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Prized (USA)

May 20, 1986 – July 13, 2014

Kris S. (USA) x My Turbulent Miss (USA), by My Dad George (USA)


Family 8-c

Picture
​While an able colt on dirt, Prized came into his own when asked to go long on turf. Making his grass debut in the biggest American turf race of the year—the Breeders’ Cup Turf (USA-G1)--he scored an upset victory by a head. He won two more graded grass stakes at 4 before retiring to stud, where he was useful but not particularly memorable. In North America, he is best remembered as the sire of the popular gelding Brass Hat and the broodmare sire of 2014 American champion 3-year-old filly Untapable.


Race record

17 starts, 9 wins, 2 seconds, 3 thirds, US$2,262,555


1989:
  • Won Breeders' Cup Turf (USA-G1T, 12FT, Gulfstream Park)
  • Won Swaps Stakes (USA-G2, 10FD, Hollywood)
  • Won Molson Export Million Stakes (CAN-L, 10FD, Woodbine)
  • Won Bradbury Stakes (USA-R, 8.5FD, Santa Anita)
  • 3rd Tropical Park Derby (USA-G2, 9FD, Calder)
  • 3rd Silver Screen Handicap (USA-G2, 9FD, Hollywood)

1990:
  • Won San Luis Rey Stakes (USA-G1T, 12FT, Santa Anita)
  • Won Arcadia Handicap (USA-G3, 8FT, Santa Anita)

1991:
  • 3rd Hollywood Turf Handicap (USA-G1T, 10FT, Hollywood)


Assessments

Rated at 121 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1989, 8 pounds below champion Sunday Silence.

Rated at 122 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American turf males of 1989, 4 pounds below champion Steinlen.

Rated at 125 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American turf males of 1990, 2 pounds below champion In the Wings but tied with Golden Pheasant for second in the division.

Rated at 122 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American turf males of 1991, 4 pounds below champion Tight Spot.



As an individual

A strapping dark bay or brown horse standing 16.2 hands, Prized was a vocal animal who enjoyed human attention. He typically came from off the pace when racing. He was fond of carrots as treats.


As a stallion

According to statistics compiled by The Jockey Club, Prized sired 448 winners (55.2%) and 36 stakes winners (4.4%) from 812 named foals of racing age.



Sire rankings

Per Arion (www.arion.co.nz):
  • 9th on the New Zealand general sire list.


Notable progeny

Brass Hat (USA), Prize Lady (NZ)



Connections

Foaled in Florida, Prized was bred by Meadowbrook Farm. Following a second-place finish in a Calder maiden special weight in October 1988, the Clover Racing Stable partnership group bought into Prized for US$400,000, and the horse raced for the remainder of his career for the Meadowbrook-Clover partnership. Prized was trained by Neil Drysdale and was ridden to victory in the 1989 Breeders’ Cup Turf by Eddie Delahoussaye, his regular pilot. He entered stud in California in 1992 at Cardiff Farm and moved to Dixiana Farm in Kentucky in 1996; he also shuttled to New Zealand and Australia. After moving from Dixiana to Spendthrift Farm in December 2000 (along with Dixiana’s other stallions), Prized moved to O’Sullivan Farms in West Virginia in 2006. He was sent to the Old Friends retirement facility near Georgetown, Kentucky, in 2010 and was euthanized due to the infirmities of old age in July 2014.



Pedigree notes

Prized is inbred 5x5 to 1943 American champion sire and three-time American champion broodmare sire Bull Dog. He is a full brother to Japanese stakes winner Machikane Allegro and a half brother to multiple Grade 2 winner Exploit (by Storm Cat) and listed stakes winner My Turbulent Beau (by Beau’s Eagle). He is also a half brother to Squalling (by Beau’s Eagle), dam of Grade 2 winner Orville n Wilbur’s (by Out of Place).


Sired by My Dad George (by Dark Star), whose victories included the 1970 Florida Derby and Flamingo Stakes, My Turbulent Miss never raced. She is a half sister to multiple stakes winners He’s Spirited (by Hold Your Peace) and Untamed Spirit (by Groshawk). The last-named mare is the dam of Grade 3 winner Haunting (by Kris S.) and the second dam of Japanese Group 2 winner Eishin Dover.

My Turbulent Miss is out of stakes-placed Turbulent Miss (by 1958 Venezuelan champion older male and multiple American stakes winner Petare), a half sister to multiple stakes winner Deby’s Willing (by Will Hays). Turbulent Miss is also a half sister to Our Dear Deby (by In Reality), dam of stakes winner Our Dear Krissy (by Kris S.) and second dam of three stakes winners. Turbulent Miss and her siblings are, in turn, out of four-time juvenile stakes winner Behaving Deby (by 1956 Remsen Stakes winner Ambehaving), a half sister to stakes winner Record Dash (by Petare).


Books and media

Footage of Prized’s victory in the 1989 Breeders’ Cup Turf can be accessed at the Breeders’ Cup Hall of Champions (https://www.breederscup.com/history-tradition/hall-champions/prized).


Fun facts
  • Prized won the 1989 Breeders’ Cup Turf in his debut on grass. The victory made him both the first horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf without a previous race on grass and the first horse to win races with a purse of US$1 million or more on both dirt and turf in the same season.
  • Prized’s entry in the Breeders’ Cup Turf was based on two factors. The first was the desire to avoid Breeders’ Cup Classic (USA-G1) entrants Easy Goer, who had beaten Prized badly in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (USA-G1), and Sunday Silence, who had been conceding 6 pounds when Prized beat him three-quarters of a length in the Swaps Stakes. The second was a 7-furlong grass workout in which Prized outworked Political Ambition and Sabona, both horses with proven high-level form on turf.
​

Photo credit

Photo taken by Jessica Morgan at Old Friends in 2012. Used by permission.

​

​Last updated: December 15, 2022
© 2014-2023 by Avalyn Hunter. All rights reserved. Contributors' materials remain the property of the copyright owners and are used by permission.

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