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

Ormonde and My Girls!

My girls are related to Ormonde (1883-1904), the 4th English Triple Crown winner. He raced 16 times in his life and won all 16 times, career earnings of $142,325. He was so successful that many famous artists painted him, including Emil Adam. In the painting below, you see Sidney R. Wombill's rendition of Ormonde beating The Bard at the 1886 Epsom Derby on his way to winning the Triple Crown. He was "roaring" so loud, he could be heard all over the track. He was such a great race horse that the Ormonde Stakes at Chester Race Course are named after him. His owner and breeder was Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster. The Duke must have been very proud because Ormonde won the Triple Crown in the St. Leger Stakes at a larking canter!! He was considered the finest race horse of the 19th century and had a kind temperment just like his dad! His dad was the sweet, handsome Epsom Derby-winning Bend Or and his mom, Lily Agnes, was sired by another Epsom Derby winner, Macaroni. So, over the course of a few generations, you see Birdcatcher, Stockwell, Bend Or, and Ormonde! After his racing career finished, he travelled the world! He went to Argentina to stand at stud for awhile, but then returned by boat to Southampton. His old trainer, John Porter, met his boat to greet and welcome him. He said that he pulled "a few hairs out of his mane and tail which I have preserved as a memento of a great and noble creature." It was the last time they ever saw each other. After a rest, in 1893, he took a steamer to New York, and then rail all the way to San Francisco Bay to stand stud at Menlo Stock Farm in California. He died on May 21, 1904, and was ultimately exhumed, so that his skeleton could be sent to the Museum of Natural History at South Kensington, UK. Here's a sweet story about him -- he would eat anything. But he had a passion for flowers. He loved to nip the boutonnieres right from the pockets of his wealthy gentlemen visitors! You can read more about this gentle, speedy boy at the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormonde_(horse)
or
http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Ormonde.html
or
http://www.horseracinghistory.co.uk/hrho/action/viewDocument?id=844

All Along and My Girls!!!

My girls are related to All Along, a very important filly with a number of major "firsts" to her credit. She was a French filly owned by Daniel Wildenstein, a renowned French art dealer and highly successful horseman. She won numerous prestigious races in France, England, and Japan, and was one of the top fillies of the last part of the 20th century. Her track record was 21: 9-4-2. She won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1983 and was immediately shipped to Canada where she won the Rothman International, and two weeks later won the Turf Classic at Aqueduct in Jamaica, New York, followed shortly after by a win at the Washington D.C. International in Laurel, Maryland. She had four consecutive major wins in three different countries in just 41 days!!!! It's no wonder that she won the 1983 Eclipse Horse of the Year Award in America and the 1983 Horse of the Year Award in France too. That year, she also earned Older Grass Female. In fact, she was the first foreign-based horse to win the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year!! As a 4-year-old, she became a world champion Eclipse Award for Outstanding Female Turf Horse. And she was the first filly since Regret in 1915 to win the Eclipse Horse of the Year! She won the Champion Older Female Runner in France twice. She earned $3,018,420 over her career in racing, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990. AND she was voted #68 top race horse of the twentieth century by Blood Horse magazine. She retired to Three Chimney Farms in Midway, Kentucky and bore 13 children, 11 of whom started, and 4 who were winners!!! She was pensioned in 2003 and then euthanized in 2005 at the ripe age of 26 due to infirmities from old injuries. The late Daniel Wildenstein's son, Alec Wildenstein, said of her passing, "She took us—my father, my brother and myself—on a joy ride like no other, culminating in an achievement we scarcely dared to dream about, which was Horse of the Year in America. Sad as it is to lose her, I am glad she had such a long and healthy life in return for all the happiness she gave us." Of course, my girls are related to this beautiful girl. They share many relatives including these champs: Princequillo, Nasrullah, Bull Lea, Hyperion, Gainsborough, Discovery, Man 'O War, Sweep, Teddy, Bend Or, and Phalaris. You can read more about this great racer and great broodmare and great family member at the following links:

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

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/news/nrm-news-view-story-detail.asp?varID=57

or

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2005-02-25-all-along-dies_x.htm

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=5

Bend Or and My Girls!

My girls are related to Bend Or, 1877-1903, a horse who won the Epsom Derby, Epsom Gold Cup, and St. James' Palace Stakes, during a 14:10-2-0 career. His regular jockey, Fred Archer, winner of 13 consecutive British jockey titles said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden. He was unusually gentle. He was a beautiful golden chestnut, with white flecks on his coat, and black spots on his mane, shoulder, and quarters. He passed those markings onto his children, so they were called Bend Or spotting. He was noted for his courage, class, beauty, and kindness. He was owned his entire life by Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, first Duke of Westminster, the richest man in England in the latter half of the 19th century. His groom, Richard Chapman, said, "He was the sweetest-tempered horse in the world. A child could do anything with him." His attendant, Ben Jenner, said, "Bend Or was as docile as a lamb, but he had the courage of a lion. I was always very fond of him." Another sign that he was a sweetie-pie is that he was very attached to a cat, and always travelled to his races with him. He retired with shin problems, and in his photos at stud, you can see that his fetlocks had taken serious damage too. But he managed to produce some of the most fabulous horses, including Phalaris, Bona Vista, The Tetrarch (who was voted Britain's 2-year-old of the 20th century), and the Australian racing star Phar Lap. He sired the English Triple Crown champion, Ormonde, who won all 16 of his starts and was perhaps the finest race horse of the 19th century. Now, my girls are directly related to Bend Or in multiple ways. Violet carries Phalaris, Bona Vista, The Tetrarch, Fairy Gold, Orion, and Ormonde, in multiple instances. Hailee has Sylvabelle, Bona Vista, and Ormonde!. You can read more about this gentle giant at the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bend_Or
or
http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/BendOr.html
or
http://www.horseracinghistory.co.uk/hrho/action/viewDocument?id=830

A Pony Takes Rolex by Storm!!!

This weekend is Rolex at the Kentucky Horse Park! I am sorry to be missing it, but have to focus on work for now! This year is a special Rolex because for the first time in history a PONY is competing in this major Four Star event!! Theodore O'Connor is being ridden by Karen O'Connor, a U.S. Olympian and spouse to David O'Connor, Olympic Gold Medalist and President of the United States Equestrian Federation. Theodore O'Connor's pet name by Karen is Theadorable. He is only 14' 1 3/4", so he is officially shorter than my sweet Hailee! He was 7th after the dressage test and he is 9th now, after the cross country. I hope he kicks butt tomorrow at the stadium jumping competition. I can hardly believe that he managed the huge, maximum-sized jumps of the cross country. And they say that this year's cross-country is much longer than any previously! Karen says of Teddy, "He doesn't know he's small. He thinks anything is possible!" What a good pony! I believe that Hailee could produce such fabulous kinds of ponies too! Anyway, he is 3/4ths thoroughred and a dash of Arabian and Shetland. And guess what? No surprise. He is heavily related to Violet and Hailee. He has Count Fleet, Reigh Count, Fair Play, Teddy, Discovery, La Troienne, Plucky Liege, Nasrullah, Sir Gallahad, Bend Or, and Questionnaire in his blood lines, to name a few of their relations. He even has Honest Pleasure in his background, an indirect relation to my girls! You can read more about this macho, history-making pony at the following links:

http://www.oconnoreventteam.com/horses_teddy.html
or
http://www.sportponiesunlimited.com/Sportponies_Unlimited_Connor.html
or
http://pets.webshots.com/album/500898533mACuGZ
or
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2007/04/185.shtml

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