Proud Citizen (USA)
March 3, 1999 – June 4, 2016
Gone West (USA) x Drums of Freedom (USA), by Green Forest (USA)
Family 2-f
March 3, 1999 – June 4, 2016
Gone West (USA) x Drums of Freedom (USA), by Green Forest (USA)
Family 2-f
Proud Citizen reached his peak in the spring of 2002 when he won the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (USA-G2) impressively and ran a good second to War Emblem in the Kentucky Derby (USA-G1). He also placed in the Preakness Stakes (USA-G1). As a stallion, he was a consistent sire of winners but was best known for getting two Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) winners, Proud Spell (2008) and Believe You Can (2012). He also had some success as a sire in Chile.
Race record
16 starts, 3 wins, 2 seconds, 1 third, US$638,822
2002:
As an individual
A handsome, well-balanced bay horse with an excellent hind leg, Proud Citizen stood 16.1 hands. He had a kindly and personable disposition. He had knee surgery due to an injury suffered in September of his juvenile year and missed the latter half of his 3-year-old season due to a condylar fracture suffered while running unplaced in the Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) and did not come back to his previous best form at 4, winning only a single allowance race from seven starts in 2003.
As a stallion
The Jockey Club credits Proud Citizen with 607 winners (65.1%) and 44 stakes winners (4.7%) from 932 named foals of racing age.
Sire rankings
Per El Turf (www.elturf.com):
Per the Stud Book de Chile (www.studbookdechile.cl):
Notable progeny
Believe You Can (USA), Proud Spell (USA), Vamo a Galupiar (CHI)
Notable progeny of daughters
Brooke (CHI), El Barrero (CHI), Point Me By (USA), Y Nada Más (CHI)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Proud Citizen was bred by Edmund J. Loder. A US$425,000 yearling at the 2000 Keeneland September sale, he raced for Robert Baker, David Cornstein, and William Mack. He was trained by D. Wayne Lukas. He entered stud in 2004 at Brereton Jones’ Airdrie Stud and shuttled to Haras Don Alberto in Chile in 2006 and 2007. He developed chronic laminitis in 2012 and was humanely destroyed in 2016 after the condition could no longer be managed comfortably.
Pedigree notes
Proud Citizen is inbred 4x5 to two-time American Horse of the Year Native Dancer and 5x4 to 1953 American Horse of the Year Tom Fool. He is out of Drums of Freedom, a half sister to Grade 2 winner Drapeau Tricolore (by Irish River), French Group 3 winner Dampierre (by Lear Fan), and the stakes-winning hurdlers Danseur de Corde (by Foolish Pleasure) and Danseur Etoile (by Spectacular Bid).
Drums of Freedom and her siblings were produced from Danseuse Etoile (by Buckpasser), a winning full sister to 1972 Canadian Horse of the Year La Prevoyante.and to Quat’sous, second dam of Grade 3 winner Northern Lance. The next dam in Proud Citizen’s tail-female line is stakes-placed Arctic Dancer (Nearctic x Natalma, by Native Dancer), a full sister to the great racer and sire Northern Dancer.
Fun facts
Last updated: January 3, 2024
Race record
16 starts, 3 wins, 2 seconds, 1 third, US$638,822
2002:
- Won Coolmore Lexington Stakes (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Keeneland)
- 2nd Kentucky Derby (USA-G1, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
- 3rd Preakness Stakes (USA-G1, 9.5FD, Pimlico)
As an individual
A handsome, well-balanced bay horse with an excellent hind leg, Proud Citizen stood 16.1 hands. He had a kindly and personable disposition. He had knee surgery due to an injury suffered in September of his juvenile year and missed the latter half of his 3-year-old season due to a condylar fracture suffered while running unplaced in the Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) and did not come back to his previous best form at 4, winning only a single allowance race from seven starts in 2003.
As a stallion
The Jockey Club credits Proud Citizen with 607 winners (65.1%) and 44 stakes winners (4.7%) from 932 named foals of racing age.
Sire rankings
Per El Turf (www.elturf.com):
- 10th on the Chilean general sire list in 2012.
- 4th on the Chilean broodmare sire list in 2019; 8th in 2020.
Per the Stud Book de Chile (www.studbookdechile.cl):
- 9th on the Chilean general sire list in 2011; 10th in 2012.
- 4th on the Chilean broodmare sire list in 2019; 7th in 2020; 8th in 2022; 10th in 2023.
Notable progeny
Believe You Can (USA), Proud Spell (USA), Vamo a Galupiar (CHI)
Notable progeny of daughters
Brooke (CHI), El Barrero (CHI), Point Me By (USA), Y Nada Más (CHI)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Proud Citizen was bred by Edmund J. Loder. A US$425,000 yearling at the 2000 Keeneland September sale, he raced for Robert Baker, David Cornstein, and William Mack. He was trained by D. Wayne Lukas. He entered stud in 2004 at Brereton Jones’ Airdrie Stud and shuttled to Haras Don Alberto in Chile in 2006 and 2007. He developed chronic laminitis in 2012 and was humanely destroyed in 2016 after the condition could no longer be managed comfortably.
Pedigree notes
Proud Citizen is inbred 4x5 to two-time American Horse of the Year Native Dancer and 5x4 to 1953 American Horse of the Year Tom Fool. He is out of Drums of Freedom, a half sister to Grade 2 winner Drapeau Tricolore (by Irish River), French Group 3 winner Dampierre (by Lear Fan), and the stakes-winning hurdlers Danseur de Corde (by Foolish Pleasure) and Danseur Etoile (by Spectacular Bid).
Drums of Freedom and her siblings were produced from Danseuse Etoile (by Buckpasser), a winning full sister to 1972 Canadian Horse of the Year La Prevoyante.and to Quat’sous, second dam of Grade 3 winner Northern Lance. The next dam in Proud Citizen’s tail-female line is stakes-placed Arctic Dancer (Nearctic x Natalma, by Native Dancer), a full sister to the great racer and sire Northern Dancer.
Fun facts
- Proud Citizen actually rammed his stall gate open with his head prior to the actual start of the Lexington Stakes. An alert grab by an assistant starter snagged the colt’s bridle and kept him from taking off down the track. “I think he ran around there with a headache,” trainer D. Wayne Lukas said after the race.
- Prior to the 2002 Belmont Stakes, Proud Citizen’s owners pledged to donate the colt’s earnings from the race to the Twin Towers Fund to aid survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. After the race, they donated the US$30,000 Proud Citizen earned for finishing fifth plus another US$70,000 to the fund.
Last updated: January 3, 2024