Indian Charlie (USA)
March 27, 1995 – December 15, 2011
In Excess (IRE) x Soviet Sojourn (USA), by Leo Castelli (USA)
Family 21-a
March 27, 1995 – December 15, 2011
In Excess (IRE) x Soviet Sojourn (USA), by Leo Castelli (USA)
Family 21-a
Indian Charlie inherited much of the extremely high cruising speed that characterized his sire In Excess, and it made him an impressive winner of the 1995 Santa Anita Derby (USA-G1) and the favorite for that year’s Kentucky Derby. His stablemate Real Quiet finished second at Santa Anita, but the longer distance of the Kentucky Derby helped the more stamina-bred Real Quiet to turn the tables. Indian Charlie continued on gamely at Churchill Downs to finish third but never raced again. He went on to become a fine stallion and, although he died relatively young, continued the male line of Caro through his champion son Uncle Mo.
Race record
5 starts, 4 wins, 0 seconds, 1 third, US$616,120
1998:
Honors
California-bred champion 3-year-old male (1998)
As an individual
A big, strong bay horse standing 16.3 hands, Indian Charlie had a distinctly “downhill” build. His hindquarters were particularly powerful and his croup was distinctively sloped. He had a long, fluid stride. He was retired after injuring a suspensory at Del Mar while in training for the Buick Haskell Invitational Handicap (USA-G1). A horse with a distinctive personality and a determined attitude while racing, he liked peppermints and carrots as treats.
As a stallion
According to statistics compiled by The Jockey Club, Indian Charlie sired 593 winners (59.7%) and 83 stakes winners (8.4%) from 993 named foals.
Sire rankings
Per Arion Pedigrees (www.arion.co.nz):
Per The Blood-Horse:
Notable progeny
Fleet Indian (USA), Indian Apple Is (CAN), Indian Blessing (USA), Pampered Princess (USA), Uncle Mo (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Ceiling Crusher (USA), Dayoutoftheoffice (USA), Flightline (USA), Go Vivian Go (USA), Hot Rod Charlie (USA), Lyndacarter (VEN), Mitole (USA), Switzerland (USA)
Connections
Foaled in California, Indian Charlie was bred by Hal J. Earnhardt III, who (along with his wife Patti) raced the horse in partnership with John R. Gaines Racing Stable. He was trained by Bob Baffert. Indian Charlie entered stud in 1999 at Vinery Kentucky. Following the 2002 breeding season, he moved to Airdrie Stud, where he was euthanized due to cancer in December 2011.
Pedigree notes
Indian Charlie is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to House of Soviet’s (by Housebuster), dam of stakes winner Lady Banks (by Successful Appeal), and to Spy Novel (by Broad Brush), dam of stakes winner Miner’s Escape (by Mineshaft).
Indian Charlie is out of Soviet Sojourn, whose name alludes to the fact that her sire Leo Castelli (by Sovereign Dancer; winner of the 1987 Peter Pan Stakes, USA-G2) stood in Russia for a time before being repatriated to the United States. A very fast filly who won two Grade 3 races as a juvenile, Soviet Sojourn is out of Political Parfait, a winning daughter of 1968 Arlington-Washington Futurity winner Diplomat Way (by Nashua).
Political Parfait, in turn, is out of Peach Butter (by 1966 Jersey Derby winner Creme Dela Creme, by Olympia), a half sister to stakes winner Roundwood (by Murtaugh). The next dam in Indian Charlie’s tail-female line is Grade 3-placed Slipping Round (by Round Table), whose half sister Bunch of Daisies (by Sir Gaylord) is the dam of multiple Grade 2 winner Sixty Sails (by Creme dela Creme) and who is out of Bless the Bride (by Helioscope), a half sister to two-time American champion sprinter Decathlon (by Olympia) and 1961 Hollywood Gold Cup winner Prince Blessed (by Princequillo).
Books and media
A brief video of Indian Charlie at Airdrie Stud can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sQ8caKxnHc. The video was taken about a month before the horse's death from cancer.
Fun facts
Last updated: September 23, 2023
Race record
5 starts, 4 wins, 0 seconds, 1 third, US$616,120
1998:
- Won Santa Anita Derby (USA-G1, 9FD, Santa Anita)
- 3rd Kentucky Derby (USA-G1, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
Honors
California-bred champion 3-year-old male (1998)
As an individual
A big, strong bay horse standing 16.3 hands, Indian Charlie had a distinctly “downhill” build. His hindquarters were particularly powerful and his croup was distinctively sloped. He had a long, fluid stride. He was retired after injuring a suspensory at Del Mar while in training for the Buick Haskell Invitational Handicap (USA-G1). A horse with a distinctive personality and a determined attitude while racing, he liked peppermints and carrots as treats.
As a stallion
According to statistics compiled by The Jockey Club, Indian Charlie sired 593 winners (59.7%) and 83 stakes winners (8.4%) from 993 named foals.
Sire rankings
Per Arion Pedigrees (www.arion.co.nz):
- 4th on the North American broodmare sire list in 2019; 5th in 2021 and 2022; 10th in 2018 and 2020.
Per The Blood-Horse:
- 8th on the American broodmare sire list in 2019 and 2022; 10th in 2021.
Notable progeny
Fleet Indian (USA), Indian Apple Is (CAN), Indian Blessing (USA), Pampered Princess (USA), Uncle Mo (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Ceiling Crusher (USA), Dayoutoftheoffice (USA), Flightline (USA), Go Vivian Go (USA), Hot Rod Charlie (USA), Lyndacarter (VEN), Mitole (USA), Switzerland (USA)
Connections
Foaled in California, Indian Charlie was bred by Hal J. Earnhardt III, who (along with his wife Patti) raced the horse in partnership with John R. Gaines Racing Stable. He was trained by Bob Baffert. Indian Charlie entered stud in 1999 at Vinery Kentucky. Following the 2002 breeding season, he moved to Airdrie Stud, where he was euthanized due to cancer in December 2011.
Pedigree notes
Indian Charlie is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to House of Soviet’s (by Housebuster), dam of stakes winner Lady Banks (by Successful Appeal), and to Spy Novel (by Broad Brush), dam of stakes winner Miner’s Escape (by Mineshaft).
Indian Charlie is out of Soviet Sojourn, whose name alludes to the fact that her sire Leo Castelli (by Sovereign Dancer; winner of the 1987 Peter Pan Stakes, USA-G2) stood in Russia for a time before being repatriated to the United States. A very fast filly who won two Grade 3 races as a juvenile, Soviet Sojourn is out of Political Parfait, a winning daughter of 1968 Arlington-Washington Futurity winner Diplomat Way (by Nashua).
Political Parfait, in turn, is out of Peach Butter (by 1966 Jersey Derby winner Creme Dela Creme, by Olympia), a half sister to stakes winner Roundwood (by Murtaugh). The next dam in Indian Charlie’s tail-female line is Grade 3-placed Slipping Round (by Round Table), whose half sister Bunch of Daisies (by Sir Gaylord) is the dam of multiple Grade 2 winner Sixty Sails (by Creme dela Creme) and who is out of Bless the Bride (by Helioscope), a half sister to two-time American champion sprinter Decathlon (by Olympia) and 1961 Hollywood Gold Cup winner Prince Blessed (by Princequillo).
Books and media
A brief video of Indian Charlie at Airdrie Stud can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sQ8caKxnHc. The video was taken about a month before the horse's death from cancer.
Fun facts
- Indian Charlie was named for a combined tout sheet and backstretch opinion/humor newsletter published by Ed Musselman. (This, in turn, was named for the nickname of clocker Charlie Neal, a much-loved backstretch character of partly Native American ancestry who died in 1993 and whose ashes were scattered on the Churchill Downs track near the clockers’ stand.) Irreverent and often controversial from its initial publication in 1994 on, Musselman’s newsletter was repeatedly banned from distribution at Churchill Downs with its most recent expulsion beginning in 2014, a ban that was honored by Keeneland as well. While the Churchill Downs ban was eventually lifted, Musselman and his newsletter were banned from all Keeneland properties beginning September 20, 2018. The newsletter ended print publication at the end of 2020.
- Indian Charlie went into the Kentucky Derby with only four lifetime starts, fewer prior starts than for any Derby winner since Exterminator in 1918. When asked repeatedly about his horse’s lack of seasoning, Bob Baffert quipped, “He doesn’t need any seasoning because we’re not going to eat him.”
Last updated: September 23, 2023