Lemons Forever
Lemons Forever (foaled May 24, 2003 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the Grade 1 132nd Kentucky Oaks horse race on May 5, 2006. Her win was the biggest upset in the history of the Oaks.[1]
| Lemons Forever | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Lemon Drop Kid |
| Grandsire | Kingmambo |
| Dam | Critikola |
| Damsire | Tough Critic |
| Sex | Filly |
| Foaled | 2003 |
| Country | United States |
| Color | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Farfellow Farms Ltd. |
| Owner | Leon Willis, Terry Horton, Dallas Stewart |
| Trainer | Dallas Stewart |
| Record | 16: 4-1-2 |
| Earnings | US$648,940 |
| Major wins | |
| Kentucky Oaks (2006) | |
| Awards | |
| Kentucky Broodmare of the Year (2017) | |
The Kentucky Oaks had a full field of fourteen fillies, with Lemons Forever posting the highest odds, at 47-1. She trailed throughout the race, only to rally late and win by 1½ lengths.
A $2 bet on Lemons Forever paid $96.20, and a $2 trifecta paid $12,186.60.[2]
Lemons Forever did not make a run for the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, the filly equivalent of the Triple Crown, as she did not compete in the second leg of the competition, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, on May 19.
After winning the Oaks, Lemons Forever raced ten more times (eight in Grade 1 and Grade 2 races), only winning once in an optional claimer and running 3rd in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga. She was retired in 2007.
Retirement
Lemons Forever sold for $2.5 million at the 2007 Keeneland broodmare sale to geologist Charles Fipke.[3] As of 2017, she has produced five named foals, four of them winners:[4]
Lemons Forever was named 2017 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year for her foals Forever Unbridled and Unbridled Forever.[5]
- Forever Unbridled: Bay filly by Unbridled's Song foaled in 2012, by Unbridled's Song, multiple graded stakes winner including Grade I wins in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Distaff, Apple Blossom Handicap, Beldame Stakes and Personal Ensign Stakes - earnings of over $2 million. 2017 American Champion Older Dirt Female Horse.
- Unbridled Forever: Bay filly foaled in 2011 by sire Unbridled's Song, ran 3rd in the 2014 Kentucky Oaks and as a 4-year-old won the Gr.1 Ballerina Stakes, earning over $800,000 in her career.
- Perfect Forever: Chestnut filly foaled in 2009 by sire Perfect Soul, winless in twelve starts
- Forever Perfect: Chestnut colt foaled in 2009 by sire Perfect Soul, two wins in eighteen starts. Stallion in Houston, Ohio.
- Forever d'Oro: Bay colt foaled in 2013 by top sire Medaglia d'Oro, one win from six starts (as of November 2017). Stakes placed. Competed in 2016 Belmont Stakes.
- Lemons Medaglia: Bay filly foaled in 2016 by Medaglia d'Oro.
References
- "Lemons Forever Pulls Huge Upset in Kentucky Oaks - bloodhorse.com" by Dan Liebman, bloodhorse.com, May 5, 2006, retrieved May 6, 2006
- "Oaks Day Results", The Courier Journal, May 5, 2006, retrieved May 6, 2006
- Thoroughbred Times - November 06, 2007
- "Lemons Forever Offspring". www.pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
- "Lemons Forever Named 2017 KY Broodmare of the Year". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.