Gamely and My Girls!

My girls are related to Gamely, a 1964 Claiborne filly out of Bold Ruler and Gambetta. Gambetta's parents are My Babu and Rough Shod which I think are tremendously cool names. Anyway, this young filly started racing at age 3 and raced for 3 years. Her total record was 41: 16-9-6, and she won the Princess Stakes, Test Stakes, Alabama Stakes, Santa Maria Handicap, Santa Margarita Handicap, Wilshire Handicap, Inglewood Handicap, Beldame Stakes (twice), Santa Monica Handicap, and the Diana Handicap. She even once came in second in the Californian to Dr. Fager.

Not surprisingly, she earned the 1967 Champion 3-year-old filly award, and the 1968 and 1969 Champion Handicap Mare! She was inducted in the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in 1980. She passed away at the age of 11 because of a ruptured stomach, after bearing two foals, both to Round Table.

My girls are related to this Claiborne filly through many relatives, including Nasrullah, Discovery, and Sweep.

Lamb Chop (1963) and My Girls!

My girls are related to Lamb Chop, the 1960 Claiborne Farms filly who earned the 1963 Champion 3-year-old filly award and ended up in the Aiken Race Track Hall of Fame. She had a 23: 12-5-4 record and won the Coaching Club American Oaks, Monmouth Oaks, Spinster Stakes, Firenze Handicap, Gazelle Handicap, Santa Suzanna Stakes, Jersey Belle Stakes, Comely Stakes, and La Centinela Stakes.

Her parents were Bold Ruler and Sheepsfoot by Count Fleet. So, she is very closely related to my horses, especially Violet. Some of their immediate relatives are Nasrullah, Discovery, Count Fleet, Sir Gallahad, and Blue Larkspur.

Unfortunately, Lamb Chop broke her leg in the 1964 Strub Stakes, in a field of 13 horses. She was euthanized and buried in the Santa Anita infield. She was a brave, strong, competitive Claiborne filly!

Kentucky 2007: Reviewer's Grave

Here is the grave of the fabulous Reviewer by Bold Ruler. His final race record was 13: 9-3-1, a very strong career! He suffered three fractures in his right rear cannon bone, and came back twice to race, but was retired after the third fracture.

In his first year at stud, he sired the lovely strong bold Ruffian from the 1963 filly Shenanigans by Native Dancer.

And so now here is the sad tale of this family. Ruffian was an unbeaten filly who always ran ahead of the pack. She just trounced her competition! But she died in 1975, after fracturing her leg in a match against Foolish Pleasure. She thrashed coming out of anesthesia, making her situation worse, so she was euthanized. She is buried by the infield flagpole at Belmont Park. Her mother, Shenanigans, was elected Broodmare of the Year in that very sad year.

Two years later, in 1977, Ruffian's parents passed in similar circumstances. Reviewer injured himself and broke his leg in a pasture accident and then injured himself anew when he thrashed coming out of anesthesia. Shenanigans was euthanized on May 21, 1977 after she thrashed and broke two legs as she awoke from anesthesia for abdominal surgery.

Some say that Ruffian, though speedy, fierce, brave, and determined, was built like glass and genetically coded to thrash and hurt herself. Both Bold Ruler and Reviewer had fractures while racing. But I don't see it that way. Racing is hard work and hard on all thoroughbred bodies. And thoroughbreds are bred with lion hearts, champion hearts, determined fighting hearts. They are prone to thrash when downed. They are prone to fight for their footing. I think it's just a sad story.

Kentucky 2007: Bold Ruler's Grave

Here is Bold Ruler's grave. He was bred and owned by Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps' Wheatley Stable, and Mrs. Phipps loved him dearly and even had a St. Christopher's medal braided into his forelock before his races. He was foaled at Claiborne Farms, the same night as the fabulous Round Table. In fact, Bold Ruler's career took place in the company of the most amazing mega-crop of racers and sires.

He's lucky he even had a race career because he was plagued by accident, injury and illness. When he was a baby, he cut his tongue very badly and almost broke a leg in a water trough. Through his career, he suffered back, leg, rheumatoid injuries, and at the end of his career, it was discovered he'd been running with a large splint fracture for some time, probably in great pain!

But when he did retire, he retired as a champion. He was voted the #19 race horse of the Top 100 of the 20th century by Blood Horse magazine. He was inducted into the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in 1973, the year his kid Secretariat won the Triple Crown. He even has a race named after him, The Bold Ruler Handicap, run each year at Belmont Park. His final record was 33: 23-4-2, and he beat some major horses in his life. At 3, in 1957, he was voted 3-year-old Champion and Horse of the Year! The latter award was pretty impressive given his competition! He beat Iron Leige in the Preakness Stakes, and beat both Gallant Man and Round Table in the Trenton.

He was beat by Iron Leige in the Kentucky Derby, but here's what his rider, Eddie Arcaro had to say about that miss: "He was so full of run that he could have gone right on past Federal Hill, and I should have let him do that, but it wasn't until then that I realized I was fighting him too hard. Then he was empty. I had discouraged and confused him by fighting him when he wanted to run." So, that's why it felt good to let Bold Ruler run like a king in the Preakness and win.

When he retired after his splint bone injury, he became one of the most important studs ever. He led the sire list 8 years, including 7 consecutive years. He has 11 champions among his offspring. He was by Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery. He passed that strength and speed in the 1970s to 7 of the 10 Kentucky Derby winners in his male line. His descendanta include Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid, Foolish Pleasure, and Ruffian. He was the sire of 82 stakeswinners, and broodmare sire of 6 Champions and 121 stakeswinners. In fact, he led the American sire list more times than any other sire of the 20th century, and sired more stakeswinners than any other stallion except for his dad, Nasrullah. He had a 22% stakeswinner percentage. And let's not forget that he is the dad of the horse most think is the very best racer of this century -- Secretariat!

On July 12, 1971, he was euthanized after a strong battle with cancer. Bull Hancock said of him, "You can pick the Bold Rulers out by their conformation. I see the same musculature as Nasrullah. They all had an extra layer of muscle beside their tail running down to their hocks. It is a good sign when you see it on a Bold Ruler. It means strength and speed."

Something sweet about him is that even though he was a big old macho sexy stud colt, he was sweet with his mom. Whenever she came down to lead him to the winner's circle, he would lean his face down for her to hold his lead line and he would walk like a sweet old pony, all proud to be with his mom. I think that's nice.

I got help for this Blog entry from the 1999 Thoroughbred Champions book by Blood Horse and from the Unofficial Thoroughbred Hall of Fame website. You can read more about Bold Ruler and see photos, and even see film footage of his amazing Preakness Stakes win at the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bold_Ruler
or
http://www.diamondjfarms.com/boldruler1.html
or
http://www.aro.co.za/aroHorseProfiles/BOLD%20RULERUSA1954.htm
or
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/boldruler.html
or
http://horseracing.about.com/library/pics/blboldruler.htm
or
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=34
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6PuKjzWATs

Kentucky 2007: Nasrullah's Grave

Here is the grave of a very important stud to thoroughbreds and to my sweet Violet. Nasrullah was born in 1940 and passed at Claiborne Farms in 1959. His race record was 10 : 5-1-1 and he sired 105 stakeswinners out of 425 foals for a total percentage of 25%! He was a leading sire in England in 1951 and then a led the sire list in the United States 5 times (1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, and 1962).

But he was a nasty old goofball as a race horse, and people still speculate about whether that was because of his wicked temper or his strange British training . Phil Bull, a famed handicapper who wrote about Nasrullah in the Best Horses of 1943 said, "Last year, I regarded Nasrullah as head and shoulders above the other colts of his age. I gave him a long and rather enthusiastic write up, and I fear that, in spite of his having failed in each of his classic ventures, in spite of his bad temper, his mulish antics, in spite of his exasperating unwillingness to do the job, etc., etc., I fear that I am going to give him another write up. I know he doesn't deserve it, but I can't help it." And then he praised him some more, though he said that if Nasrullah's daddy, Nearco, found out how bad his kid was, it would really impact his fertility!

His habit was to fight with his jockey in the saddling area, fight afterwards, run swiftly, but then pull up and fling his head when he would pull into the lead. Some thought that it was because he had been trained by the British method of letting him follow a lead horse for his workouts, so he would be relaxed and feel like he was in a herd -- So, he didn't like to be out front! Anyway, he was a total nasty pistol about fighting his jockeys and quitting a race once he took the lead, as you can see in his final record.

There's a funny story about an exchange between a gentleman and Nasrullah's trainer, Frank Butters, at the Newmarket Heath. It was during World War II, and Nasrullah's jockey had joined the Army. The gentleman said to Butters, "Have you heard that Charley Smirke has been decorated with the Victoria Cross." "Really?" said the dignified Butters. "What was he decorated for?" "Charley stopped a German tank." "I am not surprised," observed Butters. "When he was riding for me, he could stop anything!"

Nasrullah was a big old tank of a horse, 16 1 1/2 hands and strong and sound. He came from the "best sire line in England and the fastest female line." And he produced some amazing babies over his lifetime, including Bold Ruler, Noor, Nashua, Jaipur, Red God, and On-and-On. I am sure you recognize some of those names from Violet's family tree!

Anyway, A. B. Hancock purchased him for his syndicate and brought him to Claiborne in 1951. Some of the best horses ever were by crossings of Nasrullah's sons and Princequillo's daughters! But that crossing ended up with a sort of nasty limerick about Nasrullah: "Match Nasrullah through a son, and Nasrullah though a daughter, To make it really blister, match Nasrullah through his sister."

Ummm, now that I think on it, Violet has both Nasrullah and Nasrullah's half-sister, Sun Princess who produced Royal Charger, a very successful sire by Nearco and also a member of Violet's family tree! So...I guess Violet is part of the history of this dirty little limerick!! Yay!

So, you can bet that on that August morning, I was proud to be standing before this gravestone!
I used the following sources for this blog entry: Abram S. Hewitt's (2006) Sire Lines and Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments (2006), both by Eclipse Press in Lexington.

Kentucky 2007: Swale and Round Table's graves

The Claiborne Family Cemetary is truly amazing and a wonderful place to visit. Here are two graves right across from Secretariat's in which Swale and Round Table rest. Round Table was born on April 6, 1954, the exact same day as Bold Ruler. Both horses were truly amazing, both on the track and then in the shed -- so it is truly a miraculous event that they were born on the same farm on the same day!

Anyway, Round Table's record was 66: 43-8-5 and $1,749,869. He earned Horse of the Year, a Handicap Champion award, was grass champion for 3 consecutive years, and an all-time leading money winner when he retired. He was consistent, sound, game, travelled a lot, and very productive for his family. When he was a colt, the Hancock's sold a majority interest in him and managed to save their farm after the death of A.B. Hancock, Sr. What a good boy Round Table was! Anyway, he sired 401 foals and had a 21% stakes winner percentage, just shy of Bold Ruler's 23% rating! He was so famous and so loved that even 5 years after being pensioned from breeding, at a ripe old age, the Queen of England changed her travel plans in 1984 in order to visit him. She wanted to see her relative, since her father had sold Knight's Daughter who was Round Table's dam! He passed away in 1987 at the very nicely old age of 33!

Now, Swale is a sad story. He is Seattle Slew's son and in his short life from 1981-1984, he earned the Champion 3 year-old award, and won both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, among others. His final abbreviated record was 14: 9-2-2. He won the Belmont on June 9th, 1984 and passed away of a heart attack on June 17th, 1984 while having a bath! He rests with the greatest!

Kentucky 2007: Claiborne's During!

Here is a photo of During, standing at stud at Claiborne Farms. He is very closely related to Violet. His dad is Cherokee Run who stands at stud at the Darley Stud. Cherokee Run is the 3/4ths brother of Violet's dad, Groomstick. They share the same dad, Runaway Groom, and then the same granddam on their mom's side -- Dame Francesca. During's dam is Blazing Saddle by Blade. Blade is a stud who is a Bold Ruler -- Nasrullah kid and who also has what Violet has -- the Nasrullah/Princequillo sires of sire/dam crosses that lots of horses related to Secretariat luckily have!
In these photos, you can see that During is all lazy on a cool Kentucky morning and he has to suffer the indignity of showing his racing tattoo on his upper lip! What a cutie pie!

His career record is 22: 6-3-4. He is the #2 Top Earner for his dad, right behind the filly Chilluki and right before Zanjero. At 3, he won the Swaps Stakes, Jerome Handicap, and Discovery Handicap, and took second in the Sir Barton Stakes. At 4, he won the San Fernando Breeders Stakes. So, he knows what it is to stand in the winners circles with his jockey, trainer and loving family. What a good boy. You can read about his sister, Chilukki, at the following link:
http://members.tripod.com/zetties/horseracing.html

Kentucky 2007: The Claiborne Breeding Shed!

Okay, so here it is! The Breeding Shed at Claiborne Farms -- our piece of American equine history! The motto of the good people who manage this place is "take care of the horses." And they care about being "practical and solid rather than fancy and showy." A.B. Hancock was from a pillar of equine society in Virginia, but he married into the Kentucky Clay family and began Claiborne Farms, the 2,764 acre facility that shapes our thoroughbred industry.

I will never be able to tell you how important this little black box of a place is! But here's some small statistics to give you an idea. Six of our 11 Triple Crown winners were conceived in this shed! Secretariat was a twinkle in his dad's eye in this shed. The following stallions served in this shed: Nasrullah, Princequillo, Abiorix, Double Jay, Round Table, Bold Ruler, Buckpasser, Forli, Herbager, Hoist the Flag, Secretariat, Nijinsky II, Danzig, and Mr. Prospector! I can't believe that I was standing in the room where Secretariat was made and where he later made Lady's Secret!

What confused me about the facility when we first arrived is that it was just so plain. I kept waiting for the tour guide to say, this is just the holding area, now we'll show you the deluxe shed we have. And the reason I felt that way was because Tom had taken us to a breeding at Hill 'n Dale farm and that place was just swank. The breeding shed was gorgeaus and they had this huge elegant viewing room above the breeding shed. Plus they had this really large area for the veterinarian and other staff and a large room for the washing of the mares and stallion. But Claiborne just has this shed and they use simple paper buckets to wash the horses.

And that's because of their generations of tradition. The shed is a private activity where superstars are conceived. I can hardly believe the great outcomes from such humble beginnings!

Hailee's Lost Opportunity -- Got Country Grip!

Well, right now, there is a gelding who is trying to run down Cigar and Citation's 16 straight races records. Got Country Grip was born in 2003 and lives in Oklahoma where he just won his 14th race in a row. In 2005, he won the Speedhorse Sprint Futurity, and he is just explosive at 350 to 400 yards! He is owned by Linda Fox! His relatives include Dash for Cash, Bold Ruler, Sky Jet, Go Man Go, and his dad and mom are Country Quick Dash and Got a Grip! I just love those names! He and Hailee share Moon Deck and Top Deck. His owner got him for a trade, and when he first saddled him, Got Country Grip jumped clear out of a 7' round pen, he's just that macho. Anyway, I am sort of bummed because he's as cute as a button, as well as the speediest and best paint racer ever. I think he and Hailee could have made the most wonderful children! You can read, hear, and see more about him at the following links!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11214837
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM-kOem3oNM
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdryFFYb5P8

Gallant Bloom and my girls!

Gallant Bloom was voted the #79 top race horse of the 20th century, and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. She was a 1966 filly from the famous horse, Gallant Man, pictured here in this photo taking second place to Iron Liege in the 1957 Kentucky Derby. I'll mention that in a moment. Gallant Bloom was a tiny horse who in spirit was a hell cat who liked to break loose on the track like a speedster. She beat the very best fillies and mares of her day, including Shuvee, Gamely, Amerigo Lady, and Singing Rain. In her 22 race career, she finished 16-1-1. She earned Champion 2-year-old filly in 1968 and Champion 3-year-old filly in 1969. In fact, she won 12 races in a row from ages 2 through 4. She was so popular for her fierce racing that she swept the voting ballot for Champion 3-year-old, though Shuvee had won the NY Racing Association Triple Crown, by taking the Acorn, Mother Goose Stakes, and Coaching Club Stakes. She had a sort of checkered breeding career, having difficulty getting into foal, though she did make some babies. She passed away in 1991 in her paddock in Old Frankfort Place, Kentucky. My girls are related to her through several lines, including Bull Lea, Plucky Liege, Mahmoud, War Admiral, Bee Mac, Gainsborough, and Dark Ronald.



Now, about her dad! Gallant Man was a very famous horse, not the least of which because Bill Shoemaker had the biggest "duh" moment of his career on him. Gallant Man was winning the Kentucky Derby when Shoemaker misjudged the finish line and pulled up and stood in his stirrups in early victory. Iron Liege took his chance and put a nose in front of Gallant Man for the win. This has followed Shoemaker forever! And followed his trainer, ex-jockey and Hall of Fame trainer from Nebraska, John Nerud! Even the greats have their mistakes! Anyway, Gallant Man was a small tough guy (a little over 15 hands) who ended up beating Bold Ruler in the Belmont Stakes and Metropolitan Handicap! He raced during the golden era of Round Table and Bold Ruler. he earned #36 of the Top 100 race horses of the 20th century! In his stud career, he produced Genuine Risk (through one of his daughters) and, of course, our lovely little Gallant Bloom! You can read more about his daughter at the following link:
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=76

Queen Elizabeth II Visits Kentucky (Again!)

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, is too cool! When she came to the states this spring, she stayed in the Lexington area to visit friends and to watch the Kentucky Derby. She had a private box overlooking the finish line, so she could watch Street Sense win. Then, because she's so hip, she invited the winning jockey, Calvin Borel, to a white tie state dinner at the White House on the Monday following the Derby. How cool is that? Mr. Bush thinks of that white tie dinner as the most important of his presidency! But that's not all. HRH Queen Elizabeth visited family back in 1984. Her father, King George VI, bred Knight's Daughter, but sold her to Claiborne Farms. She had been a speedy sprinter, but he sold her. She was bred to Violet's relative, Princequillo, and the result was Round Table. Round Table raced 66: 43 - 8 -5 and earned $1,749,869. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972, was voted #17 on the Blood Horse Top 100 of the 20th century list, was voted U.S. Horse of the Year in 1958, and Leading Sire in North America in 1972. He was U.S. Champion Turf Horse in 1957, 1958, and 1959. And he was U.S. Champion Male Handicap Horse in 1958 and 1959. He was a leading broodmare sire for a loooong time. He was amazing because he got the best traits from both his mom, the sprinter, and his dad, the distance runner. Speaking of magic, he was born on the same farm and the same day as Bold Ruler, another very important race horse and stud! Some of Round Table's important matings were with Moccasin, a very important racing filly! Anyway, back to the Queen. When she visited the States in 1984, she asked to be taken especially to visit and pay her respects to the elder statesman, Round Table. She asked to visit her family! She must have been wanting to see Knight's Daughter's baby! He died at the age of 33, a few years later in 1987 and is buried at Claiborne Farm. Anyway, you know I think the Queen is cool! When she comes to the states, she goes to visit her friends in Lexington, including her horsey friends. What a lady!

You can read more about Round Table at the following links:
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=127
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_Table_(horse)
or
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/roundtable.html
or
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/article.cgi?id=3729

Violet's Discovery!!

Violet is related to a gentleman whose nicknames included "The Iron Horse" and "The Big Train." Discovery earned $195,287 during his track life, with a 63-27-10-10 record. Among his starts, he won The Brooklyn Handicap and Whitney Stakes three times (1934, 1935, 1936), with the latter he won twice by 10 lengths! He won the Detroit Challenge Cup by 30 lengths, and also won the Arlington Handicap. When he was running, he carried an average of 31 lbs. He was voted U.S. Champion Handicap horse twice! And he won the 1935 Horse of the Year! That latter achievement was amazing because he was named Horse of the Year in the same year as Omaha won the Triple Crown. It was the first and only time in history that a Triple Crown winner wasn't named Horse of the Year. Not surprisingly, Blood Horse voted him #37 of the Top 100 race horses of the 20th Century. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1969. Turf Historian, John Hervey, said of Discovery, " There is no other horse in the entire range of Turf history, American or foreign, that ever attempted to do anything so tremendous or came anywhere near Discovery in doing it so successfully." He has a race named after him, "The Discover" which was originally run at Belmont Park and is now at Aqueduct. This grandson of Fairplay, born in Lexington, had a 21 year stallion career and is so very famous for producing amazing daughters. Among his kids are Bail Bond, Conniver, Dark Discovery, Geisha (dam of Native Dancer), Miss Disco (dam of Bold Ruler), My Recipe, and Traffic Court (dam of Hasty Road). Violet shares in this rich pedigree through Traffic Court who bore Hasty Road (winner of the Preakness Stakes). Hasty Road's child Third Martini was bred to War Admiral and Count Fleet's grandchild, Three Fingers, to make Three Martinis, great-grandpa on her damsire side! You can read more about Discovery at the following links:

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

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=59

or

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