Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
By: Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
25 years ago, in 1998, Real Quiet won the Kentucky Derby. He would go onto win the Preakness and just barely lose to Victory Gallo in the 130th Belmont Stakes by literally 4 inches, in perhaps one of the great near misses in Triple Crown History. It was the 125th Kentucky Derby. Real Quiet was Bob Baffert’s second Kentucky Derby winner.
VIDEO BELOW: REAL QUIET wins the 125th Kentucky Derby
VIDEO BELOW: REAL QUIET loses the 1998 Belmont by inches
50 years ago, in 1974, Cannonade was to win the Kentucky Derby. He was to be 3rd in the Preakness and the Belmont both times Little Current winning. Little Current was from a non-Raise a Native sire line, and his sire was Sea Bird, arguably one of the best 20th Century runners though he only raced 8 times. There were 23 horses in that 1974 Kentucky Derby, the most ever. Many speculate that if there were only 14 horses in the Kentucky Derby, Little Current would have won the Triple Crown. It was the 100th Kentucky Derby.
VIDEO BELOW: CANNONADE wins the Kentucky Derby
According to Wikipedia, “Leaving from post position 10, Little Current was last at the quarter pole and at the mile mark was still trapped behind the large field in seventeenth place. Despite a strong drive after the mile pole, he finished fifth, more than six lengths back of winner Cannonade, who was ridden by Ángel Cordero Jr. Little Current in the homestretch had run down the middle of the track and passed numerous horses to finish fifth. As a result of the difficulties experienced by many entrants due to the large field, Churchill Downs officials, including Chairman of the Board and owner of Little Current John W. Galbreath, adopted a new rule limiting the field to twenty horses beginning in 1975.” Look, Little Current was a long shot for the Kentucky Derby. According to Wikipedia, “In light of Little Current’s performances leading up to the 1¼-mile Derby, he was given little consideration by the betting public and was sent off at more than 22:1 odds.” Still, you wonder what his chances would have been in a 14-horse field.
Cannonade sired the 1983 Belmont winner Caveat, himself a sire of many stakes winners.
75 years ago, in 1949, Ponder would win the Kentucky Derby. Ponder was the middle rung on a 3-generation connection of Kentucky Derby winners—Pensive (who won in 1943), Ponder (1949, born when Pensive was just 5), and Needles (1956 Kentucky Derby). I am guessing Pensive was sent in utero to America, and his sire was the great Hyperion. The other 3 horses to form a paternal line grandfather, father, grandson triple winners of the Kentucky Derby were Reigh Count in 1928, 1943 Triple Crown winner Count Fleet and son of Reigh Count, and Count Turf in 1951 son of Count Fleet)
VIDEO BELOW: PONDER wins the Kentucky Derby (note how clear film is compared to Cannonade 25 years later)
75th year commemoration video–worth watching
100 years ago, Black Gold won the Kentucky Derby. Black Gold made in to the Hall of Fame. He won a lot of derbies, including the 1st Kentucky Derby, Louisiana Derby, Derby Trial, Ohio State Derby, Chicago Derby; 3rd Latonia Derby, Raceland Derby. Back then, the Latonia Derby was a big race. The horse that won the Latonia Derby, Chilhowee, was 2nd in the Kentucky Derby. Black Gold proved to be sub-fertile. He had one foal killed by lightning. Black Gold was owned by Mrs. Rosa Hoots, part of the Osage Indian Nation. Black Gold’s sire, Black Toney, was a good but not great race horse that won a few stakes and was stakes placed. I could write an article on Black Toney and his immense influence on the breed, but Black Gold would not be one of the horses. Black Toney’s son Bimelech was second in the Kentucky Derby (though heavily favored), and went on to win the Preakness and Belmont.
AMAZINGLY, THERE IS FILM FOOTAGE OF THE 1924 KENTUCKY DERBY
According to the Hall of Fame, “As the legend goes, Al Hoots had a vision on his deathbed that his mare Useeit would be bred to Col. E. R. Bradley’s stallion Black Toney and the resulting foal would win the Kentucky Derby. Rosa Hoots, his widow, several years later bred the mare to Black Toney and, as her husband had predicted, Black Gold won the 1924 Kentucky Derby.” Black Gold, proved sub-fertile, was put back in the races from ’27 and ’28. The Hall of Fame adds, “In January 1928, Black Gold was entered in the Salome Handicap at Fair Grounds. He began to make a move entering the stretch, but tragically broke his troublesome left foreleg. Despite the efforts of his rider to pull him up, Black Gold fought on and finished the race. The injury was fatal and Black Gold was buried in the track’s infield.”
And then the records get weird, concerning another son of Black Toney. The horse listed as 3rd is “Beau Butler.” I kind of doubt it, but according to pedigreequery.com, Beau Bulter was “listed as 3rd in the 1924 Ky. Derby, but the result was incorrect due to a mix-up with the colors of the racing silks. The judges placed Beau Butler third, when he actually finished back in the pack, and the official results were never corrected.” According to a recent article of the Daily Racing Form, “Black Gold’s story is tragic. The game little black horse died at Fair Grounds after breaking down in January 1928, racing through lameness and past his prime. It was a failure on the part of the humans in his life – and a coda to the tragedy in their own lives.” (A “coda” is a “a concluding event, remark, or section.”) The 1924 Kentucky Derby was the 50th. According to the Hall of Fame, “Black Gold became the first horse bred and owned by a woman to win the Derby.”
It is also worthy of note, while Black Gold was owned by a female, the distinction of being first goes to the gelding Elwood, who was the first KD starter and winner owned by a woman, and first winner bred by a woman. Elwood was intact when he won the Kentucky Derby, but was later gelded—much like the Epsom Derby winner Serpentine. Soo too with Pink Star–he won the Kentucky intact and was later gelded.
Link Below: Recent DRF story on Black Gold, “Kentucky Derby winner Black Gold offers story of triomphe and tragedy.”
125 years ago was the 1899 Kentucky Derby. The winner, Manuel, won the 4th time the Kentucky Derby was run at 10 furlongs. For its first 21 runnings, the Kentucky Derby was run at 12 furlongs just like the Epsom Derby after which it was named. Manuel represented the last of the Lexington sire line winning the Kentucky Derby. Apollo in 1882-a gelding and a horse that famously didn’t race at 2 and after which the “the curse of Apollo” was named was from the Lexington sire line. Manuel was sired by Bob Miles, a winner of long races, and a winner over jumps! Bob Miles was sired by Pat Malloy, who produced 1979 Kentucky Derby winner Lord Murphy.
Following the European model, Churchill Downs had a “St. Leger” that ran from 1875-1893: Lord Murphy also won that race. In 1900, the Lexington sire line produced Hindus, winner of the 1900 Preakness, the last Lexington sire line horse to win an American Classic. As I have written before, Conquering Elk born in 1987 was the last of the Lexington sire line: but Manuel and Hindu represented the end of major wins from the Lexington sire line. The dam of Preakness winner Hindus was Clipsetta Stakes (at 2) and Alabama (at 3) winner Ignite. Ignite was the dam of 1906 Kentucky Derby and Latonia Derby winner Sir Huon.
150 years ago, the 1875 Kentucky Derby was run. It was the first time the race was run. I believe—unlike the Preakness or Belmont—there was never a year that there wasn’t a Kentucky Derby, although World War 2 and COVID almost made that happen. The winner of the first Kentucky Derby was Aristides, who would be declared (eventually) the national 3-year-old champion.
Aristide’s sire was the outstanding sire Leamington. Leamington was American born but mostly (save for the end of his career) raced in England, where he won many prestigious stakes races. According to pedigreequery.com, Leamington “Stood 6 seasons at Rawcliffe Stud in England prior to his importation to the NY, US in 1865.” Despite fantastic success as an American stud, I do not know of one successful British born horse and I have always regarded him as an “American stallion.” Leamington was to be leading sire in North America (1875, 1877, 1879, and 1881). Aristides also won the 10th running of the Jerome Handicap at Jerome Park when it was 2 miles long. The Jerome is a race still run today but at literally half the distance—one mine. Aristides also the 2nd running of the Withers also at Jerome Park.
PICTURED BELOW: 1875 – Aristides – Chesapeake
Aristides Race Horse
According to Wikipedia, Aristides was “[t]rained by future Hall of Famer Ansel Williamson, an African American, Aristides was ridden by Oliver Lewis, also African-American.” I don’t believe Aristides was a particularly good stallion, but he did sire the filly HENLOPEN who won the then important Juvenile Stakes.
The Leamington sire line produced many Kentucky Derby winners before it died out.
1. 1975 winner Aristides
2. 1883 Kentucky Derby winner Leonatus
3. 1890 winner Riley
4. 1992 winner Azra (who’s full sister became the dam of Ben Brush, who also won the Kentucky Derby and is in ever modern thoroughbred)
5. 1894 winner Chant
6. 1900 winner Lieutenant Gibson
7. 1901 Kentucky Derby winner His Eminence,
8. 1906 Kentucky Derby winner Sir Huon
9. 1907 Kentucky Derby winner Pink Star (who’s second tail male sire was the aforementioned Leonatus),
10. 1908 Kentucky Derby winner Stone Street,
(Chant 1894, His Eminence 1901, Sir Huon 1906 were also sired by Falsetto, only of only 4 sires to sire 3 Kentucky Derby winners).
According to American Classic Pedigrees, “Aristides was named after Aristides Welch, a good friend of the colt’s owner-breeder. The human Aristides, in turn, was named for an Athenian statesman of the Greek Classical period.” The source also adds, “Aristides was entered in the Kentucky Derby as a “rabbit” for his more-heralded stablemate Chesapeake, who had been the best 2-year-old of the previous season. Aristides did his job to perfection, but when Chesapeake did not produce his expected run, McGrath waved jockey Oliver Lewis on to win with Aristides if he could. The little chestnut held on by a length over Volcano.” She further adds, “Aristides was actually an added starter for the Kentucky Derby and was not confirmed for the race until the morning of Derby.” Though it was the first running of the race, Avalyn Hunter (of American Classic Pedigrees) writes, “Aristides’ winnings for his Kentucky Derby victory included a massive silver punch bowl valued at US$1,000, which served as the race’s first trophy. The now-traditional golden trophy did not make its appearance until the “Golden Anniversary” 50th Kentucky Derby in 1924, won by Black Gold.” A life-sized bronze statue of Aristides by sculptor Carl Regutti stands in the Clubhouse Gardens at Churchill Downs.
Leamington’s sire was St. Leger winner Faugh-A-Ballagh, who won the Cesarewitch Handicap, which is still run today at 18 furlongs, one of (if not the) world’s longest stakes race. While Leamington’s sire line would certainly proceed on for a few generations, Faugh-A-Ballagh’s full brother Birdcatcher is the horse that 95% of all horses today descend in tail mail. Given the importance of the Faugh-A-Ballagh sire line in the middle of pedigrees, and given that 95% of all horses descend from Birdcatcher through his son “The Baron,” an argument could be made that Faugh-A-Ballagh’s and Birdcatcher’s dam Guiccioli is one of the most influential in the breed. Faugh a ballagh is a battle cry of Irish origin, meaning “clear the way”. The spelling is an 18th-century anglicization of the Irish language.
