Peace Rules

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Peace Rules


caption =
sire = Jules
grandsire = Forty Niner
dam = Hold To Fashion
damsire = Hold Your Peace
sex = Stallion
foaled = 2000
country = United States flagicon|USA
colour = Chestnut
breeder = Newchance Farm
owner = Edmund A. Gann
trainer = Bobby Frankel
record = 19 Starts: 9 – 2 – 2
earnings= $3,084,278
race = Generous Stakes (2002)
Hill Rise Stakes (2002)
Blue Grass Stakes (2003)
Louisiana Derby (2003)
Haskell Invitational Handicap (2003)
New Orleans Handicap (2004)
Oaklawn Handicap (2004)
Suburban Handicap (2004)
awards= Florida-bred Horse of the Year (2003)
honours =
updated= January 13, 2008

Peace Rules (born and bred at Newchance Farm on April 26, 2000), is a multiple Grade I winning American Thoroughbred race horse. By Jules (a "black type" winner and classic sire in Brazil, Jules died of colic in 2003), Peace Rules grandsire was Forty Niner, a son of the great sire producing stallion, Mr. Prospector, a Leading sire in North America. His dam, Hold To Fashion, has dropped five foals, all winners. Peace Rules is by far the best.

Born into topnotch competition

Initially trained as a juvenile by Gary Contessa, he broke his maiden in a four length romp on the turf. He was then sold to Edmund A. Gann and tranferred to the Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, Peace Rules had won five times in nine starts before he met Funny Cide in the 2003 Kentucky Derby. Overshadowed in Frankel’s barn by Empire Maker, Frankel’s pick to win that year’s Derby, Peace Rules had won the Grade II Louisiana Derby, beating Funny Cide (second after a late rally), before Empire Maker had won a single stakes race. He then won the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes gate to wire, beating Offlee Wild.

The 2003 Classics

Peace Rules was often ridden by jockey Edgar Prado who won the 2006 Kentucky Derby on the ill-fated Barbaro. In 2003, Prado believed he might be sitting on the winner of at least one of the classics.

Coming into the Derby, Empire Maker was still the “chalk” (horse racing term for favorite, taken from the days of a bookmakers chalking the odds on blackboards). Both of Frankel's Derby entries were beaten by the longshot Funny Cide, but Peace Rules had led for a mile and still held tough to take third. In the Preakness Stakes Empire Maker was no longer in the running for the Triple Crown, therefore skipped it, a tactical miss to be fresh for the Belmont Stakes against the winner of previous Triple Crown events. Peace Rules was second choice to win the Preakness and battled with Scrimshaw for the lead, running the first quarter mile in a brisk 23.37 over a track rated "good" but which was actually mud. Funny Cide took a three wide trip most of the way, stalking the pace down the backstretch and settling behind Peace Rules into the far turn. Peace Rules weakened late from his earlier pacesetting effort and finished fourth.

But then he came back with strength. He took the Grade I Haskell Invitational Handicap beating both Sky Mesa and Funny Cide, and placed in Grade I Travers Stakes behind Ten Most Wanted.

In 2004, at four years of age, he won the Grade II New Orleans Handicap beating both Saint Liam and Funny Cide, the Grade II Oaklawn Handicap again beating Saint Liam, and took the the Grade I Suburban Handicap by a neck in the thrilling three horse duel of Funny Cide and Newfoundland.

In 2004, he made the cut in the 2004 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings.

Peace Rules at stud

Peace Rules retired in 2004 and now stands at stud at Vinery Stables in Summerfield, Florida. His first winner was Tirfecta King, a filly who took Hollywood Park Racetrack's Cinderella Stakes in 2008.

References

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/peace+rules Peace Rules’s pedigree, stats, and photo]
* [http://www.vinery.com/stallion_ped.asp?id=25 Peace Rules at Vinery]
* [http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/stallion-directory/stallion.aspx?stallion_no=5568229 Stallion Directory – Peace Rules]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvIO_Wrnob0 YouTube Peace Rule's Suburban]