Conquistador Cielo

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Not to be confused with Conquistadores del Cielo.
Conquistador Cielo
SireMr. Prospector
GrandsireRaise a Native
DamK D Princess
DamsireBold Commander
SexStallion
FoaledMarch 20, 1979[1]
CountryUnited States
ColourBay
BreederLewis E. Iandoli
OwnerHenryk de Kwiatkowski
TrainerWoody Stephens
Record13: 9-0-2
Earnings$474,328[2]
Major wins
Saratoga Special Stakes (1981)
Belmont Stakes (1982)
Metropolitan Handicap (1982)
Dwyer Stakes (1982)
Jim Dandy Stakes (1982)
Awards
U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt (1982)
United States Horse of the Year (1982)
Honours
Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame (1983)
Last updated on October 20, 2006

Conquistador Cielo (March 20, 1979 – December 17, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He is best known for his performances as a three-year-old in 1982 when he won the Belmont Stakes and was voted United States Horse of the Year.

Background[]

Conquistador Cielo was a bay horse sired by the outstanding breeding stallion Mr Prospector. His dam K D Princess was a successful racemare but not a top-class performer. She was descended from Whirl Right, a full-sister to Whirlaway.[3]

He was purchased as a yearling for $150,000 by Henryk de Kwiatkowski, and was trained by Woody Stephens.

Racing career[]

Racing as a two-year-old, Conquistador Cielo won two races in his four starts.

His handlers had hoped the horse would run in the 1982 Kentucky Derby but he was kept out by a leg injury that wasn't healing to the point where his trainer was satisfied it would be completely safe. In the much easier Preakness Prep, the horse won, but still his trainer skipped the Preakness Stakes to bring him along on an easier route.

Entered in the Grade I Metropolitan Handicap, Conquistador Cielo set a track-record while winning by 71⁄4 lengths against older horses, breaking Stop The Music's record set in 1973. Trainer Woody Stephens then surprised fans and racing insiders with the announcement that the horse was fit enough to race again five days later in the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the U.S. Triple Crown races.

In the 1982 Belmont Stakes, Conquistador Cielo defeated the opposition, beating Kentucky Derby champion Gato Del Sol by 14 lengths.

Before the 1982 racing season was over, he was sold to a breeding syndicate for a then record price of $36.4 million.[4] Conquistador Cielo's performances in 1982 earned him United States Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt and Horse of the Year honors.

Stud record[]

Retired to stud duty at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, Conquistador Cielo didn't quite live up to expectations but nevertheless sired more than 60 stakes race winners. Among his progeny were stakes winners , Forty Niner Days, Alannon, Mi Cielo, Wagon Limit, and Lexicon.

At age 23, the horse suffered an injury to his knee that brought on an acute case of founder in his left front leg. The disease resulted in the veterinarian euthanizing him on December 17, 2002.

Pedigree[]

Pedigree of Conquistador Cielo (USA), bay stallion, 1979[1]
Sire
Mr Prospector (USA)
1970 		Raise a Native (USA)
1961 		Native Dancer Polynesian
Geisha
Raise You Case Ace
Lady Glory
Gold Digger (USA)
1962 		Nashua Nasrullah
Segula
Sequence Count Fleet
Miss Dogwood
Dam
K D Princess (USA)
1971 		Bold Commander (USA)
1960 		Bold Ruler Nasrullah
Miss Disco
High Voltage Ambiorix
Dynamo
Tammy's Turn (USA)
1965 		Turn-To Royal Charger
Source Sucree
Tammy Twist Tim Tam
Whirl Right (Family: 8-h)[3]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Conquistador Cielo pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  2. ^ http://www.pedigreequery.com/conquistador+cielo Conquistador Cielo's pedigree and racing stats
  3. ^ a b "Atalanta - Family 8-h". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
  4. ^ http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/franchises/index.html?query=HORSE%20RACING&field=des&match=exact New York Times report on the syndication of Conquistador Cielo
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