The Fabulous Beldame and my girls!!

August Belmont bred Beldame at his farm near Lexington, Kentucky. He leased her to a friend of his, Newton Bennington, because he was very busy building Belmont Park and the New York City Subway system. Also, he was irritated with Beldame's trainer who refused to take Belmont's worries about a skin condition she suffered seriously. I can relate! Poor Belmont worried that she had shingles and the trainer couldn't care less! Anyway, under Bennington at age 3, she was magnificent (as reported in the Blood Horse Top 100 Race Horses of the 20th Century publication). In 14 starts, she only lost twice to much older boys, and she was winning at short and long distances. She was a macho machine!!! But she did love a little snack or two -- every day she liked to nosh on corn cobs!! In 1904, she spanked very famous boys in the Saratoga Cup, and in that year, she even beat Broomstick in another race. She was all about the business of beating the boys! And she was only the third filly to win over $100,000. She was so white hot in her third year that she was severely weighted and handicapped in her fourth year. Belmont and Bennington thought that was not fair to their super girl, so they let her retire early in triumphant style! She was the Eclipse Horse of the Year winner in 1904, voted #98 of the top 100 race horses of the 20th century, and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1956 . She also has the Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park as an honor!! My girls are related to her through Bend Or, Touchstone, Pocahontas, Macaroni, and Stockwell. You can read more about this high-powered, trouble-making, boy-spanking girl at the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beldame
or
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=27
or
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/beldame.html

Twilight Tear and My Girls!

My girls are closely related to a very famous racing filly, Twilight Tear. In fact, Violet is very closely related to her. Twilight Tear "Suzie" was born in 1941 and she was the daughter of Bull Lea and Lady Lark, Blue Larkspur's daughter. Suzie was Calumet Farm's first champion sired by Bull Lea and was 1 of 3 champions in his very first foal crop -- Durazna and Armed. It's important to note that Bull Lea was a leading American Sire 5 times, producing 58 stakes winners, 4 Horses of the Year, and 3 Kentucky Derby winners! His daughter Suzie was one of those Horses of the Year! Her trainer, Ben A. Jones, who had already trained Whirlaway, said of her that she was the best he had ever trained, though later he would train her daddy's Triple Crown son, Citation!. So, no faint praise for her! She beat Violet's Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner relative, Pensive. She even beat boys with a 2 length victory in the Arlington Classic! That was her 11th straight victory in her third year! She closed out that year when "she met two-time handicap champion Devil Diver in the Pimlico Special. The older colt was beaten in the first quarter, and Twilight Tear went on to win by 6 lengths, tying the track record set by Seabiscuit in his 1938 victory over War Admiral" (cited from the Unofficial thoroughbred hall of fame website). So, at the close of her third year, she claimed the Eclipse Horse of the Year award, the first filly to do that since 40 years earlier by Beldame. She also had taken the 2 year-old filly of the year, 3 year-old filly of the year, and Champion Handicap Mare! Her final track record was 24: 18-2-2, $202,165. She retired in her fourth year because of bleeding. She was inducted into the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in the year of my birth, 1963! And she was voted 59th out of the Top 100 race horses of the 20th century. And in a 1955 trainers' association poll, she was voted the second greatest filly in American racing history, behind the fabulous Gallorette. She is related to both my girls, but is closely, closely related to Violet. Among many, they share Ormonde, St. Simon, Bull Lea, Blue Larkspur, Durazna. You can read more about this super amazing filly at the following links:

http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/twilighttear.html

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Tear

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=156