Outdoor Sports

A. P. Indy – Not Only Was He a Belmont Stakes Winner, But Maybe the Best Sire Ever

Sometimes people forget just how good the 1992 Belmont winner A.P. Indy really was.

He was the most expensive yearling in 1990, priced at $2.9 million, and no wonder, his father was the 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, and his mother Weekend Surprise was sired by another Triple Crown winner, the great Secretariat.

The original plan was to run in the 1992 Kentucky Derby, but he was scratched the morning of the Derby due to a quarter crack.

He came into the 1992 Belmont off six consecutive wins, including the Santa Anita Derby and a 5 ½ length win in the Peter Pan Stakes, and entered as the even money favorite. The Belmont field included Derby runner up Casual Lies and Preakness winner Pine Bluff. Casual Lies dictated the early pace and ticked off a strong opening quarter of 23 and 1. A.P. Indy saved ground down at the rail just a length or two off the leader, and to his outside the Preakness winner Pine Bluff. Down the backstretch, he was eased off the leaders and fell back a bit, then made a four wide run approaching the turn into the stretch.

As they turned into the stretch, Pine Bluff wrested the lead away from Casual Lies and took a short lead over A.P. Indy who loomed dangerous. A.P. Indy overtook Pine Bluff in deep stretch and held off a run from British invader My Memoirs, who got second. It was 13 lengths back to the fourth place finisher.

In winning, he tied for the second fastest time ever run in the Belmont, tying Easy Goer’s 1989 mark of 2:26 flat.

A.P. Indy would hit a couple of bumps in the road and in his next race, the Molson Million at Woodbine, he went off as the heavy 3-5 favorite but gave way in the stretch. His next race was the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup – in this race, he bobbled at the start and was pinched back, falling some 15 lengths behind the leaders at one point, but he still made a gallant run at the end and finished third. On the strength of this run despite the early trouble, he was made the 2-1 favorite in what was to be the final start of his career, the Breeder’s Cup Classic.

He would face 13 other runners, including Pleasant Tap who had beaten him in the afore-mentioned Jockey Club Gold Cup and the 1991 Kentucky Derby winner, Strike the Gold. He broke on top of the field actually though not really committed to the lead. Eddie Delahoussaye then tucked him down toward the rail and was sixth as they rounded the first turn. The pace was sizzling going the 6 furlongs in 1:10 flat. As they rounded the far turn, began to find his best stride as he swung off the rail, and with only three sixteenths of a mile left to go, he was only 2 lengths off the leader, and by the eighth pole, he was leading the field, and only had Pleasant Tap to hold off. A.P. Indy was too strong and coasted to the wire under a hand ride to win the Classic in an exceptional time of 2:00.20.

Unfortunately, he was retired after the Classic and we never got to see him race as a four year old, the age when most horses enter their prime, but judging from the achievements of his progeny, the sky was the limit on his potential. He went on to sire great horses such as 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini, and 2007 Belmont winner, the filly
Rags to Riches
.

He retired with 8 wins from 11 starts and $2.9 million in career earnings.

American Quarter Horses

Horses Placemat $2.99 Horses Educational Placemat has beautiful pictures of famous breeds of horses…Study pictures and names on one side and practice identification on the other. 12″ x 17.5″…….

Spode Woodland American Quarter Horse Dinner Plate $31.50 Spode Woodland Horses creates yet another highly collectible set within the Woodland series. Detailed and durable, these magnificent horses represent another wonderful addition to the Spode family of dinnerware….

Let’s Learn About Horses Activity Placemat $6.99 Use washable markers with placemats, and children can play, write, create, draw and wipe clean and start over….

Feast of Wire $8.82 Unlike the ever-experimenting Lambchop, to whom they are often compared, Calexico stick to their niche. Since Calexico don’t spring as many stylistic surprises on us as the sprawling Nashville ensemble, their track record is also less erratic. While Feast of Wireis a bit quieter than its three full-length predecessors, it also fits neatly into an ever-impressive body of work. John Convertino and J…

Horse Legends $13.96 The biggest hit of Michael Martin Murphey’s career was his 1975 No. 3 single, “Wildfire,” a musical fable about a pony who roamed the Nebraska plains after his owner died. With a cheap romanticism borrowed from Jonathan Livingston Seagull and an acoustic-pop arrangement borrowed from a hundred fellow James Taylor imitators, the song epitomized the sensitive soft-rock of the mid-’70s. The number ha…

Go Cat Go $7.22 17 track collection of duets and cover versions of C.P.’s songs. Hole in barcode art. Paul Simon, John Fogerty, Tom Petty, George Harrison & Paul McCartney….

Reining Basics Craig Johnson, an AQHA World Champion reining exhibitor and leading money earner in the National Reining Horse Association, has had a profound impact on reining as a discipline. “Reining Basics with Craig Johnson” is a valuable addition to any horseman’s Video library, whether you are a beginning horse enthusiast learning to ride or an accomplished rider polishing a performance reining horse for …

Smith! …

The Winning Halter Horse Jerry Wells, holder of 26 world AQHA Championships, Jerry shows how to win through diet, exercice, training preparation, and techniques. Excellent tips on putting that show ring shine on any horse….

3M 8210Plus Particulate Respirator N95, 20-Pack $10.39 …

Handmade Quarter Horse Weathervane $55.09 This weathervane is made of strong 14-gauge steel with a sealed ball bearing in the wind cups. The weathervane is coated with copper-colored powder coat paint, and features a quarter horse.

Handmade Equestrian Quarter Horse and Windmill Weathervane $52.99 This weathervane is made of strong 14-gauge steel with a sealed ball bearing in the wind cups. The weathervane is coated with copper-colored powder coat paint, and features a quarter horse and windmill.

Quarter Horses (Paperback) $8.07 The hardworking, gentle, and very speedy quarter horse is an American-made breed, the results of English colonists breeding their horses with those of the Chickasaw Indians.

Quarter Horses (Hardcover) $22.37 Description not available.

American Quarter Horses Are My Favorite! (Hardcover) $22.37 A series that introduces readers to the characteristics of favorite horse breeds provides a history of each breed as well as a discussion of its specific traits and offers information about horseback riding and horse ownership.

Quarter Horses 2013 Calendar (Calendar) $14.17 Description not available.

American Quarter Horse 2013 Calendar (Calendar) $10 Description not available.

Legends (Paperback) $17.31 As have the first seven volumes, this newest volume features American Quarter Horses that have had a major impact on every segment of the equine industry. Beginning with such early-d…

Chico`s Challenge (Mixed media product) $6.92 Set in Wyoming, Chico’s Challenge follows a young buckskin quarter horse who is trade to Sierra, a teen who works her father`s ranch and dreams of becoming a cutting horse champion. Chico seems to have the makings of a great cow ho…

Dash (Paperback) $3.95 Jenny wants to try barrel racing and spends time training with her quarter horse, Dash, but she is apprehensive as the day for her first race at the rodeo approaches.

Dash (Reinforced Hardcover) $4.94 Jenny wants to try barrel racing and spends time training with her quarter horse, Dash, but she is apprenhensive as the day for her first race at the rodeo approaches.

Belle (Hardcover) $4.94 Emmy has just moved from the country and had to leave her beloved horse behind, but Belle, an American quarter horse on which she takes riding lessons, helps her to get used to the noise and bustle of big city life.

Ranch-horse Versatility (Paperback) $20.3 Written by multiple American Quarter Horse Association world champion Mike Major, Ranch-Horse Versatility helps prepare you to participate in the equine world`s fastest growing event, no matter which competitive association you prefer. Major`s training…

Koda (Paperback) $5.93 Enjoying a contented life on the ranch with Jasmine, his loving owner, Koda the bay quarter horse gains a new perspective on what matters most in the world after the family sets out on the Oregon Trail and endures great perils while traveling westward …

Belle (Paperback) $3.95 Emmy has just moved from the country and had to leave her beloved horse behind, but Belle, an American quarter horse on which she takes riding lessons, helps her to get used to the noise and bustle of big city life.