Declan's Moon (foaled 2002 in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

) is a retired American

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...

. He was the leading American two-year-old of 2004, a year in which he was undefeated. His subsequent career was restricted by injuries.

Background

Foaled in Maryland, Declan's Moon was from the second crop of stallion Malibu Moon, whose second crop of foals also included eventual Gr.I winner Malibu Mint. His dam, Vee Vee Star, was graded stakes placed during her career, finishing second in the 1999 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. A "tall, rangy" gelding, Declan's Moon was bred by Brice Ridgely who named him after his grandson. Jay Em Ess Stable purchased Declan's Moon for $125,000 at the 2003

Fasig-Tipton The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an American auction house for Thoroughbred horses. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Elkton, Maryland, and Saratoga ...

Midlantic September yearling sale. Declan's Moon was conditioned for racing by

Ron Ellis Ronald John Edward Ellis (January 8, 1945 – May 11, 2024) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Ellis played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ellis won the Stanley Cup in 1967, and took part in th ...

Racing career

Declan's Moon won his debut as a two-year-old on July 31, 2004, at California's

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is an event venue in Del Mar, California. It hosts the annual San Diego County Fair. The venue sits on a property along the Pacific Ocean coastline. It includes the Del Mar Racetrack, built in 1936 by the Del Mar Thoroug ...

. He followed this with wins in the Grade II

Del Mar Futurity The Del Mar Futurity is a seven-furlong American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 2007, the race is open to two-year-old horses and offers a purse of $300,000. In 1971, it wa ...

and the Grade III Hollywood Prevue Stakes. The colt ended the season with a win in the Grade I

Hollywood Futurity The Los Alamitos Futurity is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds run over a distance of one and one sixteenth miles ( furlongs) on the dirt held annually in early December at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Californi ...

. His undefeated season resulted in Declan's Moon being voted the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected A ...

as the American Champion Two-Year-Old of 2004. Declan's Moon began his three-year-old season with a win in the March 5, 2005, Santa Catalina Stakes and was the early favorite for the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

until a knee injury sidelined him for several months. Back in training in the fall, Declan's Moon sustained a fracture at the top of his cannon bone that kept him out of racing until July 2006, when he returned to finish a solid second in a non-stakes event at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred horse racing, race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to The Forum (Inglewood, California), the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, t ...

. However, the colt was beaten again in his ensuing four starts, finishing last in three of them. He did not win another race until July 2007, when he captured a six-furlong minor event at Hollywood Park. This was his last win, and he was retired with a record of one win in his final thirteen starts.

Retirement

Declan's Moon was retired to Merryland Farm in

Bel Air, Maryland The town of Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 10,661. The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area in northeast ...

. In late 2012, Declan's Moon was one of four retired Thoroughbred race horses to be selected for the Retired Racehorse Training Project's "100 Day Challenge" designed to demonstrate the versatility of Thoroughbreds by introducing them to new equestrian disciplines, including dressage, eventing, equitation, show jumping, and foxhunting. At the end of the challenge, in March 2013, Declan's Moon, the 2004 Eclipse Award-winning, undefeated two-year-old by Malibu Moon, was voted in a landslide the horse best suited for dressage. He represented Country Life Farm and is owned by Samantha Siegel of Jay Em Ess Racing. "Declan's Moon's incredible movement shatters the myth that the racing industry no longer produces horses suited for sport at the top levels," said RRTP founder and president Steuart Pittman. "He was not only the fastest horse of his crop, but is also exactly what sport horse breeders are trying to produce for the show ring."

References

{{reflist 2002 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 2-i Racehorses bred in Maryland Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners