This champion filly was named for a poisonous flower, but she had a sweet scent as far as her connections were concerned. She was a successful broodmare whose foals include a champion sire, but all of her important foals had their greatest successes outside North America. Name her.
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Here are the answers to this weekend's Preakness trivia challenge:
1) Only one mare has produced two winners of the Preakness Stakes. Name her and her Classic-winning sons. Leisure produced 1908 winner Royal Tourist and 1914 winner Holiday. A shout out to Allison Roulston for ferreting out the answer. 2) This Preakness winner rebounded from a surprising Kentucky Derby defeat to take the black-eyed Susans. The very last foal fathered by his distinguished sire, he completed a Triple Crown for that stallion, though undoubtedly not in the way their owner would have hoped. Name him. This one stumped everyone. The answer is Bimelech, who won the 1940 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes to complete a Triple Crown for his sire Black Toney. Black Toney's Kentucky Derby winner was Black Gold, the 1924 victor. 3) By the time this Preakness winner earned his Classic victory, he had already overcome more than his share of adversity. As a juvenile, he suffered a back injury from slamming into a starting gate, followed by a hock injury that caused him to miss the Saratoga meeting. On his first race back from the hock injury, he slammed his head into the starting gate and came back from a second-placed finish with a bleeding mouth. Nonetheless, he came back from all that to compile a great record for speed, courage and weight carrying ability. Name this accident-prone champion. Allison Roulston was spot-on again, correctly naming 1957 Preakness Stakes winner Bold Ruler as the subject of this question. 4) Name the only man to have won the Preakness Stakes as both a jockey and a trainer, and the horses with which he accomplished his feats. As Kim correctly stated, John Longden rode Count Fleet to victory in 1943 and trained Majestic Prince in 1969. Thanks to the same two horses, he is also the only man to have both ridden and trained Kentucky Derby winners. 5) Two Preakness Stakes winners have gone to France to contest the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Name them, the years in which they competed, and their results. Carry Back, the 1961 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, became the first winner of an American Triple Crown race to run in the Arc; he was 10th in 1962. In 1965, Preakness winner Tom Rolfe became the second to contest France's greatest race and finished sixth. Ron Micetic pegged Carry Back as one of the two, and Allison Roulston completed the double with Tom Rolfe. Well done to everyone who took a crack at these toughies! The regular trivia challenge will be back this weekend, but don't forget to look for the Belmont trivia challenge in three weeks! If anyone needed a reminder as to just how hard it is to win the American Triple Crown, they got one today. Undefeated Kentucky Derby (USA-G1) winner Nyquist came into the race fit and ready, and perhaps under other circumstances---a more favorable post position draw and a fast track---might have won. That he did not under the conditions he was given merely proves that he is a good colt, not a great one.
Undoubtedly, Exaggerator benefited from his favorite footing as he finally got the best of his nemesis in his fifth try. Nonetheless, his Kentucky Derby run signaled that he was improving and potentially dangerous over any going. Given the hot early pace, he might well have won regardless of the condition of the surface, and he has the pedigree to suggest that further improvement in the coming months is not only possible but probable. While a Triple Crown winner is now out of the question for 2016, one can hope that a great rivalry is in the works instead. As for Nyquist, he was hardly disgraced. While he doesn't move up in the slop, he did not appear to be hampered by it either, and pace and a wide trip probably had more to do with his downfall than did the footing. Mario Gutierrez will probably get a good deal of criticism for his ride, but in truth, with speed horses to either side he had only two choices: to drop back, try to avoid being boxed in and count on Nyquist's versatility and tactical speed to deliver a knockout closing punch, or to do what he did and use his colt's natural speed to try to gain a favorable position before taking back. That he was unable to take back and give his colt a breather was not entirely his fault. It is extremely difficult to get a competitive young Thoroughbred to relax and rate when he is being pressured on both the inside and the outside, and that is what befell Nyquist in a scenario similar to the one Smarty Jones encountered in the 2004 Belmont Stakes (USA-G1). Nyquist's loss of course takes much of the bloom off the upcoming Belmont Stakes, and it isn't known yet whether there will be a rubber match between the two Classic winners. Make no mistake about it, though: a good horse won the Preakness, and that is no exaggeration. The legendary Fountain of Youth is supposed to be down here in Florida, but Ben's Cat apparently has his own private pipeline. The seemingly ageless 10-year-old was back in action in today's Jim McKay Turf Sprint, a race he has all but owned for over half a decade. When Ben's Cat won his first Jim McKay back in 2011, two of today's rivals hadn't even been foaled yet---including 4-5 favorite Rocket Heat---and another two were still nursing mother's milk. It didn't matter a whit to The Cat, who put the young whippersnappers in their place by a measured neck as he took his fifth Jim McKay in the last six years.
By this time, it's pretty obvious that The Cat only needs a jockey to satisfy the requirements put up by mere humans. Other than that, it's "I've got this, bub---you just hang on for the ride." If he misses regular pilot Julian Pimentel, he isn't showing it. Trevor McCarthy, now 2-for-2 with the gelding, already has the right idea; just point The Cat at a hole and stay with him. He'll do the rest. Whatever's in The Cat's water, he's apparently sharing it with trainer King Leatherbury, who was sporting his very own Ben's Cat tie as he posed with his star in the Pimlico winner's circle. When asked whether the gelding might try for a fifth straight Jim McKay next year, Leatherbury grinned and said, "Why not?" Why not, indeed? As promised, here's the special Preakness edition of the weekly trivia challenge. All the answers can be found on this website. Let's see if anyone can get all five questions right by post time!
1) Only one mare has produced two winners of the Preakness Stakes. Name her and her Classic-winning sons. 2) This Preakness winner rebounded from a surprising Kentucky Derby defeat to take the black-eyed Susans. The very last foal fathered by his distinguished sire, he completed a Triple Crown for that stallion, though undoubtedly not in the way their owner would have hoped. Name him. 3) By the time this Preakness winner earned his Classic victory, he had already overcome more than his share of adversity. As a juvenile, he suffered a back injury from slamming into a starting gate, followed by a hock injury that caused him to miss the Saratoga meeting. On his first race back from the hock injury, he slammed his head into the starting gate and came back from a second-placed finish with a bleeding mouth. Nonetheless, he came back from all that to compile a great record for speed, courage and weight carrying ability. Name this accident-prone champion. 4) Name the only man to have won the Preakness Stakes as both a jockey and a trainer, and the horses with which he accomplished his feats. 5) Two Preakness Stakes winners have gone to France to contest the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Name them, the years in which they competed, and their results. Enjoy, and good luck! Ballot, a two-time American champion handicap horse in the early part of the 20th century, was the guest of honor at what may have been the most lavish birthday party ever thrown for a Thoroughbred in North America. Thrown by Ballot's owner Raymond Gentry (who was using the old horse as living advertisement for a feed product called "Enza-Vita") and Keeneland publicity director Brownie Leach, the bash took place on January 1, 1937, and left most of the participants considerably worse for wear. The 33-year-old Ballot was one of the few to emerge unscathed, and he died quietly of old age not too long afterward.
This champion of yesteryear was lucky enough to live to an advanced age---33---but the guests at his final birthday party were less fortunate, largely due to their own overindulgence after having tried to drink a toast to every year of the horse's age and then some. While no one died as a result of this epic bash, the horse was one of the few at the celebration not suffering from a monumental hangover the next day. Who was the equine guest of honor at this memorable gala?
Thanks to everyone who took a crack at answering this weekend's trivia questions! Here are the answers, along with the handles of anyone who got one right.
For the Oaks: 1) In the history of the Kentucky Oaks, only three mares have produced multiple winners of the race. Name them and their Oaks-winning progeny. Queenlike (produced 1906 winner King's Daughter and 1908 winner Ellen-a-Dale) Blue Delight (produced 1952 winner Real Delight, 1953 winner Bubbley and 1956 winner Princess Turia) Quaze (produced 1972 winner Susan's Girl and 1974 winner Quaze Quilt) Duchess came closest to getting this one, naming Blue Delight as one of the mares involved. 2) While no filly has ever completed the Kentucky Oaks/Kentucky Derby double, three Oaks winners have placed in the Run for the Roses. Name them. Flamma, 3rd in 1912 Bronzewing, 3rd in 1914 Viva America, 3rd in 1918 Congratulations to Ron Micetic, who named Viva America as one of the three. 3) Name the only filly to win both the Kentucky Oaks and the Canadian Oaks (now the Woodbine Oaks). Gal in a Ruckus pulled off this double in 1995. 4) As just about everyone who's been paying attention knows, Kentucky Oaks favorite Rachel's Valentina is the daughter of 2008 victress Rachel Alexandra. What Oaks winner is the granddam of another of the Oaks starters? 2001 Oaks winner Flute is the granddam of 2016 Oaks starter Weep No More. Andrea Bouwkamp spotted this one---good job! 5) Only one Kentucky Oaks winner has produced a winner of one of the major European Classic races. Name her and her Classic-winning son. 1977 Oaks winner Sweet Alliance is the dam of 1983 Irish Sweeps Derby (IRE-G1) winner Shareef Dancer. Now for the Derby: 1) Name the youngest known Kentucky Derby winner. Northern Dancer, a May 27 foal, was 2 years, 11 months and 5 days old when the 1964 Kentucky Derby ran on May 2. Joanna was right on the money with this one. 2) No mare has ever produced two Kentucky Derby winners, but one Kentucky Derby winner has a full brother who won one of the other Triple Crown races. Name these Classic-winning siblings and their dam. Whiskery, the 1927 Kentucky Derby winner, and Victorian, the 1928 Preakness Stakes winner, were both by Whisk Broom II out of two-time American champion filly Prudery. 3) What Kentucky Derby winner is buried in a pet cemetery? Due to city ordinances forbidding the burial of animals within city limits, 1918 Kentucky Derby winner Exterminator was buried in a pet cemetery south of Binghamton, New York. Joanna unearthed this bit of trivia as well (sorry, couldn't resist the pun!). 4) What Kentucky Derby winner was named for a brand of whiskey? 1914 victor Old Rosebud was named for a brand of whiskey produced by a distillery belonging to the family of his owner, Churchill Downs track secretary Hamilton Applegate. A toast to Joanna, who got another one right! 5) This Kentucky Derby winner was sired by a horse that never won a race and begot just 14 foals. His dam also failed to win. Name this improbably-bred champion and his parents. The unlikely pedigree sketch above belongs to 1928 Kentucky Derby winner Reigh Count, by Sunreigh out of Contessina. Again, thanks to everyone who enjoyed this week's challenges. Keep your reference books handy---after this coming weekend's "normal" trivia question, there will be another special in honor of the Preakness Stakes. After Cathryn Sophia's first defeat in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (USA-G1), trainer John Servis indicated that the filly would pass the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) due to two concerns: the longer distance of the Run for the Lilies, and Songbird---mostly Songbird, as it turned out. Five days and a critical work after the undefeated champion's withdrawal from the Oaks due to a persistent fever, Cathryn Sophia was back in. That turnabout paid off today as the Maryland-bred daughter of Street Boss, showing a new level of maturity, came from off the pace to win America's richest race for sophomore fillies.
Given that Cathryn Sophia was being kept to her business as Land Over Sea finished 2-3/4 lengths back in second, the results of the race also suggest that Servis' original decision would have been correct if Songbird had stayed in: the champion had been handling the consistent Land Over Sea with the utmost of ease on the West Coast. Nonetheless, Cathryn Sophia now has a solid claim to being the second best of the sophomore fillies. She also has a lot more options ahead of her; not only did she handle the 9-furlong trip with aplomb, but she did so after being fanned four-wide around the final turn, demonstrating that she is the granddaughter of the staying Mineshaft just as much as she is the daughter of the sprinter Street Boss. The biggest disappointment of the race was Rachel's Valentina, who was favored to emulate the Oaks heroics of her dam Rachel Alexandra. She was part of the cavalry charge on the front end coming around the turn into the homestretch, but she retreated steadily from her favorable position thereafter and wound up sixth. The difference, perhaps, may have been seasoning. For Rachel's Valentina, her tough defeat in the Ashland was her first start of the season, while for Cathryn Sophia, it was her fifth, and that may have been the difference between one filly being knocked out by the effort and the other being sharpened. It's also worth noting that Servis took Cathryn Sophia through an old-fashioned sequence of starting in sprints and stretching out the distance step by step. For Cash Is King Stable, Cathryn Sophia's victory is sweet vindication of a decision to pick up a smallish but athletic filly for US$30,000 from the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic sale. It's also a well-deserved return to the top of racing for some of racing's nicest guys. It's been a while coming---it's been 12 years since John Servis trained the popular Smarty Jones to two Classic wins, and 11 years since the Cash Is King partners found a place in racing's heart with a gutty champion named Afleet Alex and a campaign on behalf of a little girl's dream to find a cure for cancer. They may not have another champion on their hands: Songbird will probably still be waiting down the road. But for now, the scent of lilies has to be sweet indeed. It's the boys' turn to come up with some stumpers in a special Kentucky Derby trivia challenge. This time, all the answers can be found on the American Classic Pedigrees website.
1) Name the youngest known Kentucky Derby winner. 2) No mare has ever produced two Kentucky Derby winners, but one Kentucky Derby winner has a full brother who won one of the other Triple Crown races. Name these Classic-winning siblings and their dam. 3) What Kentucky Derby winner is buried in a pet cemetery? 4) What Kentucky Derby winner was named for a brand of whiskey? 5) This Kentucky Derby winner was sired by a horse that never won a race and begot just 14 foals. His dam also failed to win. Name this improbably-bred champion and his parents. Can you find the answers before the Kentucky Derby goes to the post tomorrow? |
AuthorI'm Avalyn Hunter, an author, pedigree researcher and longtime racing fan with a particular interest in Thoroughbred mares and their contributions to the history of the breed. Categories
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