Pyro (horse)

At age two Pyro won an allowance race by a nose and notably ran second to War Pass in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York and in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey.

At age three, he made a very impressive debut in the Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. In a ten-horse race marked by a very slow pace, Pyro was last at the top of the stretch but moved between three horses and, as the track announcer said, he was "coming like a rocket" when he passed the rest of the field and won the 1 1/16 miles Risen Star Stakes by two lengths. The Daily Racing Form said: "His rally to win the Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds in February was so phenomenal that he evoked comparisons to the legendary Silky Sullivan."

On March 8, Pyro won the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds.

On April 12, Pyro finished a distant 10th, beaten by 39 lengths in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Pyro might have disliked the Polytrack at Keeneland, as opposed to conventional dirt tracks where he had never finished a race worse than third.

On May 3, he finished 8th in the 2008 Kentucky Derby.

On June 14, Pyro regained his form in the Northern Dancer Stakes, winning decisively against a top-notch field. In order: My Pal Charlie, Visionaire (12th in the Kentucky Derby), Recapturetheglory (5th in the Derby), Texas Wildcatter, and Unbridled Vicar.

On July 27, he came in a late charge to take second to Macho Again, (runner up in the Preakness Stakes), in the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Pyro placed second by 1/2 length.

On August 23, he made a late closing finish to finish behind Colonel John and Mambo in Seattle in the Travers Stakes.

Then he was prepped for the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita to run in the Dirt Mile. It was well known that the synthetic track at Santa Anita was far from being the poly-track at Keenland. Nevertheless, it was obviously not his day and he raced way behind the leaders and never made a late move.

In his first race in 2009 after a long lay-off, he took the Grade 1, 7 furlong Forego Stakes against grade 1 winning sprint horse Kodiak Kowboy.

Pyro was retired to stud in 2010 and currently stands at the Darley Japan Stallion Complex for a fee of 2,000,000 yen.[1]

• Pyro's pedigree and partial racing stats
• NTRA article and video of Pyro's win in the 2007 Risen Star Stakes
• Pyro's Fan Page at HorseHats