Pine Bluff (foaled 1989 in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, died 2014) 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 ...

. Bred and raced by John Ed Anthony's

Loblolly Stable Loblolly Stable was a Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing stable in Lake Hamilton, Arkansas owned by businessman John Ed Anthony and his former wife Mary Lynn. The stable's first top runner was Cox's Ridge who won important races in 1977 an ...

, he was a son of Danzig and grandson of the 20th century's most important sire in the United States,

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

. His dam, Rowdy Angel, was a daughter of two-time North American Champion sire Halo.

Early racing career

In his debut in 1991 at age 2, Pine Bluff broke his maiden, then was sent into graded stakes races. He was shipped to upstate New York, where he finished third in the grade one Champagne Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. In mid-September 1991, he finished third to future Preakness qualifier Agincourt of

Nick Zito Nicholas Philip Zito (born February 6, 1948, in New York City, New York (state), New York) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. Zito began his career as a hot walker and worked his way up to a groom, to an assistant trainer, and to a traine ...

's stable in the seven-furlong grade one Futurity Stakes at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

. In late October, he won the Grade III

Nashua Stakes The Nashua Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds over a distance of one mile on the main dirt track scheduled annually in late October or early November usually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The ev ...

over a mile on the grass at Aqueduct under jockey

Craig Perret Craig Perret (born February 2, 1951, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races. At age fifteen he began his career in thorou ...

in 1:46.14. Pine Bluff finished the year in late November with a win in the grade two

Remsen Stakes The Remsen Stakes is an American Grade II race for Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The one and one-eighths mile race is open to two-year-olds and currently offers a purse of ...

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

, finishing the mile and one eighth in 1:50.80 also under rider

. At age three, Pine Bluff was shipped to

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, home of his owner John Ed Anthony and

(based in Lake Hamilton, Arkansas) to race in the three-year-old series held at Oaklawn Park. In mid-February 1992, he started his sophomore campaign by running second in the one-mile

Southwest Stakes The Southwest Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in late January at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event cu ...

to future Preakness qualifier Big Sur of

D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is an American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He has won twenty Breeders' Cup races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his horses ha ...

's stable. In mid-March, he won the grade three Rebel Stakes with a time of 1:42.80 for the mile and one sixteenth with the nation's premier jockey,

Jerry D. Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born in Dallas but raised in El Paso. He had a pony as a child and became ...

. In mid-April, Pine Bluff won the grade two Arkansas Derby by a neck over

Lil E. Tee Lil E. Tee (March 29, 1989 – March 18, 2009) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1992 scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Kentucky Derby. Background A bay colt, Lil E. Tee was bred in Pennsylvania by Lawr ...

in a field of six. Bailey again rode him and won the mile and one eighth race in 1:49.40 over a fast track.

1992 Triple Crown series

entered Pine Bluff in the 1992

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 ...

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, to be run the first Saturday in May. Eighteen runners were entered, but the buzz centered on the overwhelming favorite, Arazi. Pine Bluff was listed as the third choice at 5–1. Jockey

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an Thoroughbred Racing on NBC, NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born ...

chose to ride second choice Technology at 2–1;

, who had previously ridden Pine Bluff, was hired for the Derby. He broke well and settled in fourth going in the turn. Nearing the end of the back stretch, Pine Bluff moved into second behind only Dance Floor, clocking the first 3/4 of a mile in 1:12.37. Moving into the home stretch, Pine Bluff remained a factor in a tight bunch of seven colts. In the last sixteenth of a mile, he lacked a late response when asked by Perret. Pine Bluff faded to fifth as

, Casual Lies, and Dance Floor finished in the top three places. Odds-on favorite Arazi came in eighth at odds of .90–1. Two weeks later, Pine Bluff was to start in the

1992 Preakness Stakes The 1992 Preakness Stakes was the 117th running of the Preakness Stakes thoroughbred horse race. The race took place on May 16, 1992, and was televised in the United States on the ABC television network. Pine Bluff, who was jockeyed by Chris McCa ...

. The public made him the post-time favorite at 7–2. Pine Bluff had a new jockey, Chris McCarron. He broke slowly from gate four in very close quarters and settled in eighth in a full field of 14 horses, passing the stands for the first time behind leader Big Sur. Around the clubhouse turn, he moved up to sixth as leader Speakerphone finished the first half mile in :46-1/5. Down the back stretch, Pine Bluff worked his way to the outside of the field five wide and started advancing on the first flight of horses. He continued his rally at the top of the home stretch, pulling up to third. He brushed with Dance Floor inside the final furlong. He wore down the leader, Alydeed, and beat him at the wire by 3/4 of a length. Pine Bluff's win in the

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 ...

was the first of two straight Preakness wins for his trainer, Tom Bohannan, and owner

and John Ed Anthony. In the final leg of the Triple Crown series, Pine Bluff ran third behind

A.P. Indy A.P. Indy (March 31, 1989 – February 21, 2020) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic on his way to American Horse of the Year honors in 1992. His time in the Belmont Stakes tied Easy Goer for ...

in the

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 ...

. He earned the $1 million bonus paid by

Chrysler Corporation Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

that went to the owner of the horse with the Highest combined Triple Crown finish as part of the Triple Crown Bonus Program. Pine Bluff finished with 13 points, ahead of Derby winner

with 10 points, Belmont winner

with 10 points, and Casual Lies with 8 points.

Retirement and stud career

Pine Bluff's racing career ended a few weeks after the Belmont, when he took a misstep during a routine training run and tore a

ligament A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as ''articular ligament'', ''articular larua'', ''fibrous ligament'', or ''true ligament''. Other ligaments in the body include the: * Peritoneal li ...

in his left foreleg. He finished his racing career with a record of six wins, one second, and four third place finishes in 13 starts for career earnings of $2,255,884. Pine Bluff's "in-the-money" percentage of 85% (11 of 13 races) ranked him among the top 20 thoroughbreds in history on the date of his retirement. Retired to stud duty, he sired twenty-nine

stakes race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon ...

winners and was pensioned in 2006. Pine Bluff's progeny brought in earnings of $33,101,422. From 19 crops and 601 foals, he sired 32 black-type winners, 10 graded stakes winners, and one champion: Chef Michelle, in 1997 ranked as the top imported 3-year-old filly in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

Death

Pine Bluff was euthanized in early 2014 at age 25 due to deteriorating health.

Pedigree

References

Pine Bluff's pedigree and partial racing stats

* ttp://www.tbcprojects.com/career.php?search=3785 Pine Bluff's offspring details at ''Classic Runners'' {{Preakness Stakes Winners 1989 racehorse births 2014 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Preakness Stakes winners American Grade 1 Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 8-c