Considered the second-best colt of the vintage crop of 1905 by eminent handicapper Walter Vosburgh, Celt possessed brilliant speed up to at least 10 furlongs but was not overly sound. In spite of whatever failings he had, he proved a very good sire and broodmare sire and was the first in the Hancock family's long procession of champion sires.
Race record
6 starts, 4 wins, 1 second, 1 third, US$31,645
1907:
1908:
Assessments
Celt's form relative to the champion of his crop, the great Colin, was difficult to assess as the two were stablemates. The two met only once, in the 1907 Flatbush Stakes, and Colin won easily by three lengths while conceding Celt 15 pounds; however, Celt was making his first start and probably was not pushed to try to cut into Colin's margin. At level weights, Celt later defeated Uncle easily by a length and a half in the Junior Champion Stakes, and Uncle had been good enough to run Colin to a length at level weights in the Saratoga Special. The virtually unanimous assessment of racing historians has been that Colin was the superior of the pair, but the margin between the two colts was not nearly so great as the result of the Flatbush might suggest.
Celt's merits with regard to Fair Play are also ambiguous. Again, there was only a single encounter between the pair, and on the surface Celt appeared to be about 10 pounds better than Fair Play as he defeated the son of Hastings by a length and a half in the Brooklyn Handicap while conceding him 7 pounds. There were extenuating circumstances for Fair Play, however; he was coming into the race off only two days' rest from his grueling duel with Colin over a deep, muddy track in the Belmont Stakes and was making his third start in nine days. (He had opened his season with another hard-driving loss to Colin in the Withers Stakes.) While Celt came into the Brooklyn with only a four-day turnaround from his previous race, he had won that outing—his season opener—with such ease that jockey Joe Notter had only shaken the whip at him to keep him from loafing in the stretch. One might reasonably conclude that Celt came into the Brooklyn as a much fresher horse than Fair Play.
As an individual
A bay horse, Celt was brilliant but apparently not very durable as he made only two starts in each of his three seasons of racing. Photographic evidence suggests that he was a good-bodied horse with strong hindquarters but had tied-in tendons below the knee.
As a stallion
According to The Blood-Horse Silver Anniversary Edition (Blood-Horse), Celt sired 127 winners (64.8%) and 29 stakes winners (14.8%) from 196 named foals. Several other sources credit Celt with 30 stakes winners (15.3%). Celt was best known for throwing speed and precocity.
Sire rankings
Per the American Racing Manual (Daily Racing Form) series:
Per The Blood-Horse:
Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
Per Thoroughbred Heritage (www,tbheritage.com):
Notable progeny
Dunboyne (USA), Marguerite (USA), Polka Dot (USA), Touch Me Not (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Dr. Freeland (USA), Easter Stockings (USA), Fighting Fox (USA), Foxbrough (USA), Gallant Fox (USA), Mintwina (USA), Petee-Wrack (USA), Swivel (USA)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky at Castleton Stud, Celt was bred and owned by James R. Keene. He was trained by James Rowe, Sr. He initially stood at Castleton Stud in 1910, then stood at Ellerslie Stud in Virginia in 1911-1912 under lease to Arthur B. Hancock, Sr. Hancock was unable to persuade Keene to extend the lease for 1913, resulting in Celt's return to Kentucky before Keene's death on January 3, 1913. By that time, Castleton had been sold and Keene's horses were kept at Kingston Stud until the executors of his estate were able to hold a dispersal sale on September 2, 1913. Hancock bought Celt from the sale for a price variously reported at US$20,000 or US$25,000 and took the stallion back to Ellerslie, where Celt spent the rest of his life.
Pedigree notes
Celt is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to Bandello (by Kingston), dam of 1921 Adirondack Handicap winner Oil Man (by North Star III) and second dam of 1936 Sheridan Handicap winner Bow and Arrow (by Whichone). His dam Maid of Erin was imported in utero and is a half sister to the excellent sprinter and good sire Voter, winner of the 1897 Metropolitan Handicap, and to Nora Creina (by Kingston), dam of the good stakes winner Lahore (by Delhi).
Mavourneen, the dam of Maid of Erin, was sound and hardy and won a couple of minor English stakes during her career but usually ran under light weights, indicating her modest class. She was sired by the undefeated Irish champion Barcaldine out of Gaydene (by Albert Victor), a mare whose class and racing characteristics were similar to those of her daughter.
Books and media
Celt is profiled in Chapter 41 of Abram S. Hewitt's Sire Lines (1977, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; updated and re-released by Eclipse Press in 2006).
Fun facts
Last updated: December 18, 2021
Race record
6 starts, 4 wins, 1 second, 1 third, US$31,645
1907:
- Won Junior Champion Stakes (USA, about 6FD, Gravesend)
- 2nd Flatbush Stakes (USA, 7FD, Sheepshead Bay)
1908:
- Won Brooklyn Handicap (USA, 10FD, Gravesend; new track record 2:04-1/5)
Assessments
Celt's form relative to the champion of his crop, the great Colin, was difficult to assess as the two were stablemates. The two met only once, in the 1907 Flatbush Stakes, and Colin won easily by three lengths while conceding Celt 15 pounds; however, Celt was making his first start and probably was not pushed to try to cut into Colin's margin. At level weights, Celt later defeated Uncle easily by a length and a half in the Junior Champion Stakes, and Uncle had been good enough to run Colin to a length at level weights in the Saratoga Special. The virtually unanimous assessment of racing historians has been that Colin was the superior of the pair, but the margin between the two colts was not nearly so great as the result of the Flatbush might suggest.
Celt's merits with regard to Fair Play are also ambiguous. Again, there was only a single encounter between the pair, and on the surface Celt appeared to be about 10 pounds better than Fair Play as he defeated the son of Hastings by a length and a half in the Brooklyn Handicap while conceding him 7 pounds. There were extenuating circumstances for Fair Play, however; he was coming into the race off only two days' rest from his grueling duel with Colin over a deep, muddy track in the Belmont Stakes and was making his third start in nine days. (He had opened his season with another hard-driving loss to Colin in the Withers Stakes.) While Celt came into the Brooklyn with only a four-day turnaround from his previous race, he had won that outing—his season opener—with such ease that jockey Joe Notter had only shaken the whip at him to keep him from loafing in the stretch. One might reasonably conclude that Celt came into the Brooklyn as a much fresher horse than Fair Play.
As an individual
A bay horse, Celt was brilliant but apparently not very durable as he made only two starts in each of his three seasons of racing. Photographic evidence suggests that he was a good-bodied horse with strong hindquarters but had tied-in tendons below the knee.
As a stallion
According to The Blood-Horse Silver Anniversary Edition (Blood-Horse), Celt sired 127 winners (64.8%) and 29 stakes winners (14.8%) from 196 named foals. Several other sources credit Celt with 30 stakes winners (15.3%). Celt was best known for throwing speed and precocity.
Sire rankings
Per the American Racing Manual (Daily Racing Form) series:
- Led the American general sire list in 1921.
Per The Blood-Horse:
- Led the American general sire list in 1921; 4th in 1922; 6th in 1919; 8th in 1918.
- Led the American broodmare sire list in 1930; 3rd in 1928; 5th in 1929; 9th in 1931; 10th in 1932.
- Led the American juvenile sire list in 1919 and 1920.
Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
- Led the American general sire list in 1921; 4th in 1922; 6th in 1919; 8th in 1918.
- Led the American broodmare sire list in 1930; 9th in 1931; 10th in 1932.
Per Thoroughbred Heritage (www,tbheritage.com):
- Led the American general sire list in 1921.
- Led the American broodmare sire list in 1930.
Notable progeny
Dunboyne (USA), Marguerite (USA), Polka Dot (USA), Touch Me Not (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Dr. Freeland (USA), Easter Stockings (USA), Fighting Fox (USA), Foxbrough (USA), Gallant Fox (USA), Mintwina (USA), Petee-Wrack (USA), Swivel (USA)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky at Castleton Stud, Celt was bred and owned by James R. Keene. He was trained by James Rowe, Sr. He initially stood at Castleton Stud in 1910, then stood at Ellerslie Stud in Virginia in 1911-1912 under lease to Arthur B. Hancock, Sr. Hancock was unable to persuade Keene to extend the lease for 1913, resulting in Celt's return to Kentucky before Keene's death on January 3, 1913. By that time, Castleton had been sold and Keene's horses were kept at Kingston Stud until the executors of his estate were able to hold a dispersal sale on September 2, 1913. Hancock bought Celt from the sale for a price variously reported at US$20,000 or US$25,000 and took the stallion back to Ellerslie, where Celt spent the rest of his life.
Pedigree notes
Celt is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to Bandello (by Kingston), dam of 1921 Adirondack Handicap winner Oil Man (by North Star III) and second dam of 1936 Sheridan Handicap winner Bow and Arrow (by Whichone). His dam Maid of Erin was imported in utero and is a half sister to the excellent sprinter and good sire Voter, winner of the 1897 Metropolitan Handicap, and to Nora Creina (by Kingston), dam of the good stakes winner Lahore (by Delhi).
Mavourneen, the dam of Maid of Erin, was sound and hardy and won a couple of minor English stakes during her career but usually ran under light weights, indicating her modest class. She was sired by the undefeated Irish champion Barcaldine out of Gaydene (by Albert Victor), a mare whose class and racing characteristics were similar to those of her daughter.
Books and media
Celt is profiled in Chapter 41 of Abram S. Hewitt's Sire Lines (1977, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; updated and re-released by Eclipse Press in 2006).
Fun facts
- According to author Edward Bowen, Hal Price Headley, Harry Payne Whitney and Colonel Edward Riley Bradley were also interested in Celt when the horse came up for sale at the Keene dispersal. After realizing that Hancock was willing to pay more for the horse than he was prepared to give, Headley made a gentleman's agreement with Hancock not to bid on Celt, but Hancock still had to outbid the other two.
Last updated: December 18, 2021