An honest, hardy runner, Ballot was not a great horse but was one of those rare ones who maintained a place near the top of his crop as a juvenile, 3-year-old and older male. The best son of Voter both as a race horse and in the stud, he was the last major sire from the male line of 1867 Derby Stakes winner Hermit in the United States. His great contribution to American bloodlines was as the broodmare sire of five-time American champion sire and four-time American champion broodmare sire Bull Lea.
Race record
37 starts, 20 wins, 5 seconds, 6 thirds, US$154,545
1906:
1907:
1908:
1909:
1910:
Honors
As an individual
A chestnut horse, Ballot had precocious speed but trained on well. Photographs suggest that he was a medium-sized, well-balanced individual of the intermediate distance type who was a bit upright in his front pasterns. Unlike his sire, he was a kindly-natured animal.
As a stallion
According to The Blood-Horse Silver Anniversary Edition, Ballot sired 218 winners (64.3%) and 34 stakes winners (10.0%) from 339 named foals, but his only runner to approach top class was Chilhowee, one of the best 3-year-old colts of 1924.
Sire rankings
Per The Blood-Horse:
Notable progeny
Rose Leaves (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Bull Lea (USA), Espino (USA)
Connections
Ballot was bred and owned by James R. Keene at his Castleton Stud in Kentucky. He was trained by James Rowe, Sr. He entered stud at Castleton in 1911 and was shipped to England for the 1912 season. He returned to the United States in 1913 and was sold privately to John E. Madden by the executors of Keene's estate. Madden then turned around and sold Ballot to James B. Haggin's Elmendorf Farm for an unreported amount. In the last year of his life, Ballot became the property of Raymond Gentry (the brother of the well-known horseman Olin Gentry), who used the old horse for advertising a feed product called “Enza-Vita.”
Pedigree notes
Ballot is inbred 5x4x4 to the “Emperor of Stallions,” Stockwell, and 5x4 to the 1864 Ascot Gold Cup winner Scottish Chief. He is a full brother to Cerise, dam of multiple stakes winner Cherry Tree (by Broomstick). He is a half brother to Stolen Moments (by Kingston), winner of the 1903 Gazelle Stakes, and to Ballet Girl (by St. Leonards), dam of the good stakes winner and 1937 American champion sire The Porter (by Sweep). Cerito's dam Merry Dance (by Doncaster) is a half sister to Saraband (by Muncaster), a very good horse in a vintage crop in England and sire of the great producer Admiration. Merry Dance is also a half sister to the multiple stakes winner Superba (by Sterling), who placed in two English Classics and produced the good stayer Pride (by Merry Hampton).
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the collection of Quarter Horse Record (Susan Larkin); used by permission.
Last updated: June 23, 2021
Race record
37 starts, 20 wins, 5 seconds, 6 thirds, US$154,545
1906:
- Won Double Event #1 (USA, 5.5FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- Won Matron Stakes (colts) (USA, 6FD, Belmont)
- Won Neptune Stakes (USA, 6FD, Gravesend)
- 2nd Great American Stakes (USA, 5FD, Aqueduct)
- 3rd Champagne Stakes (USA, 7FD, Belmont)
- 3rd Great Trial Stakes (USA, 6FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- 3rd Junior Champion Stakes (USA, about 5.75FD, Gravesend)
1907:
- Won Century Handicap (USA, 12FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- Won Edgemere Handicap (USA, 9FD, Aqueduct)
- Won First Special (USA, 10FD, Gravesend)
- Won Great Republic Stakes (USA, 10FD, Saratoga)
- Won Second Special (USA, 12FD, Gravesend)
- Won Election Day Handicap (USA, 9FD, Aqueduct)
- Won Invincible Handicap (USA, 10FD, Brighton Beach)
- Won Iroquois Stakes (USA, 10FD, Brighton Beach)
- 3rd Annual Champion Stakes (USA, 18FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- 3rd Brighton Cup (USA, 18FD, Brighton Beach)
1908:
- Won Century Handicap (USA, 12FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- Won Suburban Handicap (USA, 10FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- Won Advance Stakes (USA, 10.5FD, Sheepshead Bay; new world record)
- Won Equality Stakes (USA, 8FD, Sheepshead Bay)
1909:
- Won Select Stakes (ENG, 8FT, Newmarket)
1910:
- Won Advance Stakes (USA, 10.5FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- 2nd Saratoga Handicap (USA, 10FD, Saratoga)
- 3rd Suburban Handicap (USA, 10FD, Sheepshead Bay)
Honors
- American champion handicap male (1908)
- American co-champion handicap male (1910)
As an individual
A chestnut horse, Ballot had precocious speed but trained on well. Photographs suggest that he was a medium-sized, well-balanced individual of the intermediate distance type who was a bit upright in his front pasterns. Unlike his sire, he was a kindly-natured animal.
As a stallion
According to The Blood-Horse Silver Anniversary Edition, Ballot sired 218 winners (64.3%) and 34 stakes winners (10.0%) from 339 named foals, but his only runner to approach top class was Chilhowee, one of the best 3-year-old colts of 1924.
Sire rankings
Per The Blood-Horse:
- 2nd on the American general sire list in 1918, 1923, and 1924; 3rd in 1919; 4th in 1921; 5th in 1917; 6th in 1920; 9th in 1922.
- 7th on the American broodmare sire list in 1928 and 1931; 10th in 1926 and 1937.
Notable progeny
Rose Leaves (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Bull Lea (USA), Espino (USA)
Connections
Ballot was bred and owned by James R. Keene at his Castleton Stud in Kentucky. He was trained by James Rowe, Sr. He entered stud at Castleton in 1911 and was shipped to England for the 1912 season. He returned to the United States in 1913 and was sold privately to John E. Madden by the executors of Keene's estate. Madden then turned around and sold Ballot to James B. Haggin's Elmendorf Farm for an unreported amount. In the last year of his life, Ballot became the property of Raymond Gentry (the brother of the well-known horseman Olin Gentry), who used the old horse for advertising a feed product called “Enza-Vita.”
Pedigree notes
Ballot is inbred 5x4x4 to the “Emperor of Stallions,” Stockwell, and 5x4 to the 1864 Ascot Gold Cup winner Scottish Chief. He is a full brother to Cerise, dam of multiple stakes winner Cherry Tree (by Broomstick). He is a half brother to Stolen Moments (by Kingston), winner of the 1903 Gazelle Stakes, and to Ballet Girl (by St. Leonards), dam of the good stakes winner and 1937 American champion sire The Porter (by Sweep). Cerito's dam Merry Dance (by Doncaster) is a half sister to Saraband (by Muncaster), a very good horse in a vintage crop in England and sire of the great producer Admiration. Merry Dance is also a half sister to the multiple stakes winner Superba (by Sterling), who placed in two English Classics and produced the good stayer Pride (by Merry Hampton).
Fun facts
- In honor of Ballot's 33rd birthday, Gentry threw him a birthday party at Keeneland on January 1, 1937, with the help of Keeneland's publicity director, Brownie Leach. Despite Ballot's advanced age, he came out of the festivities in considerably better shape than the human participants, who had drunk as many as 35 toasts in his honor—one to him as a foal, one to him as a weanling, and one for each year of his age thereafter.
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the collection of Quarter Horse Record (Susan Larkin); used by permission.
Last updated: June 23, 2021