Frank Stronach, Eclipse Award winning owner and breeder.
Love him or hate him, no one can begrudge industry maverick Frank Stronach his outstanding year at the track. The Canadian automotive industry magnate raced five separate grade I winners that contributed heavily to his $11,198,225 in earnings. Out of 725 races, Stronach's horses won 163, or 21%, and were in the money 51% of the time. He raced 11 graded stakes winners that captured 19 graded stakes. The star of his barn was Perfect Sting, the homebred daughter of Red Ransom out of Valid Victress, who lost only one of her six starts in graded company on the grass last year. Her only loss was a second-place finish in the WinStar Galaxy Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland, where Perfect Sting chased Tout Charmant for three-quarters of the 1 3/16-mile race but couldn't catch her. Perfect Sting got her revenge three weeks later when she beat Tout Charmant by three-quarters of a length in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT). She finished the year with a total of $1,367,000 in earnings. Stronach's other top runners included Red Bullet, who scored an upset victory in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) over heavily favored Fusaichi Pegasus. The son of Unbridled, out of Cargo, earned $980,300 for the year. Macho Uno was Stronach Stables' 2-year-old sensation. The colt by Holy Bull out of Primal Force won two grade I stakes, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In addition to breeding and racing horses, Stronach is chairman and founder of the Magna Entertainment Corp. racetrack conglomerate. The company owns seven tracks, including Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.
