2006 Preakness Stakes Winner

Major wins: Jockey Club Gold Cup (2006), Withers Stakes (2006), Jim Dandy Stakes (2006), Travers Stakes (2006) Preakness Stakes (2006)

Awards: U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt (2006), Co-World Champion 3-Year-Old (2006)

Post Career: After retiring from racing, Bernardini stood at stud at Darley Stud in Lexington, Kentucky. He has sired numerous stakes winners, notable offspring include Stay Thirsty, Cappuccino Bay, and Cavorting. Euthanized July 30, 2021 due to complications from laminitis.

March 23 - Bernardini

A bit of horse racing history and trivia; these maroon silks were the silks worn by Sheikh Mohammed's Darley USA's horses. At the same time, his other horses around the world wore the royal blue silks. Today all his horses around the world wear the same blue silks. Hold that thought - unless you're wondering why.

Did you know that when Sheikh Mohammed bought Jonabell Farm in Lexington there was one caveat to the deal. Sheikh Mohammed would continue with the farm name until the owner John Bell passed away. The farm was called Darley at Jonabell. After John Bell passed away the farm became Darley.

I can't say with 100% accuracy, but it was about the same time that these maroon silks were retired, and blue silks started being worn in the USA. Is there a connection? Maybe.

Now, here's another little tidbit. The powers that be at Pimlico misspelled Bernardini's name on the saddle cloth. As the artist, I had to decide if it was more important to be historically accurate or fix somebody's gaff. So, the second “R” was added and just like that Bernadini became Bernardini. You're welcome whoever you are.

Bernardini was a champion American racehorse with a short but brilliant career. He was a bay colt born in 2003 in Kentucky. His owner was Darley Stable, the racing arm of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. His father was A.P. Indy, one of the greatest stallions of the modern era and a former Belmont Stakes winner. His mother was a graded stakes winning mare named Cara Rafaela, who earned almost a million dollars on the track. Bernardini was sent to trainer Tom Albertrani, and at first nobody knew quite how good he was. He did not even make his first start until January of his three year old year, which means he missed all of the early Kentucky Derby preps.

Once he started running, however, he quickly became one of the best horses in the country. He won an allowance race in March of 2006 and then took the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct in April. That set him up for the 2006 Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of the Triple Crown. The race became one of the most heartbreaking days in modern racing because Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro broke down soon after the start. Bernardini, meanwhile, ran on to a powerful five and a quarter length victory in a fast 1:54.65. He followed that up with even more impressive wins. He took the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga by ten lengths, then crushed the field in the Travers Stakes by seven lengths. He added the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park before running second to the older champion Invasor in the Breeders' Cup Classic. He was named the 2006 Eclipse Award winner as Champion Three Year Old Male.

Bernardini retired to stud at Jonabell Farm in Kentucky with a record of six wins and one second from eight starts, plus more than three million dollars in earnings. He turned out to be a top class stallion as well as a top class racehorse. He sired sixteen individual Group or Grade 1 winners, including champion mares Stopchargingmaria, Bayern, Cavorting, and Boisterous. He was euthanized in July of 2021 due to complications from laminitis. Bernardini packed an enormous amount of greatness into a small number of races, and his work in the breeding shed kept his name alive in pedigrees long after his racing days ended.

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