Take Control (February 14, 2007 – October 17, 2013) was 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 c ...

racehorse. Take Control was the son of two Horses of the Year:

A.P. Indy A.P. Indy (March 31, 1989 – February 21, 2020) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic on his way to American Horse of the Year honors in 1992. His time in the Belmont Stakes tied Easy Goer for ...

and

Azeri Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic people living mainly in Azerbaijan (Iran), northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republi ...

. In September, Azeri's A.P. Indy yearling colt, Vallenzeri (his previous name), was bought back by the trust for a Keeneland-record $7.7 million. Take Control was bought by

Kaleem Shah Kaleem Shah (born July 6, 1962) is an American entrepreneur, computer engineer and owner of Thoroughbred race horses. He is known for founding the IT and telecommunications consulting firm CALNET. Born in India, educated in India and the United ...

at the Keeneland 2 year old in Training Sale in 2009. He was trained by

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakne ...

Breeding and early life

Take Control was born on February 14, 2007, at Hill N Dale Farm in Lexington, KY. He was previously named Vallenzeri - the "V" referring to Valentine's Day (the day he was born), "allen" referencing Allen Paulson and "zeri" referencing his mother, Azeri. He was consigned to the yearling sale, where he was bought back for $7.7 million by his previous owner, the Allen Paulson trust. Later he was sold at the Keeneland 2 year old in Training Sale to Kaleem Shah, CEO of Calnet.

Racing career

Take Control won his career debut 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 ...

, running over one mile. The chestnut colt rallied from last in his debut race on December 30, 2009, earning $27,000 for the win. He was then sidelined shortly after with a front shin injury and pointed towards a summer campaign. Bob Baffert said he was pointing him towards Saratoga's

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American 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 according to internation ...

. Sore shins and assorted other problems had kept the chestnut away from the races throughout 2010 and for much of 2011. On June 30, 2012, Take Control won his first start back in a $52,000 Allowance Optional Claiming race at Betfair Hollywood Park. Take Control defeated 9 other horses in 1:45.24 winning by a length and half margin. In July 2012, Take Control placed fourth in the Grade 2

Del Mar Handicap The Del Mar Handicap is an American thoroughbred horse race run each year during the third week of August at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The Grade II race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and three-eighths ...

. After another long layoff, he returned to the track in September 2013. He ran in the Grade 1

Awesome Again Stakes The Awesome Again Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old or older over the distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt scheduled annually in September at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. ...

, finishing 10th and last. On October 17, 2013, Take Control broke down during a workout at Santa Anita Park, and was euthanized as a result of the injury.Bloodhorse.com Article
/ref>

References

January 20, 2010 ''Bloodhorse'' article on Take Control

''Equibase'' profile on Take Control
{{DEFAULTSORT:Take Control (Horse) 2007 racehorse births 2013 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 1-l Racehorses bred in Kentucky