Fusaichi Pegasus
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| Fusaichi Pegasus | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Fusaichi Pegasus in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan | |
| Sire | Mr. Prospector |
| Grandsire | Raise a Native |
| Dam | Angel Fever |
| Damsire | Danzig |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | April 12, 1997[1] Stone Farm, Bourbon County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | May 23, 2023 (aged 26) Ashford Stud, Woodford County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Arthur B. Hancock III and Stonerside Ltd.[1] |
| Owner | Fusao Sekiguchi |
| Trainer | Neil Drysdale |
| Record | 9: 6–2–0 |
| Earnings | $1,994,400[2] |
| Major wins | |
| |
| Honours | |
| Statue at Northern Horse Park, Hokkaidō, Japan | |
Fusaichi Pegasus (Japanese: フサイチペガサス, Japanese pronunciation: [ɸɯ̥saꜜitɕi pegasas]; April 12, 1997 – May 23, 2023) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2000 Kentucky Derby, and subsequently set a record at auction—selling for US$70 million to Coolmore Stud.
The colt was purchased as a yearling by Fusao Sekiguchi for $4 million, which was the highest price paid for a Kentucky Derby winner at the time.[2][3] His name is a combination of his owner's name, "Fusao", and the Japanese word for one, "ichi", to mean No. 1 or the best; the second half of his name came from that of a winged horse in Greek mythology.[4][5]
Nicknamed "Fu Peg",[2] he was a son of Mr. Prospector and Angel Fever, a mare by leading sire Danzig.[1]
Racing career
In early 2000, Fusaichi Pegasus won the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes and Wood Memorial Stakes.[2]
Fusaichi Pegasus won the 2000 Kentucky Derby in a time of 2:01.12 for the 11⁄4 mile distance.[6] At the time, it was the seventh fastest time in Kentucky Derby history; by the time of his death, it was the tenth fastest time.[3] He was the first favorite to win the Kentucky Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979 and the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby without winning a race as a two-year-old since Proud Clarion in 1967.[4] He then lost to Red Bullet in the Preakness Stakes. After his loss in the Preakness Stakes, he did not race in the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes.[3]