Fusaichi Pegasus was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2000 Kentucky Derby and later becoming one of the most expensive racehorses ever sold, reportedly valued at around 70 million dollars as a stallion prospect. He retired to stud, sired multiple top-level winners around the world, and lived until 2023, when he died at the age of 26.

Who Fusaichi Pegasus Was

  • Fusaichi Pegasus was foaled in 1997 and was a bay colt bred in Kentucky, United States.
  • His sire was Mr. Prospector and his dam was Angel Fever, giving him a blue-blooded pedigree that strongly contributed to his hype and value.

Name, Owner, And Meaning

  • He was purchased as a yearling by Japanese businessman Fusao Sekiguchi for about 4 million dollars at the Keeneland July Yearling Sale, a huge sum at the time.
  • The name “Fusaichi” combines “Fusao” and the Japanese word “ichi” (meaning “number one” or “the best”), while “Pegasus” refers to the winged horse of Greek myth, signaling lofty expectations from the start.

Racing Career Highlights

  • Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale, Fusaichi Pegasus quickly became one of the most talked‑about horses of his generation.
  • In 2000 he won key prep races like the San Felipe Stakes and the Wood Memorial Stakes, then captured the Kentucky Derby in 2:01.12, one of the faster times in the race’s history at that point.

Record Sale And Stud Career

  • After the Derby, he was sold to Coolmore (Ashford Stud) in a headline‑making stallion deal widely reported at around 70 million dollars, often cited as a record price for a racehorse.
  • As a stallion he sired Grade/Group 1 winners such as Haradasun, Roman Ruler, Bandini and Champ Pegasus, and also became a successful broodmare sire with top performers in regions like South America.

Later Life, Death, And Legacy

  • Fusaichi Pegasus stood at stud in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and was pensioned from breeding duties in 2020, living in retirement at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.
  • He was euthanized in 2023 due to the infirmities of old age, and is remembered as a horse whose combination of talent, price tag, and cultural aura made him an iconic figure in modern Thoroughbred racing history.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.