Desert Vixen (FL)

An Eclipse Award winner at ages 3 and 4, the front-running Desert Vixen was purchased for $40,000 as a 2-year-old by Harry Mangurian, Jr, from the estate of breeder Muriel Vanderbilt Adams.

Inducted

1979

Foaled

1970

Sire

In Reality

Dam

Desert Trial

Damsire

Moslem Chief

Breeder

Muriel
Vanderbilt Adams

Owner

Harry Mangurian, Jr.

Trainer

Thomas F. Root, Sr.

Career

1972-1975

Earnings

$421,538

Racing Record

28

Starts

Year	Starts	First	Second	Third	Earnings
Year	Sts	1	2	3	$
1972	5	1	1	2	$10561 $10,561
1973	11	9	2	0	$256147 $256,147
1974	11	3	3	1	$154830 $154,830
1975	1	0	0	0	$0 $0

Biography

An Eclipse Award winner at ages 3 and 4, the front-running Desert Vixen was purchased for $40,000 as a 2-year-old by Harry Mangurian, Jr, from the estate of breeder Muriel Vanderbilt Adams.

After achieving only moderate success as a 2-year-old in 1972, Desert Vixen won eight in a row in 1973, including the Monmouth Oaks, Delaware Oaks, Test Stakes, Alabama Stakes, Gazelle Handicap, and Beldame Stakes. In the weight-for-age Beldame, Desert Vixen defeated older Hall of Famer Susan’s Girl by 11½ lengths in track-record time. She posted an overall record of 9-2-0 from 11 starts that year with earnings of $256,147 to win the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly.

Desert Vixen started slowly in her 4-year-old campaign in 1974, but she repeated her victory in the Beldame (by 12 lengths this time) and tied a track record at Atlantic City Race Course in winning the Matchmaker Stakes. She finished her season with a ledger of 3-3-1 from 11 starts and earnings of $154,830 to win the Eclipse Award for Champion Older Female.

After one start as a 5-year-year-old in 1975, Desert Vixen was retired with a career record of 13-6-3 from 28 starts and earnings of $421,538. She died in 1982 at the age of 12 and was buried at Breckinridge Farm near Lexington, Kentucky.