BULL  INTHE  HEATHER   1990, gr. h, by Ferdinand— Heather Road by The Axe II Trained by Howard M. Tesher Lifetime:  33 Starts, 3 Wins

Barbara Livingston Photo

History:   His name may look like a typographical error, but there is no mistaking his heritage. Bull Inthe Heather is the greatest son of Ferdinand, the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner whose death in a slaughterhouse in 2001 helped drive the formation of Old Friends. 

 

Bull, like Riva Way, was not destined to the greatness his genes might imply.  In 1993, having lost 5 out of 6 starts, the cool gray could hardly see the top of his 3-year-old division. But then, as they say, the Thoroughbred got his blood up, and, at 29-1 he bulldozed the competition—including the undefeated Storm Tower–and captured the G1 Florida Derby at a muddy Gulfstream Park. Suddenly, the railbirds were buzzing: Could he follow in his sire’s footsteps and take the Kentucky Derby? Despite a game effort, Bull lost the Derby that year to Sea Hero. Still, what he lost in glory he made up for in guts: He raced for three additional seasons, was on the board 11 times, and earned a respectable $508,338.

 

Retired to stud in 1997, Bull Inthe Heather originally stood at Leckbee Thoroughbred Farm near Onalaska, WA. In 2001 the G1 winner was relocated to Running Horse Farm near Albuquerque, NM, where he stood until coming to Old Friends in 2006. Among his runners is the stakes-winning mare Bullishdemands.    

 

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