Sacahuista | Horse Profile
Horse > Sacahuista
Sacahuista
Sacahuista was foaled in Kentucky in 1984 and purchased as a yearling for $670,000 by future Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas for the owners Barry Beal and Lloyd French, Jr.
At age 2, Sacahuista won her first race in July, 1986 at Hollywood Park in her second start. She won 4-of-9 starts as a juvenile highlighted by the Grade 1 Oak Leaf at Santa Anita. Sacahuista also won the Schuylerville and Adriondack Stakes, and finished 2nd three times that year. In the 1986 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita, Sacahuista finished 4th as the pari-mutuel betting favorite.
In her sophomore season of 1987, Sacahuista won 2-of-9 starts including the Spinster Stakes and finished in the money seven times. However, she also finished 1st in two additional races in which she was disqualified for interference. One of those was the Ruffian Handicap at Belmont Park, and ironically the horse that was then placed 1st was ridden by future Hall of Fame jockey Randy Romero. After the race, Romero approached Lukas and told him he wanted to ride Sacahuista and could make her change leads, which was her problem going around turns.
So Romero was given the mount and then road her to victory in her next race, the Spinster Stakes. From there, Romero was the rider in her biggest race at the 1987 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Hollywood Park. Sacahuista grabbed the lead out of the starting gate in the fourth Breeders’ Cup Distaff and never was seriously challenge in a 2 1/4-length victory that gave Romero his first of three victories in the Championships. Sacahuista’s victory was also the 5th Breeders’ Cup win for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. With the victory, Sacahuista secured the 1987 Eclipse Award as American Champion 3-Year-Old Filly.
Sacahista raced three more times at age 4 without winning, and then retired to broodmare duty with career racing earnings of nearly $1.3 million.
Sacahuista Career Statistics
Starts: 21
1st: 6
2nd: 7
3rd: 2
Sacahuista career honors and awards:
1987 – U.S. Champion 3-Year-Old Filly
1987 – 1st Place Breeders’ Cup Distaff