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Breeders' Cup Bios
Search the Breeders' Cup biography database for complete bio listings of participants and horses that are on the road to the Cup. Biographical information is updated regularly, statistical information is updated daily.



Hal J. and Patti Earnhardt III
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2009 Record: (53-14-8-6)
2009 Earnings: $865,335
2009 Win %: 26% In-The-Money %: 52%

  • Born: Hal, March 20, 1956, Mesa, Ariz.; Patti, July 2, 1957, Columbus, Ohio
  • Residence: Queen Creek, Ariz.
  • Family: children Dodge, Derby, Daisy and Dream; two grandchildren
  • Education: Hal attended Central Arizona College on a rodeo scholarship
  • Professional Background: Hal Earnhardt is president of Earnhardt Auto Centers, which operates 10 dealerships in the Phoenix area and one in El Paso, plus two RV centers. Earnhardt Automotive's brands include BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Jeep, Nissan, Dodge, Hyundai, Toyota and Mazda. Started by his father and grandfather in 1951, the company has nearly $1 billion in annual sales and has close to 2,000 employees ... When not at his auto dealerships, Hal enjoys team roping and riding at his three Arizona cattle ranches and playing golf. His "No Bull" silks are a reference to his motto, used in commercials for his dealerships where he would appear with a bull. ... He donates time and money to a child crisis center and to numerous other charities in the Phoenix area
  • Racing Background: Hal, who has been racing horses for more than 20 years, was introduced to the track through his grandfather, who also owned racehorses ... Hal grew up rodeoing, and still works cattle and ropes
  • Breeding/Racing Operation: Loves “the thrill, the excitement, and the beauty of the racehorse.” ... Usually has about 10 horses in training with Bob Baffert in Southern California ... Has the longest tenure of any Baffert client, dating back to Baffert’s Quarter Horse days at Los Alamitos ... Raced multiple stakes winner Soviet Sojourn, who finished 11th in the 1991 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies ... She became the dam of Indian Charlie, who Earnhardt bred and later raced in partnership with John R. Gaines Racing. He won the 1998 Santa Anita Derby and finished third as the favorite in that year’s Kentucky Derby behind stablemate Real Quiet. ... Also campaigned 2000 Cigar Mile winner El Corredor, 12th in the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Sprint ... The couple boards six broodmares at Hill ‘n’ Dale in Kentucky and their stallion interests include El Corredor, Indian Charlie and In Excessive Bull ... The Earnhardts race most of what they breed and also buy horses privately and at sales ... The couple also campaigns a few Quarter Horses, and in 2004, their runner Have A Coronary qualified for the $1.9 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs, that sport's most prestigious race, and finished seventh ... Hal is one of only two owners (Clarence Scharbauer Jr. is the other) to have a starter in both the Kentucky Derby and All American Futurity ... Behaving Badly, purchased for $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sale in 2003, was a multiple graded stakes winner and was being prepared for the 2006 Breeders' Cup, but a poor performance in her final prep moved Baffert to retire her ... "I’ve had a few good fillies, but she’s the best one I’ve had; she’s in a class by herself," Hal said about Behaving Badly at that time. "She’s brought a lot of thrills to me and my family." ... Eclipsing that excitement for the family is two-time champion Indian Blessing, a daughter of Indian Charlie. She won the 2007 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies en route to being named champion juvenile filly and was named champion female sprinter after finishing second to Venture in the 2008 Filly & Mare Sprint ... She won the ’08 title on virtue of her six victories including the G1 Test and Prioress Stakes, G2 Gallant Bloom Stakes against older fillies and G3 Silverbulletday Stakes ... She has continued her fine form in 2009, finishing second in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen against males and the G1 Prioress before repeating her victory in the Gallant Bloom to push her career earnings over the $2 million mark.

NOTE: Bio stats include North American and selected international races. Click here to view selected international race list. Biographies on jockeys, trainers and owners are from the Breeders' Cup World Championships events from 2001 through 2009, and are intended as informational resources. Biographies will be updated if an individual is again a participant in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Biographies are available for most horses appearing in the top 100 money earnings list, and/or for those who are frequently making headlines in the news starting with the 2006 Triple Crown season.