Explosive Girl, multiple stakes winner and broodmare, dead at 29

Explosive Girl, who took part in a 1988 match race with Who Doctor Who, died of natural causes at Caines Stallion Station in Wynnewood, Okla., on Oct. 9, said her owner, Ellen Caines. Explosive Girl was 29.

Jim Wells, who raced Explosive Girl, gave the mare to close friend Caines in 2005. Explosive Girl, who won 15 of 40 races including eight stakes and earned $467,592, had been retired from breeding after producing her last foal in 2008. She was living out her days at Caines Stallion Station.

“She just laid down and died,” Caines said. “We found her in the morning out in the pasture. She just laid there like she went to sleep.

“We’re going to miss her. She was a sweetheart. She was the queen in the pasture. When you went out there, everybody knew she was going to eat first. And she deserved that honor.”

Explosive Girl was a daughter of Explodent bred in Kentucky by William Breliant. She was wildly popular on the Nebraska racing scene, and in 1988 took on male rival Who Doctor Who in an Ak-Sar-Ben match race that he won. Explosive Girl would go on to produce 13 foals, and from 12 to race had 10 winners, including Grass Eiko O, by French Deputy, who was Group 1-placed in Japan.

Caines said she sold Explosive Girl’s last foal, an Oklahoma-bred filly by Scottish Halo, at the Fasig-Tipton Texas March 2-year-olds in training auction in 2010. The filly, who has not raced, is named Madam Monaco.

Explosive Girl was trained by Don Von Hemel and his sons, Donnie and Kelly. She was ridden in most all of her races by Don Pettinger.

Explosive Girl was buried at Caines Stallion Station.