Birdstone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Birdstone | |
|---|---|
 Birdstone at Old Friends (2024) | |
| Sire | Grindstone |
| Grandsire | Unbridled |
| Dam | Dear Birdie |
| Damsire | Storm Bird |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 2001 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Marylou Whitney Stables |
| Owner | Marylou Whitney Stables |
| Trainer | Nick Zito |
| Record | 9: 5-0-0 |
| Earnings | $1,575,600 |
| Major wins | |
| Champagne Stakes (2003) Travers Stakes (2004) Triple Crown race wins: Belmont Stakes (2004) | |
| Awards | |
| NTRA "Moment of the Year" (2004) | |
| Last updated on June 18, 2007 | |
Birdstone (foaled May 16, 2001, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2004 Belmont Stakes and has become a successful sire.
On August 28, 2020 Birdstone was pensioned from stud duty to Old Friends Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky where he will be accessible to his fans from all over the world.
Owned and bred by Marylou Whitney of Whitney family racing fame, Birdstone was sired by Grindstone, winner of the 1996 Kentucky Derby, who in turn was sired by Unbridled, who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby. Unbridled was in turn sired by Fappiano, a son of Mr. Prospector, the tail-male ancestor of the vast majority of winners of Triple Crown races in recent years (22 out of the 24 races 1998-2005).
Birdstone's dam, Dear Birdie, was 2004 Broodmare of the Year, and produced 12 stakes winning foals, including Bird Town (by Cape Town), who won the 2003 Kentucky Oaks.
Bird Town would later go on to produce graded stakes winner Bird Song (by Unbridled's Song).
Racing career
As a juvenile, Birdstone won the Champagne Stakes, a leading race for two-year-olds, at Belmont Park in 2003.
Beginning his sophomore season, Birdstone won an allowance and finished fifth in the Lane's End Stakes.
He was not a factor in the first two Triple Crown races (finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby and skipping the Preakness Stakes) and was a 36-1 longshot when he upset the overwhelmingly favored Smarty Jones, taking the lead in the final furlong (201 m) in the fastest Belmont Stakes since the advent of modern electronic timing (2002 was the first year times were kept to hundredths).
Birdstone's victory represented the first in the Belmont for trainer Nick Zito, whose horses had finished second in that classic five times. In the winner's circle after the Belmont Stakes, his owners apologized to the connections of Smarty Jones for winning, as did jockey Edgar Prado.[1]
The next major race for Birdstone was the Travers Stakes, which he won being the fourth betting choice at 5-1. He was Zito's first Travers champion.