Trinniberg, 2012 U.S. Champion Sprinter, Dies in Uruguay

Winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), the son of Teuflesberg was 16 and stood at Haras San Miguel Queguay

Trinniberg Had the Look of a True Champion / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

PAYSANDU, Uruguay (Special for Turf Diario).- In 2012, under the California sun at Santa Anita Park, a colt named Trinniberg etched his name into the annals of racing history with a stunning upset in the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint. That performance, which would earn him the title of Champion Sprinter in the U.S. later that year, marked the pinnacle of a career built on raw speed and unlikely roots. Years later, the son of Teuflesberg would find a second chapter in South America. After standing initially at Haras La Concordia and more recently at Haras San Miguel Queguay, Trinniberg passed away yesterday, as confirmed by several sources in Uruguay and first reported by the site Invasor.

Bred in Florida by J M Stables Inc., owned by Sherry Racing Inc., and trained by Bisnath Parboo, Trinniberg stood out as a rarity on the American racing scene. He was campaigned by humble connections and came from modest beginnings, a contrast to the blistering speed he displayed on the track. He broke his maiden on debut at the now-defunct Calder Race Course and gained attention at two when runner-up in both the GI Hopeful S. and GII Nashua S.. His first stakes win came in the GIII Swale S. at three.

The year 2012 proved to be his breakout season. In addition to the Swale, Trinniberg captured the GIII Bay Shore S.and the GII Woody Stephens S., but it was his Breeders’ Cup triumph, following a layoff of over four months, that defined his legacy. Facing a deep field that included The Lumber Guy (Grand Slam), Justin Phillip (First Samurai), Poseidon's Warrior (Speightstown), and Coil (Point Given), he delivered a front-running masterpiece under Willie Martínez, stopping the clock in 1:07.98 for six furlongs. That win secured him the Eclipse Award as the nation's top sprinter.

Trinniberg would never win again after the Breeders’ Cup and was retired at the end of his 4-year-old season after an unsuccessful title defense. He began his stud career at Rockridge Stud in New York, but struggled to attract mares and had limited impact, with a handful of minor winners including Singanothersong, a known name on the Florida circuit.

In 2015, Trinniberg shuttled to Haras Ponta Porá in Brazil, and by 2017, he was in Uruguay. Two years later, he was permanently relocated to Haras La Concordia, where he was welcomed with high hopes thanks to his elite speed and racing credentials.

He was named Uruguay’s Leading Sire of 2021, with standout progeny including champion juvenile filly Nopaya Naa, G2 winner Tres Botas, and stakes winners such as Nina Ricci, Mitterrand, Nouvel, New Orleans, Bella Ciao, Adagio do Rei, Arariboia Berg, La Sobrina, Maravilloso, Negra Modelo, Fast Jet, and Grandinata, the top 3-year-old filly in Maroñas this season and leading contender for the upcoming G3 Polla de Potrancas.

Though his stud career flew under the radar internationally, Trinniberg’s presence in South America as a Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner didn’t go unnoticed by sharp breeders and turf historians. His passing brings a sense of nostalgia for those who remember the powerful bay who defied the odds and touched greatness one unforgettable day at Santa Anita.

With Trinniberg’s death, the book closes on a remarkable story—of a horse who rose from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of global sprinting. From the dirt tracks of California to the rolling pastures of Uruguay, his legacy now rests. History will remember him for what he truly was: a champion.