Hall of Fame Profile: Acapulco

Original article written by Dan Kauffman posted 8 years 0 weeks ago

The late turf star Acapulco was sired by Storm Cat, a producer of 19 millionaires whose prodigy earned almost $69 million on the track. His dam was Azeri, who also produced millionaire Acappella. Acapulco was bred by The Steward and owned by Jolene Danner.

Acapulco served notice in his first race, in Year 16 Week 3, that he was a special colt. He won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race at Futurity Park in Florida by 5 1/2 lengths over four challengers, finishing in 1:03.20 -- a world record for the distance that still stands.

Four weeks later, Acapulco ran in his first stakes race, the $100,000 National Stakes for juveniles at London Gallops. Once again, he dominated a five-horse field, winning the 5-furlong sprint by three lengths over Monaachi.

Remaining in London, Acapulco suffered his first setback three weeks later. Bumped twice during the Grade 3, $150,000 Norfolk Stakes, he finished third in the 5-furlong sprint as Monaachi won by three lengths.

Acapulco and Monaachi would hook up again in London in the final week of Year 16. The Grade 1, $300,000 Racing Post Trophy presented a new challenge for Acapulco, who raced one mile for the first time. He passed this test in flying colors, making a huge run mid-race and powering to the wire to beat Monaachi by two lengths.

Acapulco finished his juvenile campaign with three wins in four starts for winnings of $264,000 and was voted European Champion Two Year Old Colt.

His 3-year-old season was even more successful, with four wins in the first 11 weeks of Year 17.

Acapulco opened the year by winning the Grade 2, $50,000 Michael Parravicino Memorial Hopefu (that's not a typo, at least not on my end!), a one-mile outing at Barbados in Week 3, by a length over Hidden Cove. Four weeks later, back in London, he was entered in his first 1 1/4-mile outing and dominated the Grade 3, $100,000 Dante Stakes, beating Midway by three lengths.

He next made the jump to 1 1/2-mile races, and the two biggest wins of his career to that point quickly followed. In Week 9, he best Pendant by a length to capture the Grade 1, $750,000 Epsom Derby in London. Two weeks later, he journeyed to Ireland and again got the best of Pendant by a length to win the Grade 1, $500,000 Irish Derby. Acapulco was now 7-for-8 in his career.

Acapulco appeared ready for the biggest turf races in the world, but the end of Year 17 would not be so kind. He finished third, eight lengths back of winner Three of a Kind, in the Grade 1, $2 million Arc de Triomphe Stakes in Paris in Week 14 -- snapping his five-race winning streak. Two weeks later, in the Grade 1, $3 million Steward's Cup Turf at Sunshine Park in Florida, he was off the board for the first time in his career, finishing fourth.

Still, Acapulco closed Year 17 with $1.25 million in earnings and was named European Champion Three Year Old Colt.

He opened his 4-year-old campaign with a dirt allowance outing over 1 1/8 miles at Hot Springs Park in Arkansas. The move to dirt was a disaster, by far the worst of his career, as he finished eighth in the 11-horse field.

Back on his favored turf, Acapulco bounced back with aplomb in the Grade 1, $2 million Desert Duty Free three weeks later. He prevailed in a duel with Rado, winning the 1 1/8-mile race by half a length to score by far the biggest win and payday of his career.

Just 11 days later, Acapulco traveled to Milan, Italy for the Grade 1, $400,000 Gran Premio di Milano, covering 1 1/2 miles. He pulled away from Crimson Knight and Dancing Kris to win by two lengths. It was the last of his nine career victories, in part because of a pulled suspensory ligament suffered in the race, which put him on the shelf for more than five weeks.

Acapulco's final two races did not go his way. He was a well-beaten second, three lengths behind Bara, in the Grade 1, $1 million Irish Champion Stakes over 1 1/4 miles in Week 13. Eighteen days later, he finished a distant third, 3 1/2 lengths behind What, in the Steward's Cup Turf in his career finale.

Acapulco earned $1.72 million in his final year of racing, and finished his career with nine wins, one second and three thirds in 15 starts for $3,234,000 in earnings.

He became a prolific stud in the breeding shed, with his progeny earning more than $56 million on the track. Acapulco produced five millionaires, listed below with their greatest accomplishments:

* Apache, $2.9 million, Cox Trophy and Melbourne Trophy champion (both in Year 30)
* Wish It To Be Real, $2.05 million, Steward's Cup Filly and Mare Turf champion (Year 23) ... she produced If Wishs Came True, another Steward's Cup Filly and Mare Turf champion (Year 32) who earned $2.1 million
* Constant Stranger, $1.25 million, South African Derby champion (Year 28)
* Idealized, $1.09 million, Los Campeones Distaff champion (Year 29)
* Vincero Borgia, $1.06 million, Hong Kong Turf Mile and Ginza Mile Trophy champion (both in Year 26)

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