Hansel (horse)

Hansel (foaled 1988) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the final two legs of the U.S. Triple Crown races in 1991 and was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse. Out of the mare Count on Bonnie, his sire was Woodman, a Champion 2-year-old colt in Ireland who was a son of the influential Champion sire Mr. Prospector. Woodman also sired the 1994 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Preakness Stakes winner, Timber Country, as well as the 1999 Canadian Champion 3-Year-Old Colt and Queen's Plate winner, Woodcarver. Hansel's owner was banker Joe Lewis Allbritton, who raced him under his Lazy Lane Farm banner.

Two year-old season

Hansel had success racing at age two, winning the Grade III Tremont Stakes and the Grade II Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes and finishing second in the Grade I Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Three-year-old season

In 1991, Hansel began his three-year-old campaign at the end of March when he won the Grade II Jim Beam Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, in track record time. In April, he finished third in the Grade I Florida Derby behind the 1990 U.S. Champion 2-Year-Old Fly So Free and second-place finisher Strike the Gold. Two weeks prior to the Derby, Hansel won the grade two Lexington Stakes at Keeneland Racecourse.

In the 1991 Kentucky Derby, Hansel was the betting favorite but after a mile tired badly and finished tenth. As a result of his poor performance, trainer Frank Brothers initially decided...
Read More