Buckpasser and My Girls!

Buckpasser was a Claiborne Farms foal born in the year of my birth, 1963. He was by Tom Fool and Busanda by War Admiral. Please read the first link below to read just how deep and rich and impeccable his pedigree was. He was astonishing in his family tree! Among his cool family members was Equipoise, or "The Chocolate Soldier," a horse that both Hailee and Violet share in their heritage.

And astonishingly good-looking. The famous painter, Richard Stone Reeves, according to the Unofficial Thoroughbred Hall of Fame, said that "Buckpasser was the most perfectly proportioned thoroughbred I have ever seen." He only gave two other horses the designation of being in a "class with Buckpasser" -- Secretariat and Affirmed. Reeves said, "I would deny anyone to find a fault with Buckpasser."

He was a good boy who had perfect manners and was gentle. And he was lazy in the lead, but always managed to eke out a win in a relaxed powerful fashion. His final record was 31: 25(21), 4(3), 1(1) with $1,462,014. Among his wins, he took the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Brooklyn Handicap, Arlington Classic, Travers Stakes, and Metropolitan Handicap. His dad, Ogden Phipps, retired him a bit early because he had quarter crack problems. He then became an outstanding broodmare stud. He produced 142 stakeswinners, including 11 champions before passing in 1978.

Among his awards, he earned the following Eclipse Awards, the 1965 Champion 2 year-old colt, 1966 Champion 3 year-old colt and Horse of the Year, and the 1967 Champion Handicap Male. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1970. And was voted #14 of the Top 100 thoroughbred race horses of the 20th century.

My girls are related to him through many connections, but some immediate ones are Menow, Bull Dog, Equipoise, War Admiral, Blue Larkspur, and La Troienne.

Get this! Last summer, when Barbie and Montgomery and I went to Claiborne Farms, we went into the main office which was panelled in wood and dark green and brass, etc. And this is the place where I leaned over to take a look at a beautiful leather halter hanging on the wall and saw that the brass tag said Buckpasser. Can you believe? I saw one of this champion's halters in real life. What a wonderful boy. I hope he's lazing about, running sweetly, and goofing off in heaven!
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/buckpasser.html
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckpasser
or
http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/buckpasser.htm
or
http://www.brauliobaeza.com/hoy_buckpasser.html
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqRgpmplwvs
or
http://www.stallions.com.au/historical/buckpasser.asp

Iron Liege and Venetian Way!

This blog entry is about a couple of horses and a great jockey. The 1957 Kentucky Derby winner was Iron Liege ridden by Bill Hartack, shown below on the track. He was in a big showdown in the Derby against Gallant Man, but Willie Shoemaker just took a few seconds standing up, thinking he had won too early, and Iron Liege won by a nose. GM's owner was so upset until Shoemaker said, "I'm sorry, John, I made a mistake."

The 1960 Kentucky Derby winner was Venetian Way, also ridden by Bill Hartack. The track that day was referred to as "used chewing tobacco" because it was damp (according to Red Smith). VW was the third favorite, behind Bally Ache who had beaten him 3 out of 4 encounters. But VW won with the fastest win ever recorded on an off track. VW is shown with his roses in the winner's circle.

And then there is Bill Hartack who was the youngest person ever to be elected to the Hall of Fame at the age of 26. He was a fightin', competitive, tough jockey. On November 27th, this year, newspapers noted that this great champion passed away at the age of 74. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and he was found dead of heart disease at a hunting cabin while on vacation. He was the child of a coal miner in Pennsylvania whose mother died when he was 8. He didn't want to become a coal miner, so he began a very young, very early career as an exercise rider and bush track rider. But he was quickly snapped up by Chick Lang, his manager, who saw how hot he was as a property.

He won 5 Kentucky Derbies, 3 Preaknesses, and 1 Belmont Stakes, among his many, many, many achievements. His Derby winners were Iron Liege (1957), Venetian Way (1960), Decidedly (1962), Northern Dancer (1964), and Majestic Prince (1969). Can you imagine? Only one other jockey has won the Derby 5 times!! Mr. Hartack never married.

Anyway, my girls are related to Iron Liege and Venetian Way multiple ways. They are related to IL through Bull Lea, War Admiral, and Sir Gallahad, most directly. And they are related to Venetian Way through Eight Thirty, Bull Dog, Black Toney, Sickle, and The Tetrarch.

Giacomo -- 2005 Kentucky Derby winner!

Giacomo won the 2005 Kentucky Derby as a 50-1 longshot, breaking from behind a wall of horses in the stretch to make a barnburning firelit 70-yard dash into history! His final record before he retired to Adena Springs Stud was 16: 3-2-5.

But his real longshot was surviving at all. He was born in 2002, a year when Kentucky suffered a huge epidemic of mare reproductive loss disorder. At his farm, 25% of the foals were aborted or were stillborn. All told, Kentucky lost 2,500 horse fetuses. But Alice Chandler, his mom, knew he was a tough guy!

Now, I got this from Two Minutes to Glory: The Official History of the Kentucky Derby. Donnie Snellings, the stallion and yearling manager at Giacomo's farm knew he was a tough one. He said, "He was a tiny little thing. But every time I tried to go get him, he'd take off all the way to the other fence. He was loose for three days. I saw a lot of the backside of Giacomo. I knew early he could run long."

His sire and dam are Holy Bull and Set Them Free. And he even has Ta Wee "Beautiful Girl" in his background. My girls are related to him through Better Self, Turn-To, Nasrullah, Questionnaire, Bull Dog, Pharos, Whisk Broom, Teddy, and Intentionally.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PDeItSF72Gs

chateaugay -- 1963 Derby winner

While my mom was carrying me, Chateaugay was busy becoming a world champion. He was by Swaps and Banquet Bell and his ultimate race record was 24: 11-4-2. He was voted Champion 3 year-old colt in 1963. He was ridden by Braulio Baeza to a Derby victory over Candy Spots and Never Bend. He placed in the Preakness right behind Candy Spots and then beat CS in the Belmont to win two of the three jewels -- one of the many "almosts" in history!

But you can't beat a nice solid Kentucky Derby win!!! He served as a stud in the United States from 1965-1971, and then in Japan from 1972-1985, passing away in his last stud year in 1986.

My girls are related to Chateaugay most immediately through Hyperion, Bull Dog, and War Admiral!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateaugay_(horse)

Kentucky 2007: Sir Gallahad's Grave

Here is a photograph of the beautiful Sir Gallahad's grave. His record in France was 23: 10-3-3 and in England 1: 1-0-0. He was a "big, robust colt of regal mien" and when A.B. Hancock, Sr. saw him in a photograph, he knew he had to bring him to America. Here's what a British reporter said of him, "When he gets into action he bids us look at him a second and yet a third time for he strides along in effortless style."


He was brought to the United States as part of the first stallion syndication ever, as Hancock and his friends, Wililam Woodward, R.A. Fairbairn and Marshall Field pulled together the $125,000 necessary. It was worth it! He was brought over in 1926 and in his first foal crop, he produced the 1930 Triple Crown winner, Gallant Fox. He was at the top of the leading sires list 4 times, and the lead broodmare sire 12 times, 10 times consecutively! He produced 567 foals in his lifetime. He was so successful as a sire that it inspired Hancock to go back to Europe and bring back Blenheim for syndication. And bingo, zappo, yazza! Blenheim produced the 1937 Triple Crown winner, Whirlaway, in his first crop. Yowza!

Here's the sweet thing. He was so sweet, affectionate, and goofy about flirting with his tongue. So gentle, that Hancock, Sr. once said, "Gallahad has given me more pleasure than any horse I ever was connected with." How nice is that!?


Anyway, his mama, through Teddy, is the superstar Plucky Liege. This filly produced 12 foals (5 fillies, 7 colts) and among her colts she produced 6 stakes winners, 3 of which were classic winners, and 4 who became leading sires. Violet has 3 of these great colts in her pedigree -- Sir Gallahad himself, Bull Dog, and Admiral Drake -- all hugely significant sires in the U.S. and Europe!


My cites for this blog entry are Hewitt's Sire Lines and Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments. Thanks to those sources!

Kentucky 2007: Claiborne's Monarchos

Here is Monarchos standing outside his stallion barn at Claiborne Farm. He was beautiful and sweet -- he preened like a stallion, but also was gentle. The stallion manager let us pet him. And so he is officially the first Kentucky Derby winner I ever petted! I was thrilled.

He was born in 1998 and his record is 10: 4-1-3 and $1,720,830. He won both the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby, placed in the Wood Memorial, and showed in the Belmont Stakes. His time in the Kentucky Derby was the second fastest in history, behind Secretariat's. He was in 10th place in a pack of 17, but managed to pick off each horse and finally put Congaree behind him at a searing pace! Of his preparatory win in the Florida Derby before the run for the roses, his jockey, Jorge Chavez said, "When I asked him, he just exploded. That was a great feeling, like I was the king."


So far, he has had 5 crops and 261 foals. Three of his crops are of racing age, with 192 foals of racing age.

His mom, Regal Band, died this year at the age of 20 at Rood and Riddle Hospital on April 9. She was suffering from a liver disorder. She was carrying an Empire Maker foal. My girls are related to his family in many ways, including Nearctic, Bimelech, Eight Thirty, War Admiral, Busanda, Bull Dog, Menow, Blue Larkspur, Turn-To, Nasrullah, Gainsborough, Case Ace, Bull Lea, Sir Gallahad, Case Ace, and Discovery.

You can read more about this sexy sweet kind stallion at the following links:
http://www.claibornefarm.com/stallions/monarchos.shtml
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchos
or
http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2005/derby_history/derby_charts/years/2001.html
or
http://www.bloodhorse.com/stallionregister/sr_sire_page.asprefno=4475639&origin=BHonline or
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/horseracing/preakness/bal-sp.derby06may06,1,3965877.story?coll=bal-sports-preakness&ctrack=1&cset=true
or
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/1315147.stm
or
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2007/April/09/Dam-ofMonarchos-dies-at-age-20.aspx
or
http://horseracing.about.com/library/weekly/aa050501a.htm

Ta Wee and My Girls!!

Ta Wee was born in 1966 and became the Champion Sprinter of 1969 and 1970! Like Violet, she was born in Florida. And her sweet name, Ta Wee means "Beautiful Girl" in Sioux.

Her career record was 21: 15, 2, 1. And this accomplishment is staggering, given that she was expected to carry weights that never before had been assigned to a filly! When she was 3 years old, she won the Fall Highweight Handicap, carrying an unprecedented 130 pounds -- a first for a filly. Then the next year, she won the same race -- this time carrying 140 pounds!! She won the Interboro Handicap carrying 142 pounds!! And that was 29 pounds MORE than the second place horse, Hasty Hitter. She beat the boys, she beat the girls, and she was relentlessly expected to carry heavy weights! Lucky for her, it was in her genes. She and her half-brother, Dr. Fager, could carry giant huge weights and still sail ahead of everyone! For her efforts, she was voted #80 of the Top 100 Race Horses of the 20th century, and inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1994.

She was a hard-working girl, and when she retired from racing, she had 6 children. Five of those children were track winners, and 4 were stakes winners. She even had a foal by Secretariat who was named Tweak!. She passed relatively young in 1980.

Of course, this champion, weight-carrying, formidable girl is related to both my sweet ponies! Some of their shared relatives include Bubbling Over, Discovery, Percentage, Better Self, Bimelech, and Bull Dog!

You can see video of her winning the 1970 Interboro Handicap while carrying 142 pounds at the following links!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWafPy3XBeM
or
http://www.championsgallery.com/ta_wee.htm
or
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=149

Flying Fox and my girls!

My girls are related to Flying Fox, born in 1896. His race record was 11:9-2-0 for $203.200. He won the English Triple Crown, but only raced 2 seasons because he was sort of mean. He was sold and retired in France where he had a great stud career, but died young at the age of 15! He is related to my girls several ways. But here's a cool line for Violet: Flying Fox, Ajax, Teddy, Bull Dog! And here's a cool line for Hailee: Flying Fox, Ajax, Teddy, and Sir Gallahad!. You can read more about this Triple Crown winner at the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Fox_(horse)

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Orme.htm

Plucky Liege and My Girls!

My girls are related to Plucky Liege, one of the most important broodmares of the 20th century and a true Blue Hen!! She is the mother of Bull Dog and Sir Gallahad, leading sires in the United States, and Bois Roussel and Admiral Drake, sires of classic winners in Ireland, England, and France. She is the daughter of Spearmint who won the Epsom Derby and Grand Prix de Paris. She was named after Liege, France, a city whose townsfolk put up a big defense in World War I. She had 12 foals, 11 were winners, 6 won stakes, and 2 were classics winners. She was the oldest 20th century mare to produce an Epsom Derby winner, a foal she produced in her 23rd year of life! Nearly every major racer in the world has at least one line of her! Both my girls have Sir Gallahad and Violet has Bull Dog and Admiral Drake on top of that!! In this photo, you see her handsome son, Bull Dog!! You can read more about this important mare at the following link:

http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/PluckyLiege.html

Azeri and My Girls!

In 2002, Azeri earned the Eclipse Horse of the Year Award, the first filly since Lady's Secret. She also earned the Champion older female in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Her trainer, Laura de Seroux, was the first woman to train a Horse of the Year winner. The award ceremony that year included Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, and Chris Cooper, as they were promoting Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit. So, describing Azeri's grace on the track, Laura de Seroux accepted the award, saying "This is Azeri's Oscar." She said that her filly had all 3 elements of a champion -- class, brilliance and consistency. Laura de Seroux said, "Horse of the Year should be there all year. You did not elect her by default, but by the purest criteria." She was a heavy winner of the Eclipse of the Year Award, earning 189 of 228 votes, and all 227 votes for those who voted for Older female. That year, she had won 10 out of 11 starts and earned $2,227,740. For her entire racing career, she started 24: 17-4-0 for total earnings of $4,079,820. She's owned by the son of her breeder. Her breeder passed before ever seeing her run, so she is especially beloved by the son now. She retired and is boarded at Hill 'N Dale Farms where she was barren to Storm Cat in 2006, but delivered her first colt foal to A.P. Indy on February 14, 2007 -- Valentine's Day!!!! She's to be bred to Storm Cat again this year! Of course, my proud girls are related to her. They share many relatives including the following: Case Ace, Nasrullah, Teddy, Man o' War, Whisk Broom, Count Fleet, Bull Dog, Blue Larkspur, Bull Lea, War Relic, Hyperion, War Admiral, Traffic Court, and Bubbling Over! You can read more about this important filly at the following links:

http://www.drf.com/eclipse/2002/winners/winners.html

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azeri_(horse)

Violet's cousin, Curlin, wins 2007 Preakness Stakes!

This past Saturday was the Preakness Stakes held at Pimlico. And what an exciting day! Street Sense was strong the entire race, as was Hard Spun, but in the last strides, the very last stride in fact, Curlin won by a whisker of a nose. Curlin has had 5 starts, 4 wins, and a third in his career. His trainer flew him home to Kentucky on Sunday and said of him, "He definitely knows he ran." Curlin was a bit tuckered out after winning. Street Sense's trainer said, "These 3 horses ran their guts out the last 2 races." He doesn't think that Street Sense will go to the Belmont now, but reflected on the loss by saying, "Winning isn't everything in this game. You don't want anybody to get beat, but there's got to be a winner." Violet is related to Curlin multiple ways, including the following: Case Ace, Nasrullah, Count Fleet, Nearctic, Blue Larkspur, Princequillo, Turn-To, Discovery, Whisk Broom, Sir Gallahad, and Bull Dog. On Preakness day, Michael Matz' horse won the Barbaro Stakes, a race which was originally the Sir Barton Stakes, but renamed to honor Barbaro. Michael Matz was Barbaro's trainer, and the Jackson's handed him the award, so it was a bittersweet moment. The day was marred though, immediately after that race, by a horse who broke his ankle, punctured his flesh, and had to be euthanized in The Dixie Stakes. Mending Fences perished that day, much like Barbaro from last year.

Winning Colors and My Girls!!!

Winning Colors was born in 1985, and she was the third filly to win the Kentucky Derby in 1988. In the Derby, she took command early to hold off the champion Forty Niner. Her lifetime earnings were $1,526,837 and she had 19 starts, and 8 wins. Among her wins were the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Oaks. She was called "The Amazon" because she was so big and bold. During her life, she needed surgery for breathing problems, but still came back to racing. She was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2000, the same year as jockey, Julie Krone. She earned third in the Preakness and was voted Champion 3 year-old. She is related to both my girls. Among their shared relatives are Nasrullah, Gainsborough, Man 'O War, Rock Sand, Commando, Voter, Bend Or, Hastings, Pensive, Black Toney, Teddy, and Bull Dog! In these photos, you see her winning the Kentucky Derby and in the winner's circle with her roses (happy girl!). Then you see a photo of her as an older lady who turned grey! You can read more about this amazing mare at the following link:

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=348

Teddy! -- sire of racers and showjumpers!

Violet and Hailee are related to Teddy, an important foundation thoroughbred horse for both racing and showjumping bloodlines. Teddy was a French thoroughbred who was sent to Spain to race because of the disrupted race schedule, during World War II. He raced 8 times and won 6 races. He was champion 3-year-old colt in Spain in 1916. When he came to the states, his two full-brother sons, Sir Gallahad and Bull Dog out of Spearmint were leading sires. He had a daughter, the famous La Troienne who was one of the most significant broodmares in history, with nearly 1,000 stakeswinners among her descendants. Another of his daughters, Case Ace, was the broodmare who produced Raise a Native.

Violet is related to Teddy so many, many ways. Teddy's child Bull Dog appears in her pedigree at least 6 times! La Troienne appears at least 3 times! Sir Gallahad appears at least 2 times! And he also appears through his children Case Ace, Bourbonette, and Asterus. In fact, his kid, Case Ace (mom of Raise a Native) produced Ace Card who was bred to Count Fleet to produce One Count! And his kid, Bourbonette was bred to War Admiral to produce Wee Nip. Wee Nip and One Count were bred together! So, Teddy was instrumental in Violet's famous Count Fleet/War Admiral connection!! In total, that's a total of at least 14 times that Teddy appears for Violet!! She should be a good jumper!!

Hailee has only a touch of Teddy through two crosses with his kid, Sir Gallahad, and one touch of his darling La Troienne!!