Snow Chief (March 17, 1983 in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

– May 18, 2010) was an American Champion

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 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 ...

Background

Snow Chief was bred by Carl Grinstead. In 1984, retired vaudevillian and successful real estate investor Ben Rochelle bought a fifty percent interest in Grinstead's Blue Diamond Ranch, thus becoming a half owner of the yearling. Snow Chief was one of several winners produced by the mare Miss Snowflake: the others included Mujaazif, who won the Royal Lodge Stakes in 1990.

Racing career

1985: two-year-old season

Conditioned by veteran California trainer Mel Stute, Snow Chief made nine starts at age two, winning five, including the Norfolk Stakes and the Hollywood Futurity. His 1985 performances earned him California Horse of the Year honors, but Tasso, the 1985 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, was voted the Eclipse Award for American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.

1986: three-year-old season

As a three-year-old, Snow Chief made a further nine starts. In California, he won two stakes races, then was sent to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, where he won the important Florida Derby. Back in California, he established himself as the solid

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-yea ...

favorite with a win in that state's most important race for three-year-olds, the Santa Anita Derby. Snow Chief was sent off at even money as the bettors' choice in the Kentucky Derby but in a sixteen-horse field, he finished eleventh to winner

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

. However, Snow Chief returned to form 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 ...

, defeating runner-up Ferdinand by four lengths. His handlers chose not to run him in the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes. Instead they later sent him to Garden State Park, where he won the Jersey Derby. For his performances in 1986, Snow Chief was named California Horse of the Year for the second straight year and was voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse.

1987: four-year-old season

Snow Chief returned to racing as a four-year-old in 1987. From six starts, he won two and earned three seconds. His wins came in the Charles H. Strub Stakes at Santa Anita Racetrack in California and the Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn Park Race Track in

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 ...

. He was voted California Horse of the Year for the third time.

Stud career

He was retired to stud duty, producing offspring that have met with modest success. He stood at Diane Rochelle's Eagle Oak Ranch in Paso Robles, California, and died due to an apparent heart attack on the morning of May 18, 2010.

Pedigree

References

Snow Chief's pedigree and partial racing stats

Video at YouTube of Snow Chief winning the 1986 Santa Anita Derby

* ttp://www.bloodhorse.com/Videos/SectionVideo/6dfa3d30-a10a-45d6-8de1-3ae2e66e2024.htm Bloodhorse.com video profile of Mel Stute with Snow Chief
Snow Chief at the ''Thoroughbred Times'' Interactive Stallion Directory
{{Preakness Stakes Winners 1983 racehorse births 2010 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in California Racehorses trained in the United States Preakness Stakes winners Eclipse Award winners American Grade 1 Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 9-e