Any Given Saturday

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Any Given Saturday


caption = Any Given Saturday with Garrett Gomez aboard,
"just prior to winning the August 5, 2007 Haskell Invitational"
sire = Distorted Humor
grandsire = Forty Niner
dam = Weekend in Indy
damsire = A.P. Indy
sex = Stallion
foaled = 2004
country = United States flagicon|USA
colour = Dark Bay
breeder = Racehorse Management
owner = WinStar Farm and Padua Stables
trainer = Todd A. Pletcher
record = 10: 6-2-1
earnings = $1,083,533
race = Sam F. Davis Stakes (2007)
Dwyer Stakes (2007)
Haskell Invitational Handicap (2007)
Brooklyn Handicap (2007)
awards= World Champion 3-Yr-Old Miler (2007)
honours =
updated= September 23, 2007

Any Given Saturday (foaled January 29, 2004 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. From the mare Weekend in Indy, a daughter of the 1992 U.S. Horse of the Year and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, A.P. Indy, Any Given Saturday was sired by the increasingly important stallion Distorted Humor, who produced 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Funny Cide. Consigned to the September 2005 Keeneland yearling sale, he was sold for $1.1 to WinStar Farm and partnered to Padua Stables who entrusted his race conditioning to the United States' leading horse trainer, Todd Pletcher.

On September 15, 2006, Any Given Saturday won his racing debut at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky. He won again in his second outing in an October allowance race at Keeneland Race Course. Moved up to compete in a Grade II event, at the end of November he finished second in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.

Racing as a three-year-old, Any Given Saturday won his first outing in the February 2007 Sam F. Davis Stakes followed by a strong second to Street Sense in the Tampa Bay Derby. Sent north to New York's Aqueduct Racetrack, he ran third behind winner Nobiz Like Shobiz in the Wood Memorial Stakes before finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, some 10½ lengths behind winner, Street Sense.

According to his trainer, Any Given Saturday came out of the Kentucky Derby with a "pretty bad foot bruise." Given two months to recuperate, by the time the colt returned to the track on July 4, he was all but forgotten as a contender in his three-year-old age group. However, he scored a very impressive four-length win in the Independence Day Dwyer Stakes then on August 5th at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey he defeated highly regarded Hard Spun and Preakness Stakes winner Curlin by 4½ lengths in the million dollar Grade I Haskell Invitational Handicap.

On August 15, 2007 it was announced that Any Given Saturday had been purchased privately by Sheikh Mohammed's Darley operations. The horse will continue to race for its current owners until after this year's Breeders' Cup Classic. A spokesman for Darley stated that no decision has been made as to whether Any Given Saturday will compete next year at age four.

On September 22, 2007, Any Given Saturday won the Brooklyn Handicap by 2 1/2 lengths as the favorite over Tasteyville and Helsinki, topping $1 million in career earnings. In late October at Monmouth Park Racetrack, he finished sixth on a sloppy track in the Breeder's Cup Classic.

Retirement

Sheikh Mohammed's Darley Stud at Jonabell, near Lexington, Kentucky, announced that Any Given Saturday would be retired to stand for $40,000 live foal for the 2008 season.

References

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/any+given+saturday Any Given Saturday's pedigree and partial racing stats]
* [http://www.ntra.com/content.aspx?type=news&id=27007 NTRA details and video on Any Given Saturday's win in the Haskell Invitational Handicap]
* [http://breeding.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=40250 Bloodhorse.com article titled "Any Given Saturday to join Darley team"]

External links

[http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=3100228 ESPN Any Given Saturday Retired to Stud]