HORSE OF THE YEAR DIES

by Sarah Whitelaw
18 December 2002

Former Horse of the Year, Conquistador Cielo, has died. The son of Mr. Prospector was 23. He will be buried alongside Unbridled. The stallion was euthanized due to the infirmities of old age. 

Trained by Woody Stephens, Conquistador Cielo, was one of five consecutive Belmont Stakes winners for his trainer. A winner by over 14 lengths of the last leg of the American Triple Crown, Conquistador Cielo also won the Met Mile impressively. A smart two year old, Conquistador Cielo was named both champion three year old and Horse of the Year at three. He won nine of 13 starts and was placed twice. 

He was syndicated for stud at a then record price of $36.4 million but didn’t quite live up to expectations. He was standing at a fee of $20,000 at the time of his death and had covered 50 mares. 

Amongst his 65 stakes winners, are millionaires Marquetry and Forty Niner Days. Another top son was the Jockey Club Gold Cup hero Wagon Limit. His son Mi Cielo is represented by the top Japanese two year old Eishin Champ. His versatility as a sire is shown by his ability to sire horses like Marquetry and Wagon Limit and yet sire smart sprinters such as Alannon and Lexicon. 

Despite Marquetry’s success at stud, Conquistador Cielo was not a successful sire of sires. He has left a legacy as a broodmare sire and is represented by the likes of Slickly, Invisible Ink, No Slip, Regal Rose, Elegant Al and Strategic Maneuver.