Fusaichi Pegasus () (foaled April 12, 1997) was purchased as a yearling for $4 million by
Fusao Sekiguchi. His name is a combination of his owner's name, "Fusao," and the Japanese word for one, "ichi," to mean #1 or the best. The second half is the
winged horse of Greek mythology. Fusaichi Pegasus won the
Kentucky Derby in 2000. This
thoroughbred's time was 2:01.12 around the 1 1/4 mile track. He was the first favorite to win the
Kentucky Derby since
Spectacular Bid in 1979. After the Kentucky Derby, many believed that he would win the Triple Crown. However, he was defeated by
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.
"FuPeg", as the stallion is affectionately known by his fans, is a son of
Mr. Prospector and out of Angel Fever, a
mare by leading sire
Danzig. In addition to the Kentucky Derby, Fusaichi Pegasus also won the Grade 2
San Felipe Stakes and
Jerome Handicap.
In 2000, Fusaichi Pegasus was sold to
Irish breeder
Coolmore Stud for a reported price of more than US$60 million (£35m). The previous record for a stallion prospect was US$40m (£24m), paid in 1983 for
Shareef Dancer. For several years, Fusaichi Pegasus served as a "shuttle stallion" standing at Coolmore's
Ashford Stud near
Versailles, Kentucky during the Northern Hemisphere breeding season and at Coolmore Australia near
Jerrys Plains, New South Wales during...
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