American Hall of Fame horse trainer (born 1941)
| Carl Nafzger |
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| Occupation | Horse trainer |
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| Born | (1941-08-29) August 29, 1941 (age 83)
Plainview, Texas,
United States |
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| Career wins | 1,128+ (ongoing) |
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Breeders' Futurity (1980, 1986)
Arlington Classic (1981)
Arlington Oaks
(1983, 1989, 1991, 1995)
Washington Park Handicap (1985)
Alcibiades Stakes (1986, 2002)
Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (1989)
Florida Derby (1990)
Lexington Stakes (1990, 2000)
Secretariat Stakes (1990)
Super Derby (1990)
Memorial Day Handicap (1995)
Alabama Stakes (1998, 2007)
Bonnie Miss Stakes (1998)
Coaching Club American Oaks (1998)
Spinster Stakes (1998)
Apple Blossom Handicap (1999)
Go For Wand Handicap (1999)
Travers Stakes (2000, 2007)
Commonwealth Breeders' Cup Stakes (2001)
Stonerside Beaumont Stakes (2003)
Tampa Bay Derby (2007)
Jim Dandy Stakes (2007)
U.S. Triple Crown series:
Kentucky Derby (1990, 2007)
Breeders' Cup wins:
Breeders' Cup Classic (1990)
Breeders' Cup Juvenile (2006) |
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Big Sport of Turfdom Award (1990, 2007)
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer (1990) |
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Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame (2007)
Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame (2008)
United States Racing Hall of Fame (2008) |
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Unbridled, Banshee Breeze, Street Sense, Fairway Phantom, Home At Last,
Super Abound, Unshaded, Vicar, Star Choice, Mayo on the Side |
Carl A. Nafzger (born August 29, 1941) is an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. Before he was involved in horse racing, he was a champion rodeo bull rider.
Nafzger trained Unbridled, who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. In 1990, he was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer and the Big Sport of Turfdom Award. In 1994 he wrote a book entitled Traits of a Winner, on the training of Thoroughbred horses, that was published by R. Meerdink Co. (ISBN 978-0929346328).
In 1998, Nafzger trained Banshee Breeze, who won that year's Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Filly. In 2006, he was back in the national spotlight as the trainer of the colt Street Sense, who won the 2006 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and went on to win the 2007 Kentucky Derby. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Nafzger moved into semi-retirement, training only for two clients: James B. Tafel, owner of Street Sense, and Bentley Smith. Smith's first wife (who died in 1999) was the daughter of Unbridled's owner, Frances A. Genter, and ran the Genter stable before its dissolution.
Nafzger was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2008.[1]