the ZIP code is 92086. It is located n ...

, where his stud fee is set at $10,000.

Notable Progeny

Stay Thirsty has sired one

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 ...

winner: 'c = colt, f = filly'', g = gelding''

Pedigree

Stay Thirsty's sire,

(Bay, 2003) won the 2006

Withers Stakes The Withers Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The event currently carries a purse ...

and the

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 ...

. He was sired by leading sire A.P. Indy, who also produced Mineshaft and

Rags to Riches Rags to riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype in literature and popul ...

. His dam is Grade I winner Cara Rafaela ( Quiet American – Oil Fable), who accrued $884,452 in her racing career. Cara Rafaela won the 1995 Hollywood Starlet Stakes and the

Alcibiades Stakes The Alcibiades Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. A Grade I race, it is open to two-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dir ...

and was Broodmare of the Year in 2006. She has produced nine foals, including Ile de France and Bold Legacy. Stay Thirsty's dam, Marozia (Chestnut, 1994), was sired by

out of the mare Make Change. She was exported to the United Kingdom in 1995 and raced with limited success until age four, earning £6,220 ($10,367). She returned to the United States from Ireland in 1998 and has produced ten foals. Stay Thirsty was her eighth foal, and she also produced the graded stakes winners Andromeda's Hero and Superfly, by

Fusaichi Pegasus Fusaichi Pegasus (; foaled April 12, 1997) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2000 Kentucky Derby, and subsequently set a record at auction - selling for US$70M to Coolmore Stud. Background The colt was purchased as a y ...

. Her dam, Make Change, won the Miss Liberty Stakes and produced eight foals, including the filly Time Changes.

Racing statistics

External links

Stay Thirsty partial stats and pedigree

References

{{reflist 2008 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 4-c Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States