Charismatic (USA)
March 13, 1996 – February 19, 2017
Summer Squall (USA) x Bali Babe (USA), by Drone (USA)
Family 10-a
March 13, 1996 – February 19, 2017
Summer Squall (USA) x Bali Babe (USA), by Drone (USA)
Family 10-a
Although Charismatic rose from starting in claiming races to becoming an American Horse of the Year, he is perhaps better remembered for a race he lost than for those he won. His American Triple Crown bid and his racing career both came to an end in the Belmont Stakes (USA-G1), as he finished third on a broken leg. Jockey Chris Antley literally dove from the saddle as he pulled the colt up and came up supporting the injured leg. Antley's quick action probably saved the horse's life as he kept the increasingly upset colt from doing further harm to himself and provided one of the most memorable moments of the year. Charismatic was not a successful sire and returned from Japan in late 2016 to become a resident at the Old Friends Thoroughbred retirement facility near Georgetown, Kentucky.
Race record
17 starts, 5 wins, 2 seconds, 4 thirds, US$2,038,064
1999:
Honors
Assessments
Rated at 126 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 2004, 1 pound above Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1) winner Cat Thief, Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) winner Lemon Drop Kid, and dual Classic runner-up and multiple Grade 1 winner Menifee.
As an individual
A handsome, strapping, lengthy chestnut horse with an excellent shoulder, powerful hindquarters and good bone, Charismatic had the convex profile often passed on by his sire Summer Squall. He stood 16 hands. As a racehorse, he thrived on hard work and needed it to keep off extra weight related to a tremendous appetite. He developed a nasty temperament as a stallion but became kinder after being pensioned.
As a stallion
According to records compiled by The Jockey Club, Charismatic sired only seven stakes winners (1.6%) from 430 named foals, 277 of which have won (64.4%). His best runner was multiple Grade 2 winner Sun King.
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Charismatic was bred by Parrish Hill Farm and William S. Farish. He was owned by Robert and Beverly Lewis, who purchased the colt as a weanling for US$200,000. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas. Charismatic entered stud in 2000 at Lane's End Farm. Following the 2002 Northern Hemisphere breeding season, he was sold to Japanese interests and went to stand at Shizunai Stallion Station. He was retired from breeding following the 2016 breeding season, and his journey back to the United States was paid for largely through the generosity of the Robert and Beverly Lewis Family Foundation and Tito's Handmade Vodka. Charismatic was found dead in his stall at the Old Friends equine retirement center on February 19, 2017; the cause of death was determined to be a pelvic fracture and subsequent hemorrhages.
Pedigree notes
Charismatic is inbred 4x4 to 1957 American Horse of the Year and eight-time American champion sire Bold Ruler and 4x6x4 to 1973 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Somethingroyal. He is also inbred 5x3 to the influential sire Sir Gaylord. He is a half brother to 2001 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (USA-G1) winner Millennium Wind (by Cryptoclearance) and 1995 Mervyn Leroy Handicap (USA-G2) winner Tossofthecoin (by Magesterial).
Charismatic is out of Bali Babe, whose half sister What a Shack (by Al Hattab) is the dam of listed stakes winner Udidthebestyoucan (by Nodouble). Bali Babe is also a half sister to Tiger Trap (by Al Hattab), dam of Irish listed stakes winner Wood Dancer (by Malinowski); to Dunesian (by Dunbeath), dam of 1997 Czech champion 2-year-old filly Sun Shine Clare (by Grey Desire); and to Polynesian Goddess (by Salmon Leap), dam of multiple Canadian stakes winner Polynesian Kitty (by High Yield).
Bali Babe, in turn, is out of Polynesian Charm (by What a Pleasure x Grass Shack, by Polynesian), whose half sister Clover Lane (by Tudor Way) won the 1969 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes and is the dam of stakes winner Cricket Club (by Dr. Fager) and the second dam of Grade 3 winner Dr. Bobby A. and English Group 3 winner Love of Silver. Polynesian Charm is also a half sister to Shakney (by Jabneh), dam of multiple Canadian stakes winner Hopeful Answer (by Northern Answer) and second dam of 1981 Canadian Horse of the Year Deputy Minister; to Well Stacked (by Solidarity), dam of multiple stakes winner Prince Papule (by Admiral Lea); to Grass Roots (by Discovery), dam of stakes winner Fleet Discovery (by Fleet Nasrullah); and to Hutsville (by Jabneh), dam of miltiple stakes winner Loggy Bayou (by Bull Story). Polynesian Charm is also a half sister to Terra Verta (by Jabneh), dam of restricted stakes winner Budgerigar (by Cormorant), and to Come Ashore (by Tudor Way), dam of Grade 2 winner Sail to Rome (by Proudest Roman).
Books and media
Fun facts
Last updated: October 14, 2023
Race record
17 starts, 5 wins, 2 seconds, 4 thirds, US$2,038,064
1999:
- Won Kentucky Derby (USA-G1, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
- Won Preakness Stakes (USA-G1, 9.5FD, Pimlico)
- Won Coolmore Lexington Stakes (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Keeneland)
- 2nd El Camino Real Derby (USA-G3, 8.5FD, Bay Meadows)
- 3rd Belmont Stakes (USA-G1, 12FD, Belmont)
Honors
- Eclipse Award, American Horse of the Year (1999)
- Eclipse Award, American champion 3-year-old male (1999)
Assessments
Rated at 126 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 2004, 1 pound above Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1) winner Cat Thief, Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) winner Lemon Drop Kid, and dual Classic runner-up and multiple Grade 1 winner Menifee.
As an individual
A handsome, strapping, lengthy chestnut horse with an excellent shoulder, powerful hindquarters and good bone, Charismatic had the convex profile often passed on by his sire Summer Squall. He stood 16 hands. As a racehorse, he thrived on hard work and needed it to keep off extra weight related to a tremendous appetite. He developed a nasty temperament as a stallion but became kinder after being pensioned.
As a stallion
According to records compiled by The Jockey Club, Charismatic sired only seven stakes winners (1.6%) from 430 named foals, 277 of which have won (64.4%). His best runner was multiple Grade 2 winner Sun King.
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Charismatic was bred by Parrish Hill Farm and William S. Farish. He was owned by Robert and Beverly Lewis, who purchased the colt as a weanling for US$200,000. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas. Charismatic entered stud in 2000 at Lane's End Farm. Following the 2002 Northern Hemisphere breeding season, he was sold to Japanese interests and went to stand at Shizunai Stallion Station. He was retired from breeding following the 2016 breeding season, and his journey back to the United States was paid for largely through the generosity of the Robert and Beverly Lewis Family Foundation and Tito's Handmade Vodka. Charismatic was found dead in his stall at the Old Friends equine retirement center on February 19, 2017; the cause of death was determined to be a pelvic fracture and subsequent hemorrhages.
Pedigree notes
Charismatic is inbred 4x4 to 1957 American Horse of the Year and eight-time American champion sire Bold Ruler and 4x6x4 to 1973 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Somethingroyal. He is also inbred 5x3 to the influential sire Sir Gaylord. He is a half brother to 2001 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (USA-G1) winner Millennium Wind (by Cryptoclearance) and 1995 Mervyn Leroy Handicap (USA-G2) winner Tossofthecoin (by Magesterial).
Charismatic is out of Bali Babe, whose half sister What a Shack (by Al Hattab) is the dam of listed stakes winner Udidthebestyoucan (by Nodouble). Bali Babe is also a half sister to Tiger Trap (by Al Hattab), dam of Irish listed stakes winner Wood Dancer (by Malinowski); to Dunesian (by Dunbeath), dam of 1997 Czech champion 2-year-old filly Sun Shine Clare (by Grey Desire); and to Polynesian Goddess (by Salmon Leap), dam of multiple Canadian stakes winner Polynesian Kitty (by High Yield).
Bali Babe, in turn, is out of Polynesian Charm (by What a Pleasure x Grass Shack, by Polynesian), whose half sister Clover Lane (by Tudor Way) won the 1969 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes and is the dam of stakes winner Cricket Club (by Dr. Fager) and the second dam of Grade 3 winner Dr. Bobby A. and English Group 3 winner Love of Silver. Polynesian Charm is also a half sister to Shakney (by Jabneh), dam of multiple Canadian stakes winner Hopeful Answer (by Northern Answer) and second dam of 1981 Canadian Horse of the Year Deputy Minister; to Well Stacked (by Solidarity), dam of multiple stakes winner Prince Papule (by Admiral Lea); to Grass Roots (by Discovery), dam of stakes winner Fleet Discovery (by Fleet Nasrullah); and to Hutsville (by Jabneh), dam of miltiple stakes winner Loggy Bayou (by Bull Story). Polynesian Charm is also a half sister to Terra Verta (by Jabneh), dam of restricted stakes winner Budgerigar (by Cormorant), and to Come Ashore (by Tudor Way), dam of Grade 2 winner Sail to Rome (by Proudest Roman).
Books and media
- Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing uses Charismatic's racing career as the focus of its narrative. Written by Elizabeth Mitchell, the book was published by Hachette Books in 2003.
- Charismatic's Kentucky Derby victory is covered in “Lukas' Good Luck Charm,” the 11th chapter of Steve Haskin's Tales From the Triple Crown (2008, Eclipse Press).
- Charismatic, a documentary on Charismatic and Chris Antley, was aired as part of the ESPN Films Presents series on October 18, 2011. Directed by Steven Michaels, Joel Surnow and Jonathan Kochas, the film was produced by Asylum Entertainment.
- Charismatic is profiled in Chapter 11 of Avalyn Hunter's American Classic Pedigrees 1914-2002 (2003, Eclipse Press).
Fun facts
- Charismatic was the first Kentucky Derby winner to have run for a claiming tag during the course of his previous career (he started twice for a US$62,500 tag) since the 1970 victor, Dust Commander.
- Although Charismatic came into the Kentucky Derby off a strong win in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes, he was a 31-1 longshot in the Derby itself. Some of the bettors' skepticism probably came from the fact that the colt had not only started in claiming company less than three months earlier but had been beaten in that race, inheriting the win by disqualification.
- Veteran racing correspondent and author Steve Haskin discovered while researching Charismatic's story that in the second of Charismatic's starts in claiming races, the Lewises were twice lucky to retain the colt in their stable. The first piece of luck was a California racing official's vacation—the official responsible for processing applications for owners' licenses. Among the papers left on the desk to await the official's return was an owner's application for Will Wolford, who had been following Charismatic and meant to claim him when he saw the colt's name in the entries but found that he could not do so because he was not yet eligible as an owner in California. The second piece of luck was an act of generosity by Robert Lewis in giving trainer Mike Mitchell four tickets to a National Hot Rod Association race not too long before Charismatic's entry in the claiming event. Mitchell, an avid drag racing buff, was an equally avid claimer of horses and had been eying Charismatic but couldn't bring himself to take Lewis's horse after being the recipient of Lewis' gift.
- Chris Antley's heroic action in risking injury to get to where he could protect Charismatic's injury after the Belmont Stakes was named the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's “Moment of the Year” for 1999.
Last updated: October 14, 2023