King's Swan
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| King's Swan | ||
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| Sire: | King's Bishop | |
| Dam: | Royal Cygnet | |
| Damsire: | Sea Bird | |
| Sex: | Gelding | |
| Foaled: | 1980 | |
| Country: | United States | |
| Colour: | Bay | |
| Breeder: | Mrs. Dion K. Kerr | |
| Owner: | Alvin Akman, Richard E. Dutrow, Sr., Herb Kushner | |
| Trainer: | Richard E. Dutrow, Sr. | |
| Record: | 107: 31-19-18 | |
| Earnings: | $1,924,845 | |
| Major Racing Wins & Honours & Awards | ||
| Major Racing Wins | ||
| Vosburgh Stakes (1986) Maryland Sprint Handicap (1986) Westchester Handicap (1987) Aqueduct Handicap (1987 & 1990) Tom Fool Handicap (1988) Grey Lag Handicap (1988) Stymie Handicap (1988) Bold Ruler Handicap (1988) |
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| Honours | ||
| Retirement ceremony at Aqueduct Racetrack (1990) | ||
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Infobox last updated on: February 7, 2007. |
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King's Swan (1980-2006) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse nicknamed "The King of Aqueduct" who was so popular with New York City area fans that on his retirement from racing at age ten, he was honored with a retirement ceremony at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Sired by King's Bishop, a son of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Round Table, and out of the mare Royal Cygnet. His damsire, Sea Bird holds the record for the highest Timeform rating in history. However, despite his breeding, by age five when the racing career of most top Thoroughbreds is over, King's Swan was a horse who had accomplisded little on the racetrack and was put up for sale in claiming races. Trainer Richard Dutrow, Sr., one of Maryland racing's Big Four trainers, recognized the gelding's racing potential and in mid December of 1985 organized a partnership to purchase King's Swan. The change in trainer had an instantaneous impact and the horse began winning important graded stakes races in his first season under Dutrow.
King's Swan became one of the best-loved horses on the New York racing circuit. At age ten in 1990, he was still campaigning and winning stakes events, notably capturing his second Aqueduct Handicap.
As a gelding, King's Swan was not able to serve as a sire and following his December 22, 1990 retirement he was given to Jean Lazio, his longtime exercise rider. In early December of 2005, he shattered a bone in his right front leg that was aggravated after treatment. On February 7, 2006, at the age of twenty-six, King's Swan was humanely euthanized at the Mid-Atlantic Equine Center in Ringoes, New Jersey.
