Whimsical and My Girls!

The second filly to ever win the Preakness Stakes was Whimsical in 1906, a few years after the first winner, Flocarline. I think the New York Times captured the spirit of her win with this headline: "Whimsical easily won the Preakness Stake, T.J. Gaynor's Filly Made her Own Pace and Romped in First." The text of the news item said that she was strong through the whole race and took command going in front of the stands, whereupon she "galloped in front at her ease." Another filly was in that race too, Flip Flap, and was also a powerful runner. I love the names of both these girls!

The Whimsical Stakes for older mares at Pimlico Race Course is named after her and raced on Preakness weekend.

Whimsical is listed as having one son, Whimsy out of Burgomaster. My girls are related to her through her sire, Orlando, and from her mother, Kismet, they share Hindoo, Touchstone, and Voltigeur. I couldn't find a picture of her, so you can have one of my darling Rory and Jackie.

Pink Star -- 1907 Kentucky Derby Winner

Pink Star was the 1907 Kentucky Derby winner with a final race record of 16: 3-1-2. His owner was J. Hal Woodford and his trainer was W.H. Fizer! Like both my girls, he has a little Hindoo in him!

Here's a statue horse in Lexington. The photo is by Melissa Wayt of Hawkdigital.com. Lexington is filled with colorful horses, much like Chicago was with the cows! This Pink Star is designed to support cancer awareness!

Docs Blue Rock Dawn and My Girls!

Here is a photo of Hailee right before Christmas. I stopped by to see her before heading up to my sister's house. Hailee's mom is Docs Blue Rock Dawn. And you know how I always say that Hailee gets her agility, athleticism, grace, and quickness from her daddy's side through Easy Jet.

Well, her mom's side is pretty stacked on speed, resilience, laser sharp response too! Docs Blue Rock Dawn is a 1987 Quarter Horse with major amounts of cutting, reining, and racing in her background. Some of her near relatives are Doc Clabber, her grandpa, who was a superior cutting horse and western pleasure horse, reserve high point stallion, and produced many, many Reining and Cutting Horse Association babies. His daddy was Doc Bar, both a AQHA and NCHA Hall of Fame horse who is the leading sire of world champion cutters. He is the #1 all-time leading maternal grandsire of cutters and produced countless AQHA and NCHA cutting horses, including 27 AQHA champions. She's got Clabber and his kid, Clabber II, two champion Quarter Horse runners. Clabber II set two new track records, and his daddy was named the very first World Champion Quarter Running Horse and is the leading maternal gradsire of Race ROMs.

Docs Blue Rock Dawn also has Do Good, a Quarter Horse mare who served as the foundation mare for a running horse enterprise. She's got Texas Dandy an AQHA Hall of Famer, and Poco Bueno, a Hall of Famer in the AQHA, NCHA, and Cow Horse Hall of Fame. She's got Oklahoma Star who was registered as 100% foundation horse, and she's got Black Beggar, the kid of Black Gold's (Kentucky Derby winner) full brother, Beggar Boy. She also has the Kentucky Derby winner, Hindoo in this tree.

So, you can see that if a cow needs roping, a herd needs chasing, or a barrel needs circling, Hailee should be good to go through her lovely mom. In fact, I am often so very delighted and surprised by how light and graceful Hailee is on her feet. Even deep in her 7th month of pregnancy, she has the lightest, sweetest, smoothest canter, and does these relaxed, carefree, thoughtfree flying lead changes. She's truly a marvel. I wish I had a picture of her mother to see the resemblances!

Vagrant, 2nd Kentucky Derby Winner

Here's a picture of Violet, taken by Barbie in September. I include it because she is related to the second Kentucky Derby in history, but I couldn't find an image of him to share.

Vagrant was a gelding by Virgil and Lazy by Scythian. He was born in 1873 and was eventually purchased by William Astor. His dad, Virgil, sired three Kentucky Derby winners -- Vagrant, Hindoo, and Ben Ali.

Vagrant ran for 9 years, from 1875 to 1883, as a 10 year-old horse. His final record was 88: 20-12-12. Then, get this, as he could not be bred, and he no longer could race, he was sold. He spent the rest of his life as a cart horse on the streets of Lexington.

Can you believe that? Imagine the book that horse could write? Raced 9 years for the richest family in America and not even earn a retirement!?! I mean, win the Kentucky Derby and not earn a cushy retirement! Then have to pull a Black Beauty or a Godolphin Arabian and have to haul a cart around a city? I just can't believe it.

So, next time you are in the beautiful city of Lexington, driving around, just give a thought or two to Vagrant who won the Kentucky Derby and then worked like a proud horse on the streets.

Tanya and My Girls!

My beautiful, beautiful girl is related to Tanya, the filly who won the Belmont Stakes in 1905. They share Hindoo among others! You can see Violet's loveliness in this photo!

You can read about the competitive Tanya who won the Belmont Stakes at its first formal showing at Belmont Park at the links below: http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Meddler.html#Tanya
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanya_(horse

Hindoo and My Girls!

My girls both are related to one of the most important racehorses ever, one who reinvigorated the Byerley Turk line in thoroughbreds. Hindoo was born in 1879, and raced 35 times. He never was out of the money, winning 30 times, placing 3, and showing twice. His dad, pictured here, was Virgil, and his mom was Florence. He was trained by two Hall of Famers, Ed Brown, one of the most distinguished Blacks in horse racing and training, and the also inestimable, James G. Rowe, Sr. He was truly extraordinary. In his third year, he won the 1881 Kentucky Derby and the Travers Stakes, but what was truly exceptional is that he won 18 straight races between May and August of his 3rd year, 19 if you include a dead-heat run-off on the same day! No horse has ever equalled this prodigious accomplishment. Not surprisingly, he was voted the Champion 2-year-old, Champion 3-year-old, and Champion Handicap Horse. When the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame was first started, he was inducted in 1955. He retired as a leading money winner and was a fantastic sire. He was also a good boy. Here's what one reporter said of him, "A sweeter tempered colt never sported silk. He was like wax in the hands of the jockey. He would never do more than what was asked of him, yet his courage was the highest. He did what was required, and after he had his field beaten, was content to drop down into a canter. He was never excited by contest nor crowd, and was business-like under all circumstances."



My girls are lucky to have some of his most wonderful children in their pedigree, including Sallie McClelland (in Whisk Broom's tree), and Hanover. Hindoo is also responsible for my girls' Pocahontas! You can read more about their Kentucky Derby fella at the following links:
http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Hindoo.html
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindoo_(horse)
or
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=90
or
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/hindoo.html
or
http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/hindoo.htm

Audience the big heart mare and my girls!

My girls have lots of Big Heart blood in their veins. In 1789, an autopsy of Eclipse showed that he had a 14 lb. heart as compared to the average of 6 lb hearts of the time. He had a big heart. Secretariat was found to have a heart over 22 lbs, much higher than the 9 lb. average. In fact, of Secretariat's heart, his autopsy physician, Dr. Thomas Swerczek, said, "We just stood there in stunned silence. We couldn't believe it. The heart was perfect. There were no problems with it. It was just this huge engine." They now believe that big hearts are tied to the female X chromosome. So, you can be a "single copy" or "double copy" mare and if you are a big heart stud, you can pass your X to your children too. If a "double copy" mare is bred to a large-hearted stallion, she will always produce large-heart foals and double copy fillies. Violet is directly related to four of the most famous Big Heart stallions, Princequillo, War Admiral, Blue Larkspur, and Mahmoud. Hailee also has big heart studs, including Moon Deck, Three Bars, Easy Jet, Top Deck, and Leo. Man 'O War was a big-heart stud. The thing with big-heart stallions is that they can only pass their big heart to their daughters. So, often since it takes a crop or two for their big heart gene to express or show itself, thoroughbred stallions will be "sold down river" to the Quarter Horse industry which is why the American Quarter Horse is filled with Big Hearts from their thoroughbred relatives. Man 'O War blessed both breeds with his big-hearted heritage. Among the relatives suspected of having big hearts, my girls have Rock Sand, Count Fleet, Eclipse, Pocahontas, Glencoe, Lexington, Domino, and La Troienne. And they have Audience, daughter of Sir Dixon (the Belmont Stakes Winner) and grand-daughter of Hindoo, the Kentucky Derby winner. She foaled Whisk Broom and in her own racing day, she won the all-important Kentucky Oaks! She is considered a big-hearted gal!! Among the ways she's related to my girls are through Po' Chile for Violet and Sir Bim for Hailee. The photo has a picture of her baby, Whisk Broom. You can read more about the X-Factor at the following links:

http://www.robertsfox.com/x_factor.htm

or

http://www.circledhorses.com/The%20X-Factor.htm

Violet's and My First Derby Day Together!

I have loved horses my entire life. I read Black Beauty as a child. I read Misty of Chincoteague. I collected Breyers horses. I loved thoroughbreds. And I loved Secretariat. And this year marks the first time in my life that I owned a thoroughbred, shared a thoroughbred as part of my family. And such a lovely one -- beautiful Velvet Tenderness "Violet". I woke up on Derby Day joyful. I walked with my dog to Grounds for Thought, bought the Saturday paper, read about the horses preparing for Derby. Then I bought apples and carrots and visited my own thoroughbred. I praised her for her heritage. Groomed her with love. Told her that she's made of magic and speed and God's breath. And then I had a riding lesson with her. She was all light and floaty and powerful. And so that's how I spent my Derby morning with my first thoroughbred. I rode a four-year-old filly who is directly related to 7 Kentucky Derby Champions! War Admiral, Count Fleet, Reigh Count, Hindoo, Ben Brush, Pensive, Dark Star! How many women can say that's how they started their Derby Day!? Riding the descendant of Derby winners!! Yah Yah!!

Violet and Colin!!

Violet is related to Colin, born in 1905 and with a perfect race record at 15: 15-0-0. His lifetime earnings were $178,110 and he earned the 1908 3-year-old Champion of the Year Award, as well as the 1907 and 1908 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. He was inducted into the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in 1956, and was voted #15 by Blood Horse magazine for Top 100 race horses of the 20th century. He won many stakes races, including the Belmont!! His perfect record stood unchallenged for 80 years before repeated by Personal Ensign. He is related to Violet through her Classic Music line. He helped produce the famous Stymie in that line. His grandsire is Domino who produced Commando who produced Colin out of an English stakeswinner filly named Pastorella. He was trained by James G. Rowe, Sr., the Hall of Fame trainer who has trained the most horses who were inducted into the Hall of Fame. He trained Sysonby, Hindoo, the first Kentucky Derby winning filly, Regret. He trained the following horses who were also inducted: Miss Woodford, Luke Blackburn, Whisk Broom, Commando, and Peter Pan. He gave his horses profound personal care, and in the case of Colin this included traveling with him, so that he could care for a swollen, mis-shapen hock. During his day, Rowe was considered America's greatest trainer. But all he wanted put on his tombstone were the words: He trained Colin! You can read more about Violet's Colin and about Colin's trainer, Mr. Rowe at the following links:

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

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Champs/AmChamp3yoMale.html

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=49

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/trainer.asp?ID=285

or

http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/colin.htm

or

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

or

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

Whisk Broom and my Girls!

My girls are related to the famous Whisk Broom II, born in 1907 to Broomstick and Audience. Audience was sired by the 1888 Belmont Stakes winner, Sir Dixon, and her dam was sired by Hindoo, a major stakes winner and Kentucky Derby winner. Whisk Broom was born at the Kentucky Horse Park, then called Senorita Farms, and was sent to England to race. In Great Britain, he won the Prince of Wales Plate, the Trial Stakes, Select Stakes, Peril of the Peak, Victoria Cup, and came third in the 2,000 Guineas. When he came to the United States, he raced only three times, but won the most difficult Triple Crown of Racing, the New York Handicap Triple Crown -- the Metropolitan, Suburban Handicap and Brooklyn Handicap. Only Tom Fool and Fit to Fight ever duplicated this amazing feat of winning the Handicap Triple Crown! In his last race ever, he carried a staggering 139 lbs to the second place horse's 112 lbs and still set a scorching track record!!! His final race record was 26: 10-7-1 for total earnings of $47.931. He won the 1913 U.S. Horse of the Year Award and U.S. Champion Handicap Horse of the Year, and the U.S. Handicap Triple Crown. In retirement, he sired 163 foals with 23 stakes winners for a stakes percentage of 16%. He was inducted into the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in 1979. Among his children, he sired Upset, the only horse to deliver Man 'O War a defeat. He also foaled the Kentucky Derby winner, Whiskery, and Whiskaway, as well as the Preakness winner, Victorian, who was the damsire of Seabiscuit. You can visit him in his family cemetary at C.V. Whitney Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He is related to both Hailee and Violet. An obvious connection for Hailee is in her Bim-a-Nick line, where Whisk Broom produced the sire John P. Grier. This is a pretty interesting line -- Whisk Broom and Fair Play were the sires of horses crossed to produce Algeria who was bred to Bubbling Over to produce Airegla to be bred to Bimelech to produce Sir Bim. For Violet, you can see Whisk Broom in her Boodle line where his son John P. Grier is crossed with the famous mare Elf to produce Boojum. You can read more about the fabulous, tough, world-travelling, Triple Crown winning sweetheart at the following links:

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

or

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

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Graves/cem/GraveMattersWhitney.html

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=160

or

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

Violet's Rugged Well-Used Stymie!

I am very proud to say that Violet is related to Stymie through her Classicist line. Stymie was born in 1941 and had a final track record of 131-35-33-28. Can you believe that he raced 131 times in his career? He began as a claiming race runner and was doing poorly, until a trainer saw his potential and saw that he was frightened of people and needed consistent handling. In two years, he had been to the post 57 times! Once they sorted out his troubles and found his distance, he just burned up the tracks. He was Champion Handicap Horse of 1945 and was voted the #41 Top Race Horse of the 20th Century by Blood Horse magazine. He was inducted into the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in 1975, and was so famous, some say as famous with average Americans as Seabiscuit, that he had the Stymie Handicap named after him. He was beloved for his very exciting style of racing. He was a hero to racing fans because of his heart-stopping come-from-behind finishes, sometimes by as many as 20 lengths. In his career, he beat Gallorette and Assault at The Metropolitan Handicap (a race he won twice). And he beat Assault, Natchez, and Phalanx in the International Gold Cup. Remember that Assault was a Triple Crown Winner and Gallorette the highest money-earning filly of her time. So, by the time his long, long, long career was over, Stymie had gone from losing claiming races to a leading money winner in the world. He won 25 stakes races while competing against some of the best horses of all time!! His career was ended by a sesamoid bone fracture. His owner took the winnings he earned from Stymie and built Stymie Manor in Maryland. And when Stymie passed, he was buried at Hagyard Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Charles Hagyard of the world famous Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Veterinary owns this place. Stymie has an amazing pedigree all to himself. His dad and mom are Equestrian and Stopwatch. He has Man 'O War on the dam side of both his dam and sire. He also has Commando's kids, Peter Pan and Colin (#15 of Top 100 race horses 20th century) in his recent family tree, and lots and lots of Broomstick, Ben Brush, and Hindoo. Remember that Commando won the Belmont Stakes in 1901 and then his two boys won in 1907 and 1908. And Ben Brush and Hindoo are Kentucky Derby winners, and Man 'O War himself won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes and probably would have won the Derby, if his owner, Samuel Riddle had entered him! Anyway, Stymie has Colin twice on both sides of the dam and sire of his mom. Colin is the sire of the sire of his mom. And his daughter is bred to Man 'O War to produce the dam of his mom. What I think is really lovely is that Stymie's daughter, Classic Music, was bred to Princequillo to produce Classicist. That's lovely because that means that two big-hearted lines were crossed to produce a filly. What's more, Classicist was bred to Jaipur, and so you have three big-heart lines meeting -- Nasrullah, Princequillo, and Classic Music!! You can read more about this tough, hard-running guy at the following cites:

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

or

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

or

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

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Graves/cem/GraveMattersHagyard.html

Gallorette and My Girls!!

Gallorette was foaled in 1942 out of Challenger and Gallette. She was voted top filly in a 1955 training poll. She had 72 starts, won 21, placed 20, and was third 13 times. She was retired in 1948, the richest filly of her day! In her best season, she defeated the boys, including Stymie who she beat twice!! She was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame the year before my birth, 1962. My girls are related to this macho girl through several lines, including Sir Gallahad, Swynford, Ajax, Orme, Vampire, Galopin, Isonomy, Stockwell, Pocahontas, and Hindoo. You can read more about this big-moving girl at the following links:

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=79

or

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

Regret and My Girls!

Regret was the first of three fillies to win the Kentucky Derby. She won her very first race, the Saratoga Special Stakes in 1914 against an all-male field and was in the lead the entire race! Her record was so impressive that she won the prestigious Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year, and was voted by Blood Horse magazine as #71 of the Top 100 race horses of the 20th century. She was never beaten by a female horse in her entire career. She is in the National Museum Hall of Fame. She is very heavily related to my Hailee and Violet. Regret's dad is Broomstick whose dad is Ben Brush (Kentucky Derby winner). Both of them are also, like Regret, in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. Her mom is Jersey Lightning, and so my girls are related there as well through another Kentucky Derby winner, Hindoo. In fact, my girls are related to Broomstick directly and then are on both sides of the dam and sire line of Regret's mom. You can read more about Regret's record at the following links:

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2006/derby_history/derby_charts/years/1915.html

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=122
or
http://www.tbgreats.com/regret/index.html