Sunny's Halo (February 11, 1980 – June 3, 2003) was a

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 ...

who won the 1983

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 ...

. In 1986, Sunny's Halo was inducted into the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The ...

Background

Foaled at

Oshawa, Ontario Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; Census Metropolitan Area, CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the ...

, Sunny's Halo was owned and bred by Toronto

stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks ...

David J. Foster. He was trained by David Cross Jr.

Racing career

The horse won 7 of 11 races at age two but stress fractures in both front shins ended his season earlier than planned. Nonetheless, his performance earned him a 1982

Sovereign Award {{refimprove, date=October 2021 The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing. The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the ...

. In an attempt to heal the ankle problem, he was one of the first horses to be treated at the equine indoor swimming pool designed and built in the early 1970s by Jesse Reynolds. His Getaway Farm was known as the finest location for layups and Thoroughbred therapy. It was located in King Ontario Canada north of Woodbine race track. At age three, Sunny's Halo won the

Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 2004, ...

with jockey Eddie Delahoussaye aboard. The duo captured the

against a very strong field that included future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee

Slew o' Gold Slew o' Gold (April 19, 1980 – October 14, 2007) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who was voted the 1983 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse and the 1984 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse. Background ...

. It marked the first time in history that an Arkansas Derby winner won the Kentucky Derby. After the race, he developed a rash and a return of the sore ankle affected his performance. The colt finished sixth 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 ...

and 4th in the

Arlington Classic The Arlington Classic Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late May at Arlington Park race track near Chicago. History The event was inaugurate ...

. Unable to compete in the June 26, 1983

Queen's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of ...

, he was back on the track in good health in the fall. In October he equaled the Louisiana Downs track record for 1¼ miles in winning the

Super Derby The Super Derby is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually in September at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana. Inaugurated in 1980, the Super Derby is open to three-year-olds and the distance is miles on the dirt. Currently a Gr ...

by 12 lengths. He was scheduled to compete for the final time in November's Meadowlands Cup but the recurring ankle problem ended his career.

Stud record

Syndicated for $7.5 million, Sunny's Halo was retired to stand at stud at Domino Stud in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

. He eventually went to a

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

breeding farm where he became that state's all-time leading sire by progeny earnings. Sunny's Halo died in 2003 and was buried at the Double S Thoroughbred Farm in

Bullard, Texas Bullard is a small town in Smith and Cherokee counties in the east-central part of U.S. state of Texas. U.S. Route 69 and Farm-to-Market Roads 2137, 2493, and 344 intersect here, about south of the larger city of Tyler. Its population was 2,463 ...

where he last stood at stud. However, in July 2006, his remains were exhumed and returned to

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 borde ...

to be re-interred at the Kentucky Derby Museum at

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 ...

. His leading progeny include Race the Wild Wind (Santa Maria Handicap), Irgun (Wood Memorial) and Dispersal (Woodward Handicap).

Pedigree

External links

Sunny's Halo's pedigree and stats

YouTube video of Sunny's Halo winning the 1983 Kentucky Derby

References

{{Kentucky Derby Winners 1980 racehorse births 2003 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ontario Racehorses trained in Canada Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Kentucky Derby winners Horse monuments Thoroughbred family 4-m