Toussaud (May 6, 1989 – January 5, 2009) was a bay mare bred and raced by Juddmonte Farms. Sired by
El Gran Senor
El Gran Senor (21 April 1981 – 18 October 2006) was a champion American-bred Thoroughbred race horse, foaled at Windfields Farm (Maryland). He was the best horse of his generation in Europe at both two and three years of age, ahead of an ...
out of an In Reality mare, Image of Reality, Toussaud achieved much on the track and in the breeding shed.
Race career
Toussaud raced in both Europe and the US, excelling on grass surfaces. At three she won against males in the Van Geest Criterion Stakes (Gr.3) in England and placed in both the Calor Silver Trophy and Fed Brew Lager Beeswing Stakes. At four, she was shipped across the pond and again won against the colts in the
American Handicap
The American Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of one mile on the turf track held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in June. The race currently offers a purse of $100, ...
(Gr.2). She then won the Gr.1 Gamely Breeders’ Cup Handicap (now just the
Gamely Stakes
The Gamely Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older over a distance of miles on the turf run in late May annually at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California.
History
The race was inaugurated ...
). She also added the
Wilshire Handicap
The Wilshire Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older. The race runs over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on turf track and is scheduled annually in May at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia ...
(Gr.2) and the
Autumn Days Handicap
The Senator Ken Maddy Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, two years old and older over a distance of five furlongs on the turf course scheduled in early November at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. ...
to her list of victories.
Legacy
Toussaud was the dam of five graded stakes winners, including champion sires and Grade 1 winners
Chester House
Chester House (February 1, 1995 – June 28, 2003) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In his racing career, he ran in both Europe and North America, winning six races, most notably the Arlington Million as a five-year-old ...
and
Empire Maker
Empire Maker (April 27, 2000 - January 18, 2020)A. P. Indy, and neither of the two resulting foals ever raced. Honest Lady, Toussaud’s second foal and third highest earner, was a grade 1 stakes winner and became the dam of a Grade 1 stakes winner, First Defence. Two more of Toussaud's get are Chiselling ( Secretariat Stakes (Gr.1) winner) and Decarchy, who won the Gr.2 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap. Decarchy had a modest stud career. Chiselling was to be sent to South Africa to stand stud duty for Andreas Jacobs and the Scott Brothers, but before the flight on July 30, he was diagnosed with the neurological disease
Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), is a disease caused by the apicomplexan parasite '' Sarcocystis neurona'' that affects the central nervous system of horses.
History
EPM was first discovered in the 1960s by the American biologist Dr. Ji ...
. Press releases stated that he would remain in Kentucky to receive treatment and would be shipped out at a later date to start preparing for his 2005 stud season. However, he seems to have never made it South Africa and has no reported offspring.
Toussaud produced some non-champions as well, including her A. P. Indy fillies named Mesmeric and Gateway. Both fillies were retained by Juddmonte Farms and are in its broodmare band. Another of Toussaud's daughters a filly by
Kingmambo
Kingmambo (February 19, 1990 – January 20, 2016) was an American-bred, French-trained thoroughbred racehorse and sire.
Background
He was sired by the leading stallion, Mr. Prospector, who in turn was a son of Raise a Native, out of the 1999 ...
, Tinge, also never set foot on the race track. Civilisation (by
Gone West
Gone West (March 10, 1984 – September 7, 2009) was an American Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse. Bred by William O. Reed, he was a son of the influential sire Mr. Prospector. His dam, Secrettame, was a daughter of 1973 United States Tripl ...
) is Toussaud's only foal to race but never win. Tolerance (by
Seeking the Gold
Seeking The Gold (April 7, 1985 – July 28, 2016) was an American thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire.
Background and Family
Seeking The Gold, a bay colt, was bred in Kentucky by Ogden Phipps, who also owned him. One of numerous t ...
) won once in three starts before returning to Juddmonte Farms to become a broodmare like her other sisters.
Death
Although Toussaud met with much success in the breeding shed, she was often ill and became too physically fragile to rear her own foals. In 1995, she developed laminitis after producing her first foal, Chester House, and five years later she underwent colic surgery to fix an impaction. Her propensity for illness seems to be another trait she passed on to her offspring, as both Chester House and Chiselling where struck with debilitating diseases, though neither sickness was genetically inherited. Toussaud was pensioned in late December 2007 due to her worsening laminitis.
Toussaud was euthanized in 2009 at the age of 20 due to declining health and complications from laminitis. “Mentally, she was as content and as happy of a mare as there was,” Juddmonte manager Garrett O’Rourke said. “Physically, she just started to wear down. She was 20 years of age, but she probably lived a few extra years ith the physical issues It gets to be a time when their physiques just can’t stand up to it.” “She endured a lot in her life and just kept on pulling it out. To have health problems and still become a Broodmare of the Year, it’s quite amazing. To be around her, she always reminded me of one of those people that we all know in life that has misfortune and never complains. To me, that’s the most admirable type of person, and that’s exactly how she was. She was always the same Toussaud, every single morning, happy to see you.”Toussaud Dies /ref>