Turkoman (April 11, 1982 - December 21, 2016) 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 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 ...

and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

Background

Owned and bred by

Corbin Robertson Corbin J. Robertson Jr. is an American businessman. Personal life and education Robertson is the grandson of Texas oil magnate Hugh Roy Cullen, the founder of Quintana Petroleum. Robertson's father also worked for Quintana. Robertson was an All ...

, he was sired by 1989 United States Racing Hall of Fame inductee

Alydar Alydar (March 23, 1975 – November 15, 1990) was an American Thoroughbred race horse and sire. A chestnut colt, he was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the 1978 Triple Crown. With each successive ...

out of the Table Play mare, Taba, who was the Champion 2 year old Filly in Argentina. Raced under Corbin Robertson's Saron Stable banner, Turkoman was trained by Gary Jones.

Racing career

Turkoman was lightly raced at two, winning only a six-furlong maiden race at

Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may refer to: Places United States * Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California * Hollywood Park, Chicago, a neighborhood in North Park, Chicago, Illinois * Hollywood Park, Inglewood, an entertainment complex and m ...

. At three, he won the Grade III Affirmed Handicap, placed second in the Grade I

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 ...

, was second in the Grade I

Swaps Stakes The Los Alamitos Derby (formerly the Swaps Stakes) is a race for Thoroughbred horses run annually at Los Alamitos Race Course in Los Alamitos, California. The race is open to three-year-old horses and is contested at one and one-eighth miles on th ...

, finished second in the

California Derby The California Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held early in the year at Golden Gate Fields. An ungraded stakes, it is open to three-year-olds at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on a Tapeta surface. The Derby offers a purs ...

, and was third in the

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 o ...

behind winner Proud Truth and Gate Dancer. At four, he started the season with a win in the Tallahassee Handicap in 1:08 1/5 for six furlongs. He beat

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 () on ...

winner

Gate Dancer Gate Dancer (1981–1998) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as a winner of an American Classic Race, the Preakness Stakes, and for his part in a three-horse finish in the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Classic. Bred in F ...

in both the

Widener Handicap The Widener Handicap at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida was a Grade III stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses 3-years-old and up. It was run over a distance of miles (10 furlongs) until 1993 when it was modified to miles. Initially ...

, which he set a track record in 1:58 3/5, and the

Oaklawn Handicap The Oaklawn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in April at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A Grade II event raced on dirt, since 1984 it has been contested over a distance of miles (9 furlongs). It use ...

with

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 ...

aloft. In perhaps his best race, Turkoman outdueled Precisionist down the stretch for a win in the

Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap The Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of miles on a dirt track. The race c ...

. He then finished second to Crème Fraiche in 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 sp ...

. In the Breeders Cup Classic with 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 an ...

substitute riding for the injured Chris McCarron, coming from far back his late rally fell short of catching front-runner

Skywalker The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes ...

though he once again finished ahead of Precisionist. These performances saw him clinch the 1986 U.S. Champion Older Male Horse.

Retirement

Upon retirement in 1987, Turkoman was initially sent to Circle H Ranch in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and then relocated in 2004 to Mira Loma Thoroughbred Farm in

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...

where he stood at stud until the farm closed in 2006. He is pensioned at E. A. Ranches in Santa Ysabel. He is a successful sire with

graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is then ...

winners Turk Passer, Man From Wicklow, Peruvian 3 year old Champion Captain Garfio, Personal Merit, and Miss Turkana. As a broodmare sire, he has sired Turko's Turn, dam of 2001 United States Horse of the Year

Point Given Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

, and Turkish Tryst, dam of

Hard Spun Hard Spun (foaled May 10, 2004 near Malvern, Pennsylvania) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse that finished second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. Background Hard Spun is a bay horse with a white Horse markings, star standing 16.2 ...

, second in the 2007

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. Turkoman is also the broodmare sire of

Colonel John Colonel John (foaled March 4, 2005 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2008 Santa Anita Derby and Travers Stakes. Background Bred and raced by WinStar Farm, Colonel John was sired by Tiznow, the 2000 U.S. Horse of th ...

, a Grade I winner of the

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is on ...

Turkoman lived out his days at E.A. Ranches in Ramona, California. A portion of his boarding fee was paid by Our Mims Retirement Haven in Paris Kyourmims.org through a grant funded by his racing owners. He was euthanized in December 2016 due to chronic instability in his hindquarters and will be cremated and buried back in Kentucky next to his dam, Taba, and his half sister.

References

Turkoman Pic Info

External links

{{Commons category, Turkoman horse

1982 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 1-s 2016 racehorse deaths