Touch Gold - Adena Springs Stallion

$17.95 ON SALE

Touch Gold

Pedigree: Deputy Minister - Passing Mood (Buckpasser)

Stands at Adena Springs in Paris, KY

Touch Gold (foaled May 26, 1994 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the winner of the Classic Belmont Stakes in which he ended Silver Charm's bid for the U.S.Triple Crown.

Sired by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Deputy Minister, Touch Gold was out of the mare Passing Mood, a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Buckpasser. A late foal born at the end of May, he was purchased by Frank Stronach for $375,000 at the July 1995 Keeneland selected yearling sale.

At age two, Touch Gold raced for his trainer Daniel J. Vella at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto Canada. After winning a 6 furlong maiden race, his best 1996 stakes results was a third in the Grey Stakes and a second in the Swynford Stakes. Sent to race in the United States under new trainer David Hofmans, three-year-old colt Touch Gold won a 6 furlong allowance race at Santa Anita Park then at Keeneland won April's Lexington Stakes in which defeated a top three-year-old Smoke Glacken by 8½ lengths.

Not entered in the Kentucky Derby, Touch Gold competed in the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the Preakness Stakes. At the start of the race, the colt stumbled but rallied to challenge the leaders until he tired in the homestretch. He still managed a very credible fourth place finish to winner Silver Charm. He came out of the Preakness with a sore left front hoof but recovered enough to enter the Belmont Stakes three weeks later.

1997 Belmont Stakes
Going into the 1997 Belmont Stakes, Silver Charm was favored to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. His main opposition was expected to come from the entry of Touch Gold and Wild Rush, stretch-running Crypto Star, and Free House who had finished third in the Derby and second in the Preakness. In the race, Touch Gold held a slim lead early on but relinquished it at the halfway mark. Coming into the top of the stretch he was sitting fourth, locked in behind a wall of horses running three-wide. Jockey Chris McCarron was forced to swing Touch Gold to the far outside but down the stretch Silver Charm began to pull away for what seemed certain to be his crowning moment. But Touch Gold put on a tremendous drive in the last furlong to win by three-quarters of a length.

After his 1997 Belmont Stakes win, Touch Gold was sent to rest in California in order to allow his sore hoof time to heal. He eventually returned to win that year's Grade I Haskell Invitational Handicap at Monmouth Park.

Accomplishments as a Sire
Touch Gold's progeny have earned over $24,000,000

Touch Gold has sired
23 Stakes winners
40 Total Stakes horses
8 Graded Stakes winners
4 Grade 1 winners

One of the most famous is Sugar Swirl who was the first filly to win the Distaff Sprint Series at Gulfstream Park. She won the GR2 Shirley Jones, the GR3 Hurricane Bertie and the GR3 First Lady during the 2008 meet.

Touch Gold also sired another terrific filly, Victory Lap. She may not be the most famous of his progeny but is extra special to those that were in the HorseHats Racing Club.