Sunny's Halo

Sunny's Halo (February 11, 1980 – June 3, 2003) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1983 Kentucky Derby.^[1] In 1986, Sunny's Halo was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.^[2]

Sunny's Halo
Sire	Halo
Grandsire	Hail To Reason
Dam	Mostly Sunny
Damsire	Sunny
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1980
Country	Canada
Colour	Chestnut
Breeder	David J. Foster
Owner	David J. Foster
Trainer	David C. Cross Jr.
Record	20: 9-3-2
Earnings	$1,247,791
Major wins
Colin Stakes (1982) Grey Stakes (1982) Coronation Futurity Stakes (1982) Swynford Stakes (1982) Rebel Stakes (1983) Arkansas Derby (1983) Super Derby (1983) American Classic Race wins: Kentucky Derby (1983)
Awards
Canadian Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt (1982) Special Sovereign Award (1983)
Honours
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1986) Sunny's Halo Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack Sunny's Halo Way in Bullard, Texas Interred - Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs
Last updated on October 5, 2006

Background

Foaled at Oshawa, Ontario, Sunny's Halo was owned and bred by Toronto stockbroker David J. Foster. He was trained by David Cross Jr.^[3]

Racing career

The horse won 7 of 11 races at age two but stress fractures in both front shins ended his season earlier than planned. Nonetheless, his performance earned him a 1982 Sovereign Award. In an attempt to heal the ankle problem, he was one of the first horses to be treated at the equine indoor swimming pool designed and built in the early 1970s by Jesse Reynolds. His Getaway Farm was known as the finest location for layups and Thoroughbred therapy. It was located in King Ontario Canada north of Woodbine race track.

At age three, Sunny's Halo won the Arkansas Derby with jockey Eddie Delahoussaye aboard. The duo captured the Kentucky Derby against a very strong field that included future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Slew o' Gold. It marked the first time in history that an Arkansas Derby winner won the Kentucky Derby.^[4] After the race, he developed a rash and a return of the sore ankle affected his performance. The colt finished sixth in the Preakness Stakes and 4th in the Arlington Classic. Unable to compete in the June 26, 1983 Queen's Plate, he was back on the track in good health in the fall. In October he equaled the Louisiana Downs track record for 1¼ miles in winning the Super Derby by 12 lengths. He was scheduled to compete for the final time in November's Meadowlands Cup but the recurring ankle problem ended his career.

Stud record

Syndicated for $7.5 million, Sunny's Halo was retired to stand at stud at Domino Stud in Lexington, Kentucky. He eventually went to a Texas breeding farm where he became that state's all-time leading sire by progeny earnings.

Sunny's Halo died in 2003 and was buried at the Double S Thoroughbred Farm in Bullard, Texas, where he last stood at stud. However, in July 2006, his remains were exhumed and returned to Louisville, Kentucky, to be re-interred at the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs. His leading progeny include Race the Wild Wind (Santa Maria Handicap), Irgun (Wood Memorial) and Dispersal (Woodward Handicap).

Pedigree

Pedigree of Sunny's Halo

Sire Halo	Hail To Reason	Turn-To	Royal Charger
			Source Sucree
		Nothirdchance	Blue Swords
			Galla Colors
	Cosmah	Cosmic Bomb	Pharamond
			Banish Fear
		Almahmoud	Mahmoud
			Arbitrator
Dam Mostly Sunny	Sunny	Princequillo	Prince Rose
			Cosquila
		Sunshine Nell	Sun Again
			Nellie Flag
	Doily	Daumier	Niccolo Dellarca
			Donatella
		Lecount	Count Fleet
			Lenore

External links

• Sunny's Halo's pedigree and stats
• YouTube video of Sunny's Halo winning the 1983 Kentucky Derby

References

1. "Sunny's Halo Out". New York Times, Section B, page 16. 1983-05-08. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
2. "Sunny's Halo - Hall of Fame inductee 1986". Canadian Horseracing Hall of Fame. 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
3. "The Grand Gamble Paid Off". Sports Illustrated. 1983-05-16. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
4. "Sunny's Halo Captures the 190th Kentucky Derby". New York Times, Section 5, page 1. 1983-05-08. Retrieved 2020-06-03.