Black Toney (USA)
1911 – September 19, 1938
Peter Pan (USA) x Belgravia (USA), by Ben Brush (USA)
Family 10-d
1911 – September 19, 1938
Peter Pan (USA) x Belgravia (USA), by Ben Brush (USA)
Family 10-d
A moderate racehorse, Black Toney was tough, willing and game. As the foundation sire for Colonel Edward Riley Bradley's Idle Hour Stock Farm, he was able to transmit those qualities to offspring who were often better than he as racehorses. He left enduring marks on the Thoroughbred through both his male-line descendants, particularly Blue Larkspur, and his daughters.
Race record
40 starts, 13 wins, 11 seconds, 7 thirds, US$13,565
1913:
1914:
1915:
Assessments
According to Thoroughbred historian and breeder Abram Hewitt, Black Toney was at least 15-20 pounds inferior to the best colts of his year.
As an individual
A neat, compact horse who was actually a dark brown in color, Black Toney had a good hip and excellent legs and feet. His head was refined with a slightly dished profile. He was game and honest as a racehorse but suffered increasing soundness issues after suffering an injury in the 1914 Hamilton Derby. In the words of Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton, he was “a corky little black horse.”
As a stallion
According to The Blood-Horse Silver Anniversary Edition (Blood-Horse), Black Toney sired 161 winners (72.9%) and 40 stakes winners (18.1%) from 221 named foals. While his stock typically came to hand quickly—70.8% of his winners scored their first victory as juveniles—they generally trained on well. Black Toney is a Brilliant/Intermediate chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system.
Sire rankings
Per the American Racing Manual series:
Per The Blood-Horse and Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
Notable progeny
Balladier (USA), Big Hurry (USA), Bimelech (USA), Black Gold (USA), Black Helen (USA), Black Maria (USA), Black Servant (USA), Brokers Tip (USA), Miss Jemima (USA)
Connections
Black Toney was bred by James R. Keene at his Castleton Stud in Kentucky and was sold to William R. Prime in 1912 as part of a draft of 18 yearling colts. Shortly afterwards, Prime found himself in financial straits due to a reversal in the cotton market and was bailed out by his friend Bradley. The yearlings were put up at auction shortly afterward, and Bradley bought Black Toney from the sale for just US$1,600. After his racing career, Black Toney stood his entire stud career at Idle Hour and was pensioned after the 1936 breeding season. In September 1938, he died of an apparent heart attack just after being turned out in his paddock and was buried at Idle Hour on land that is now part of Darby Dan Farm.
Pedigree notes
Black Toney is inbred 5x5 to the important 19th-century sire Alarm. He is a half brother to the good juvenile filly Bonnie Mary (by Ultimus), dam of stakes winners Bonnie Omar (by Omar Khayyam), Quatrain (by Omar Khayyam) and Bonnie Maginn (by War Cloud; dam of the good stakes filly Bonnie Beryl, by Fighting Fox). Black Toney's dam Belgravia is a half sister to the Domino horse Disguise, a good stakes winner in England and a good sire in the United States. She is also a half sister to stakes winners Coy Maid (by Kingston; dam of stakes winners Star Maid and Dixie Smith) and Princess Flavia (by Prince Rupert). The female line traces back to the great 19th-century foundation mare Queen Mary.
Books and media
Black Toney is profiled in Chapter 34 of Abram Hewitt's Sire Lines (1977, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; updated and re-released by Eclipse Press in 2006).
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photograph by Sutcliffe; commissioned for Colonel Bradley's personal photo album. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: November 11, 2020
Race record
40 starts, 13 wins, 11 seconds, 7 thirds, US$13,565
1913:
- Won Valuation Stakes (USA, 5.5FD, Latonia)
- 3rd Saratoga Special (USA, Saratoga)
1914:
- Won Independence Handicap (USA, 9.5FD, Latonia)
- Also set new track record for 9 furlongs at Latonia, 1:50-1/5
1915:
- 2nd Latonia Inaugural Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Latonia)
- 2nd Latonia Autumn Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Latonia)
Assessments
According to Thoroughbred historian and breeder Abram Hewitt, Black Toney was at least 15-20 pounds inferior to the best colts of his year.
As an individual
A neat, compact horse who was actually a dark brown in color, Black Toney had a good hip and excellent legs and feet. His head was refined with a slightly dished profile. He was game and honest as a racehorse but suffered increasing soundness issues after suffering an injury in the 1914 Hamilton Derby. In the words of Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton, he was “a corky little black horse.”
As a stallion
According to The Blood-Horse Silver Anniversary Edition (Blood-Horse), Black Toney sired 161 winners (72.9%) and 40 stakes winners (18.1%) from 221 named foals. While his stock typically came to hand quickly—70.8% of his winners scored their first victory as juveniles—they generally trained on well. Black Toney is a Brilliant/Intermediate chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system.
Sire rankings
Per the American Racing Manual series:
- Led the American juvenile sire list in 1923 and 1939
Per The Blood-Horse and Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
- 2nd on the American general sire list in 1933; 5th in 1939; 6th in 1924; 9th in 1923; 10th in 1935
- 9th on the American broodmare sire list in 1933
Notable progeny
Balladier (USA), Big Hurry (USA), Bimelech (USA), Black Gold (USA), Black Helen (USA), Black Maria (USA), Black Servant (USA), Brokers Tip (USA), Miss Jemima (USA)
Connections
Black Toney was bred by James R. Keene at his Castleton Stud in Kentucky and was sold to William R. Prime in 1912 as part of a draft of 18 yearling colts. Shortly afterwards, Prime found himself in financial straits due to a reversal in the cotton market and was bailed out by his friend Bradley. The yearlings were put up at auction shortly afterward, and Bradley bought Black Toney from the sale for just US$1,600. After his racing career, Black Toney stood his entire stud career at Idle Hour and was pensioned after the 1936 breeding season. In September 1938, he died of an apparent heart attack just after being turned out in his paddock and was buried at Idle Hour on land that is now part of Darby Dan Farm.
Pedigree notes
Black Toney is inbred 5x5 to the important 19th-century sire Alarm. He is a half brother to the good juvenile filly Bonnie Mary (by Ultimus), dam of stakes winners Bonnie Omar (by Omar Khayyam), Quatrain (by Omar Khayyam) and Bonnie Maginn (by War Cloud; dam of the good stakes filly Bonnie Beryl, by Fighting Fox). Black Toney's dam Belgravia is a half sister to the Domino horse Disguise, a good stakes winner in England and a good sire in the United States. She is also a half sister to stakes winners Coy Maid (by Kingston; dam of stakes winners Star Maid and Dixie Smith) and Princess Flavia (by Prince Rupert). The female line traces back to the great 19th-century foundation mare Queen Mary.
Books and media
Black Toney is profiled in Chapter 34 of Abram Hewitt's Sire Lines (1977, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; updated and re-released by Eclipse Press in 2006).
Fun facts
- Black Toney was named in honor of Colonel Bradley's longtime butler and cook.
- Black Toney actually went back to the racetrack for another three starts in 1917 after serving his first two seasons at stud in 1916 and 1917. He had only four foals in his first crop, but one of them was the acknowledged champion juvenile filly of 1919, Miss Jemima; his second crop of three foals included Black Servant.
- Black Toney sired a record 16 Kentucky Derby starters. Of those foals, Black Gold (1924) and Brokers Tip (1933) won, while Black Servant (1921), Captain Hal (1925) and Bimelech (1940) all ran second.
- Despite his success at stud, Black Toney averaged only 10.5 foals per crop.
- Colonel Bradley honored his great sire by commissioning a bronze statue of him. The statue, about one-third life size, can still be seen near the stallion barn at Darby Dan Farm.
- No major races have been named for Black Toney, but an allowance race at the now-defunct Latonia Race Track was named the Black Toney Purse in his honor.
Photo credit
Photograph by Sutcliffe; commissioned for Colonel Bradley's personal photo album. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: November 11, 2020