Foolish Pleasure -- 1975 Kentucky Derby winner

The year my sister was born, 1975, Foolish Pleasure won the Kentucky Derby. That was a tough weird year for him. He won the Derby with Jacinto Vasquez, but the announcer, Chick Anderson, said that Prince thou Art had won in a stretch duel. In reality, FPwon with ease, and Prince thou Art with Braulio Baeza aboard was 6th! Later that year, and very tragically, he was in a match race with the ill-fated Ruffian, this time with Vasquez on Ruffian and Baeza with FP.

His final record was 26: 16(12), 4(3), and 3(3). He was voted Champion 2-year-old colt, earned the National Museum Racing Hall of Fame in 1995, was voted #72 of the Top 100 racehorses, and he beat Foregoin the 1976 Suburban Handicap. And, he happened to be the first millionaire to have been sold at public auction, appearing on the block at the Fasig-Tipton Sales.

During his stud career, he travelled to 3 places, finally dying at Horseshoe Ranch in Dayton, Wyoming at the age of 22. He went into colic and died in surgery. You can read more about this champion stallion at the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foolish_Pleasure
or
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=73
or
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/foolishpleasure.html

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

My Girls are Ruffians!

What can be said about Ruffian? She was born in 1972, never defeated, never headed. Every time she raced in her 8 stakes races, she won and set a record. She won the Filly Triple Crown just breezing along. She perished in a match race against Foolish Pleasure. Her jockey, Jacinto Vasquez, had the choice to ride either horse in the match race and he chose the big black girl. She was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1976. My girls are heavily directly related to this wonder of a girl. I am awed. I remember with vivid clarity the day Ruffian died. We were living in Canada, and mom and I were watching the news and heard the story. Violet and Hailee are related across every single branch of Ruffian's family tree. They share many relatives, including Nasrullah, Sweep, Domino, Traffic Court, Sir Gallahad, Plucky Liege, Teddy, Broomstick, Blue Larkspur, Black Toney, Discovery, Whisk Broom, Commando, Love Wisely, Hindoo, and Fair Play. What's strange is that Ruffian has Man o' War's daddy in her pedigree, but not the Grand Man himself! Anyway, Ruffian is a lovely macho girl and she was a real role model to girls like me in the 1970s. Be big, be bold, compete, have a big, giant heart. You can read more about this short-lived, lovely miraculous girl at the following links. The Youtube link is very sad -- someone went to a great deal of effort to write a lovely song to her:

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=128

or

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

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96wka0rBHWM

or

http://www.championsgallery.com/Ruffian/Ruffian.html

or

http://thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/ruffian1.htm

or

http://www.equinenet.org/heroes/ruffian.html

or

http://horseracing.about.com/library/pics/blruffian.htm