Unbridled's Song (February 18, 1993 – July 26, 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 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 ...

who won the

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 ...

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 Saturd ...

and

Wood Memorial The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memoria ...

. He was the favorite for the

1996 Kentucky Derby The 1996 Kentucky Derby was the 122nd running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 4, 1996. There were 142,668 in attendance. The loss by 7-2 favorite Unbridled's Song marked the 17th year in a row that the betting favorite failed to ...

but suffered a cracked hoof in the weeks before the race and finished fifth. He finished his racing career with five wins from twelve starts and earnings of $1.3 million. He subsequently became a highly successful

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 ...

, with major winners including Breeders' Cup champions

Arrogate Arrogate (April 11, 2013June 2, 2020) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2016 Travers Stakes in a track record time in his first stakes appearance. He then won the Breeders' Cup Classic and was named the American Champion Three- ...

Forever Unbridled Forever Unbridled (foaled April 24, 2012) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who was named the Champion Older Mare of 2017 after winning the Fleur de Lis Handicap, Personal Ensign Stakes and Breeders' Cup Distaff. She also won two Gro ...

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

and

Liam's Map Liam's Map (foaled 14 March 2011) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Unraced as a juvenile, he won three of his four races in 2014 without being tested against top-class opposition. As a four-year-old he emerged as one of the best horses in ...

. He also sired the filly

Eight Belles Eight Belles (February 23, 2005 – May 3, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby to the winner Big Brown. Her collapse just after the race resulted in immediate euthanasia. Earlier in the ye ...

who came second in the

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 ...

. He was posthumously the

leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to stallions which are based in N ...

of 2017.

Background

Unbridled's Song was a gray stallion who was bred in Kentucky by Richard Eamer's Mandysland Farm. He was sired by

1990 Kentucky Derby The 1990 Kentucky Derby was the 116th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 5, 1990, with 128,257 people in attendance. Full results Payout * $2 Exacta: (7-11) Paid $65.80 References 1990 Kentucky Derby Derby Kentu ...

winner

Unbridled Unbridled (March 5, 1987 – October 18, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. He retired with a career record of eight wins, six places, and six shows in 24 starts, ...

, whose other important offspring included Derby winner

Grindstone A grindstone, also known as grinding stone, is a sharpening stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools, used since ancient times. Tools are sharpened by the stone's abrasive qualities that remove material from the tool through friction ...

, Preakness winner

Red Bullet Red Bullet (foaled 13 April 1997 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2000 Preakness Stakes. Background Red Bullet is a chestnut horse bred and raced by auto parts magnate Frank Stronach. He was sired b ...

and Belmont Stakes winner

Empire Maker Empire Maker (April 27, 2000 - January 18, 2020) His

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

, Trolley Song, is a winning daughter of

Caro Caro may refer to: Places * Caro, Michigan, United States * Caro, Morbihan, France * Çaro, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France Other uses * Caro (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Caro (surname), including a list of peo ...

out of Lucky Spell, a stakes winner and stakes producer. Unbridled's Song was sold as a yearling in 1994 for $200,000 to Ernie Paragallo who then " pinhooked" the horse as a two-year-old in training for a world record $1.4 million. However, the high bidder returned the colt after his veterinarian detected a bone chip, a claim disputed by Paragallo. Unbridled's Song subsequently raced for Paragallo's Paraneck Stable. At maturity, he reached high. He was trained for most of his career by Jim Ryerson before being handed over to Nick Zito for his final two starts.

Racing career

Unbridled's Song made his racing debut on August 26, 1995 as the odds-on favorite in a maiden special weight race at Saratoga. He went to the early lead then drew off in the stretch to win "handily" by lengths. He was then stepped up to Grade I stakes company in the Champagne Stakes on October 7 in which he finished fourth behind

Maria's Mon Maria's Mon (April 24, 1993 – September 14, 2007) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was the champion two-year-old colt in 1995 and produced two Kentucky Derby winners. Maria's Mon was foaled in Kentucky on April 24, 1993 at the farm ...

. He made his final start as a two-year-old in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile where he was the second choice in a strong field of 13. He broke poorly and experienced traffic problems on the first turn before moving into contention down the backstretch. He started his drive on the final turn and battled

Hennessy Jas Hennessy & Co., commonly known simply as Hennessy (), is a French producer of cognac, which has its headquarters in Cognac, France. It is one of the "big four" cognac houses, along with Martell, Courvoisier, and Rémy Martin, who together ma ...

down the stretch, winning by a neck in a time of 1:41:60. The next spring, after placing second in the Hutcheson Stakes and the Fountain of Youth Stakes, he beat the 1996 U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt

Skip Away Skip Away (April 4, 1993 – May 14, 2010), was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1998 Horse of the Year, 1996 Champion Three-Year-Old, and 1997 and 1998 Champion Handicap Horse. He won 10 Grade One races for $9,616,360 in ...

, along with Louis Quatorze and Editor's Note in the

. Then, a couple of weeks before the Kentucky Derby, he won the

, but in doing so, he hit himself in the left forefoot, causing a "quarter crack", or cracked hoof, requiring a special bar shoe and acrylic patch. He was the favorite for the 1996

but placed a troubled fifth behind

. The forefoot injury from the Wood Memorial kept him out of the rest 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 * Trip ...

races. Three weeks after the Kentucky Derby, he was second in the

Peter Pan Stakes The Peter Pan Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of miles (nine furlongs) run annually during the second week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. History The race is run in honor o ...

. Six weeks later, he ran ninth in the Arlington Citation Challenge Invitational, a race that was specially created for

Cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...

. In his only race at four, he won the

Olympic Handicap Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

Retirement

Unbridled's Song was retired to stud in 1997. He became one of the most successful sires in the United States of America and abroad, with

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 ...

winners and $1 million winners. He stood at Taylor Made Farms and his 2010 fee was $100,000 live foal. Some of his most famous offspring include

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 ...

winner

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

winners

Unbridled Elaine Unbridled (March 5, 1987 – October 18, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. He retired with a career record of eight wins, six places, and six shows in 24 starts, ...

and

Unrivaled Belle Unrivaled Belle (foaled 2006) is a gray/roan American Thoroughbred racehorse owned and bred in Kentucky by Gary Seidler & Peter Vegso. She is a daughter of champion sire and champion racehorse Unbridled's Song, a descendant of the very influent ...

winner

and

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North American t ...

winner

. Other graded stakes winners include

Will Take Charge Will Take Charge (foaled April 13, 2010) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, the horse is best known for his wins in the 2013 Travers Stakes and Clark Handicap and for being beaten by a nose in the 2013 Breed ...

Octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

, Splendid Blended, Domestic Dispute, Grey Song, Alexander, Political Force, Eurosilver,

, Old Fashioned, Buddha and Songandaprayer.

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

in 2009. An important sire milestone came on February 10, 2013 when his son Graydar won the Grade 1 Donn Handicap, his 100th stakes winner. After his death, his sons

(2013) and

(2016) both won the

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 ...

, and Arrogate then won the Breeders' Cup Classic the same year. He died on July 26, 2013, at age of 20 years after a large and inoperable mass was discovered in his sinus cavities and around the optic nerves. The horse began showing acute neurological symptoms and was euthanized. Unbridled's Song was the

of 2017, thanks mainly to Arrogate's victories that year in the world's two richest horse races, the

Pegasus World Cup The Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race whose first running was on January 28, 2017 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. It is run over the dirt at the distance of miles (9 furlongs) and is o ...

and the

Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse (Arabic: ميدان) which in Arabic suggests a place wher ...

Pedigree

A symbol before a name mean's the horse was registered as a foal in one country but later was bred in another country.

References

{{reflist
Pedigree & Partial Stats

TB Times Stallion Directory Unbridled's Song
1993 racehorse births 2013 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Breeders' Cup Juvenile winners Thoroughbred family 4-m United States Champion Thoroughbred Sires Chefs-de-Race