Christmas Past
Christmas Past (April 15, 1979 – December 13, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. She was the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 1982 when her wins included the Coaching Club American Oaks and the Monmouth Oaks.
| Christmas Past | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Grey Dawn |
| Grandsire | Herbager |
| Dam | Yule Log |
| Damsire | Bold Ruler |
| Sex | Filly |
| Foaled | 1979 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Gray |
| Breeder | Cynthia Phipps |
| Owner | Cynthia Phipps |
| Trainer | Angel Penna, Jr. |
| Record | 14: 8-2-3 |
| Earnings | US$563,670 |
| Major wins | |
| Coaching Club American Oaks (1982) Monmouth Oaks (1982) Ruffian Handicap (1982) Poinsettia Stakes (1982) Bonnie Miss Stakes (1982) Gulfstream Park Handicap (1983) | |
| Awards | |
| American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly (1982) | |
Background
Christmas Past was bred and owned by Cynthia Phipps of the famous Phipps racing family. She was out of the mare Yule Log, a daughter of eight-time leading sire in North America and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Bold Ruler. Her sire was the 1964 French Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Grey Dawn. She was conditioned for racing by Angel Penna, Jr..
Racing career
As a three-year-old in 1982, Christmas Past won five stakes races for fillies including the Coaching Club American Oaks by six lengths.[1] Her performances earned her 1982 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly honors.
At age four, Christmas Past defeated her male counterparts in winning the February 26 Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Handicap in Florida. It marked only the second time in the thirty-seven year history of the race that a filly had won.[2] A week later her owner decided to retire her from racing saying it was because of a variety of minor physical ailments that could hamper her running especially when she would be required to compete under heavy handicap weights that could increase the risk of a serious injury. [3]
Retirement and stud
Retired to broodmare duty at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, Christmas Past produced ten foals between 1985 and 2002, none of which won or placed in a stakes race.[4]
At age twenty-nine, Christmas Past was humanely euthanized on December 13, 2008, due to complications from the infirmities of old age. She was buried in the Marchmont Cemetery at Claiborne Farm.[5]