Zaccio (foaled March 26, 1976-died September 19, 2007) is a deceased racehorse best known for winning champion steeplechaser 3 times from 1980-1982 and being inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

Background

Zaccio was a bright

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

with a blaze. His sire was able to beat Ninjinsky II. Who was the last horse to win the English Triple Crown. His mother descends from the legendary

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...

.Who has contributed to loads of other champions. Also he won the Preakness and the

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Racing career

*3-year-old-season Starting his career, Zaccio ran 9 times as a jumper and won 6 of them with 2 placings in maiden/allowance company. *4-year-old-season To start the 80s, he began running in the big jump races. He had 7 wins in 10 races. These included the Midsummer Stp. Handicap, Indian the River Stp. Stakes, Lovely night Stp handicap, and

New York Turf Writers Cup The Jonathan Sheppard Stakes{{cite web , url=https://www.drf.com/news/new-york-turf-writers-cup-renamed-jonathan-sheppard, title=New York Turf Writers Cup renamed for Jonathan Sheppard, last=Grening, first=David, date=12 March 2021 , publisher=Dai ...

. He fell in his last start of the season and did not return for 10 months. *5-year-old-season The year started with 4 straight defeats followed by wins in the American grand national and the Colonial Cup International Stp. *6-year-old season Like the year before, Zaccio started with a losing streak. This time it was 6 straight. He came back with 4 straight wins, ending the season with the Colonial Cup International Stp. *8 year old season After being dormant for 22 months, Zaccio lost twice to begin his return. He won his third attempt and then was retired.

After retirement

Zaccio was inducted into

in 1990. He enjoyed a wonderful retirement and was ridden out with the Essex Fox Hounds for years, much to his jockeys' enjoyment. He was euthanized because of complications from the infirmities of old age on September 19, 2007.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1976 racehorse births 2007 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States American steeplechase racehorses Eclipse Award winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 1-c

Background

Racing career

After retirement

Pedigree

See also

References