Weekend Surprise (April 8, 1980 – March 13, 2001) 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 ...

racehorse and

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 ...

of 1992 American Horse of the Year A.P. Indy and 1990

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 Summer Squall. She was sired by the famous

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 * Tri ...

winner

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

. Although best known as a broodmare, Weekend Surprise was also a success on the track, winning seven races including the

Schuylerville Schuylerville () is a village in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The village is located in the northeastern part of the Town of Saratoga, east of Saratoga Springs. The Village of Victory is adjacent to Schuylerville to the southwes ...

, Golden Rod and Pocahontas Stakes in 1982 as a two-year-old. She also placed in multiple stakes races at ages three and four.

Racing career

Weekend Surprise raced nine times as a two-year-old, winning five times with one second place and two third-place finishes. She won in her first start at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for its ...

on April 21, 1982, then finished second in the Rosedale Stakes at Belmont on June 2. She next won the Schuylerville Stakes before finishing fifth in the

Spinaway Stakes The Spinaway Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old fillies, it is a Grade I event contested at a distance of seven furlongs (1,408 metres) on dirt. ...

, both races held at Saratoga in August. She then finished third in two Grade I stakes at Belmont Park – the

Matron Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies. Etymology The chief nurse, in other words the person ...

and

Frizette Stakes The Frizette Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies raced annually at Belmont Park in October. It is currently a Grade I stakes race at a distance of one mile. The Frizette is the female counterpart of the Champag ...

. She finished the year with two stakes wins at Churchill Downs in the Golden Rod and Pocahontas Stakes. On the Experimental Free Handicap, she was rated 114 pounds – 7 pounds below the two-year-old champion filly Landaluce. Her three-year-old campaign was less successful, with only 1 win from 10 starts. The highlights were second-place finishes in the Cumberland Handicap and Pleasant Hill Stakes, both at Churchill Downs, and third-place finishes in the

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes The George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of miles on the dirt annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The event currently offers a ...

at Pimlico and the

La Troienne Stakes The La Troienne Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, age four and older, over a distance of miles held annually in early May on the Kentucky Oaks day meeting at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky du ...

at Churchill Downs. At age four, the durable mare raced 12 times with only 1 win. The year started with promise when she finished second in both the El Encino and La Canada Stakes, then third in the Santa Margarita Invitational, but she had a series of poor performances over the spring and early summer in California. Shipped back east, she improved to finish third in the Grade I Delaware Handicap, followed by a third and her lone win of the year in allowance races. In her final race on November 9, she finished third in the Grade II Long Look Handicap at the Meadowlands.

Broodmare career

Weekend Surprise produced 14 foals, 9 of whom became winners. She is one of the few mares to have produced two winners of American Classic races, Summer Squall and A. P. Indy. In 1992 she was voted the

Kentucky Broodmare of the Year The Kentucky Broodmare of the Year is selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The title is considered the highest honor an American thoroughbred broodmare can receive, as the majority of American breeding s ...

. Her offspring also include Honor Grades, Tiger Ridge, Devongate, Amirati, Weekend Storm, Norway, Eavesdropper, Welcome Surprise, Saithor, and Weekend In Seattle. She died on March 13, 2001 shortly after foaling a filly by the sire Belong To Me.

Pedigree

Weekend Surprise was sired by

, the 1973

American Triple Crown In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three r ...

winner and two-time Horse of the Year. Thanks in part to the success of Weekend Surprise's son A.P. Indy, Secretariat was the

leading broodmare sire in North America The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of broodmares in North America for each year since 1924. This is determined by the amount of prize money won during the year by racehorses which were foaled by a daughter of the sire. The most ...

of 1992. Her dam Lassie Dear was a stakes winner by Buckpasser, another Horse of the Year and leading broodmare sire. Lassie Dear also produced Group I winner Wolfhound and multiple stakes winners. Another of Lassie Dear's daughters produced American champion Lemon Drop Kid, while a third daughter is the second dam of Epsom Derby winner Ruler of the World. The family traces back to Missy Baba, who also produced Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Toll Booth. Because of her success as a broodmare, some believe that Weekend Surprise was a "double copy" mare, referring to a hypothetical "X-factor" (a gene or genes carried on the X-chromosome that can result in a large heart). When the "X-factor" is present on both sides of the pedigree, a mare is more likely to pass it on to her offspring. A mare with only one copy of the X-factor has a 50-50 chance of passing on the trait. Sires can only inherit the trait from their dam and can only pass it on to daughters. Secretariat would thus have received his copy from his dam Somethingroyal. Weekend Surprise's dam Lassie Dear may have inherited the trait from her sire, Buckpasser, or through her dam, who also descends from Somethingroyal. {{Pedigree , name = Weekend Surprise, bay mare, foaled April 8, 1980 , f =

1970 , m = Lassie Dear
1974 , ff = Bold Ruler
1954 , fm =

Somethingroyal Somethingroyal (March 12, 1952 – June 9, 1983) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the dam of the 1973 U.S. Triple Crown champion and Hall of Fame inductee Secretariat. She also produced three other stakes winners and was n ...

1952 , mf = Buckpasser
1963 , mm =Gay Missile
1967 , fff = Nasrullah , ffm = Miss Disco , fmf =

Princequillo Princequillo (1940–1964) was a Thoroughbred racehorse conceived in France and born in Ireland. He is known for his performances in long-distance races and his successes as a sire. Background His sire, Prince Rose, stood at the Haras de Cheff ...

, fmm = Imperatrice , mff =

Tom Fool Tom Fool (March 31, 1949 – August 20, 1976) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1953 American Horse of the Year and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. He sired the champion racehorses Buckpasser and Tim Tam. B ...

, mfm = Busanda , mmf =

Sir Gaylord Sir Gaylord (February 12, 1959 – 1981) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who later became a successful sire. Background He was bred and raced by Christopher Chenery. Sir Gaylord was sired by the British-bred, American-raced Turn-To out ...

, mmm = Missy Baba , ffff =

Nearco Nearco (January 24, 1935 – June 27, 1957) was an Italian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by '' Thoroughbred Heritage'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He ...

, fffm = Mumtaz Begum , ffmf =

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

, ffmm = Outdone , fmff =

Prince Rose Prince Rose (1928–1944) was a British-bred, Belgian-trained Thoroughbred racehorse, often referred to as the best horse in Belgian racing. Background Bred in England by Lord Durham, Prince Rose was sired by Rose Prince out of the mare Indole ...

, fmfm = Cosquilla , fmmf = Caruso , fmmm = Cinquepace , mfff = Menow , mffm = Gaga , mfmf =

War Admiral War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the 'Match ...

, mfmm = Businesslike , mmff =

Turn-to Turn-To (1951–1973) was a British-born, American-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background He was sired by the British stallion Royal Charger, out of the French mare Source Sucree, whose sire, Admiral Drake, was third on the Fre ...

, mmfm = Somethingroyal , mmmf = My Babu , mmmm = Uvira (family: 3-l){{cite web, title=Weekend Surprise Horse Pedigree, url=http://www.pedigreequery.com/weekend+surprise, website=www.pedigreequery.com, access-date=3 September 2016 Weekend Surprise is inbred 2s × 4d to Somethingroyal, meaning Somethingroyal appears in the 2nd generation of the sire's side of the pedigree and in the fourth generation of the dam's side.

References

1980 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Thoroughbred family 3-l 2001 racehorse deaths