Pleasant Colony (USA)
May 4, 1978 – December 31, 2002
His Majesty (USA) x Sun Colony (USA), by Sunrise Flight (USA)
Family 5-a
May 4, 1978 – December 31, 2002
His Majesty (USA) x Sun Colony (USA), by Sunrise Flight (USA)
Family 5-a
Gangly and rawboned as a youngster, Pleasant Colony was an ugly duckling who became a swan—at least on the track. While he was never considered a particularly handsome horse, he matured into a streamlined racing machine as a 3-year-old. He later became one of the few commercially viable sires not tracing to Northern Dancer, Raise a Native or Seattle Slew in the late 20th century.
Race record
14 starts, 6 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third, US$965,383
1980:
1981:
Honors
Assessments
Rated at 117 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1980, 9 pounds below champion Lord Avie.
Highweighted at 126 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1981, 1 pound above Lord Avie.
As an individual
A dark bay or brown horse, Pleasant Colony stood 16.3 hands. He was plain, leggy and angular with clean legs and rather long, sloping pasterns above large, well-shaped feet. His shoulder was excellent and he had good rein length. He carried little flesh while racing or in the stud and was habitually unruly at the start of his races. He lacked tactical speed and typically won his races with a strong closing charge. As a retired stallion he was kindly and had a strong taste for peppermints.
As a stallion
The Jockey Club's records show Pleasant Colony as the sire of 368 winners (57.5%) and 70 stakes winners (10.9%) from 640 named foals. Thoroughbred Times credits Pleasant Colony with 75 stakes winners (11.7%), while the reference book Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World lists him as the sire of 77 stakes winners (12.0%). Although he is widely considered a source of stamina, Pleasant Colony is an Intermediate chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system.
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):
Thoroughbred Times (previously Thoroughbred Record):
Behrens (USA), Cherokee Colony (USA), Colonial Affair (USA), Colonial Colony (USA), Colonial Waters (USA), Denon (USA), Forbidden Apple (USA), Pleasant Stage (USA), Pleasant Tap (USA), Pleasant Variety (USA), Pleasantly Perfect (USA), Roanoke (USA), Shared Interest (USA), Sir Beaufort (USA), St. Jovite (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Cash Run (USA), Changeintheweather (USA), Farda Amiga (USA), Forestry (USA), Hero's Love (USA), Keeper (AUS), Pleasant Home (USA), Royal Fantasy (GER), Summer Colony (USA), Urbane (USA)
Connections
Foaled in Virginia, Pleasant Colony was bred and owned by Thomas Evans, who raced the colt in the silks of his Buckland Farm. The horse was trained by Lee O'Donnell through his second start at 3 and was then transferred to the barn of John Campo, Sr., who trained him for the remainder of his racing career. Pleasant Colony was ridden to his Kentucky Derby and Preakness triumphs by Jorge Velázquez.
Pleasant Colony entered stud in 1982 at the Kentucky division of Buckland Farm. Following Evans' death in 1998, Pleasant Colony transferred to Lane's End Farm, where he was pensioned in the spring of 2000 due to declining libido. He was moved to the Kentucky Horse Park but was unable to settle in there and began losing weight. The horse's connections, deciding he needed a quieter environment, transferred him to Blue Ridge Farm in Virginia, where he settled into a peaceful retirement. Pleasant Colony died of natural causes in his paddock on December 31, 2002. His body was taken back to Buckland Farm's main property in Virginia for burial.
Pedigree notes
Pleasant Colony is inbred 5x5 to Mahmoud. He is a half brother to Homily (by What a Pleasure), whose daughter Salta's Pride (by El Raggaas) was a listed stakes winner in Argentina and the United States.
Pleasant Colony's dam Sun Colony won the 1972 Gallorette Handicap and is a half sister to Italian Group 2 winner Time and Life (by Arts and Letters). She is also a half sister to Lakeside Drive (by Kauai King), dam of stakes winner Mr. Bobeva (by Mr. Leader) and second dam of stakes winner and multiple stakes producer Margaret's Hope. In addition, Sun Colony is a half sister to Grade 2-placed Bidding Bold (by Bold Bidder), dam of Grade 3 winner Shellbacks.
The second dam of Pleasant Colony, Colonia, was a stakes winner in her native Uruguay. Sired by the Nasrullah horse Cockrullah, she is out of the Argentine mare Nalga, whose sire Guatan won the 1944 Gran Premio Jockey Club (the second leg of the Argentine Triple Crown) and was a good sire and broodmare sire.
Books and media
Fun facts
Last updated: August 17, 2024
Race record
14 starts, 6 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third, US$965,383
1980:
- Won Remsen Stakes (USA-G2, 9FD, Aqueduct; by disqualification of Akureyri)
- 2nd Pilgrim Stakes (USA, 9FT, Aqueduct)
1981:
- Won Wood Memorial Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Aqueduct)
- Won Kentucky Derby (USA-G1, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
- Won Preakness Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Pimlico)
- Won Woodward Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Belmont)
- 2nd Travers Stakes (USA-G1, 10FD, Saratoga)
- 2nd Fountain of Youth Stakes (USA-G3, 8.5FD, Gulfstream Park)
- 3rd Belmont Stakes (USA-G1, 12FD, Belmont)
Honors
- Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1982)
- Eclipse Award, American champion 3-year-old male (1981)
Assessments
Rated at 117 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1980, 9 pounds below champion Lord Avie.
Highweighted at 126 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1981, 1 pound above Lord Avie.
As an individual
A dark bay or brown horse, Pleasant Colony stood 16.3 hands. He was plain, leggy and angular with clean legs and rather long, sloping pasterns above large, well-shaped feet. His shoulder was excellent and he had good rein length. He carried little flesh while racing or in the stud and was habitually unruly at the start of his races. He lacked tactical speed and typically won his races with a strong closing charge. As a retired stallion he was kindly and had a strong taste for peppermints.
As a stallion
The Jockey Club's records show Pleasant Colony as the sire of 368 winners (57.5%) and 70 stakes winners (10.9%) from 640 named foals. Thoroughbred Times credits Pleasant Colony with 75 stakes winners (11.7%), while the reference book Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World lists him as the sire of 77 stakes winners (12.0%). Although he is widely considered a source of stamina, Pleasant Colony is an Intermediate chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system.
Sire rankings
Per the American Racing Manual (Daily Racing Form) series:
- 3rd on the American general sire list in 1992.
- 8th on the American broodmare sire list in 2005 and 2008.
Per The Blood-Horse:
- 6th on the American general sire list in 2004.
Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
- 2nd on the American general sire list in 1992; 4th in 1991.
- 10th on the American broodmare sire list in 2005.
- 4th on the combined English/Irish general sire list in 1992.
Per Thoroughbred Heritage (www.tbheritage.com):
- Led the Irish general sire list in 1992.
Thoroughbred Times (previously Thoroughbred Record):
- 2nd on the American general sire list in 1992; 4th in 1991.
Behrens (USA), Cherokee Colony (USA), Colonial Affair (USA), Colonial Colony (USA), Colonial Waters (USA), Denon (USA), Forbidden Apple (USA), Pleasant Stage (USA), Pleasant Tap (USA), Pleasant Variety (USA), Pleasantly Perfect (USA), Roanoke (USA), Shared Interest (USA), Sir Beaufort (USA), St. Jovite (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Cash Run (USA), Changeintheweather (USA), Farda Amiga (USA), Forestry (USA), Hero's Love (USA), Keeper (AUS), Pleasant Home (USA), Royal Fantasy (GER), Summer Colony (USA), Urbane (USA)
Connections
Foaled in Virginia, Pleasant Colony was bred and owned by Thomas Evans, who raced the colt in the silks of his Buckland Farm. The horse was trained by Lee O'Donnell through his second start at 3 and was then transferred to the barn of John Campo, Sr., who trained him for the remainder of his racing career. Pleasant Colony was ridden to his Kentucky Derby and Preakness triumphs by Jorge Velázquez.
Pleasant Colony entered stud in 1982 at the Kentucky division of Buckland Farm. Following Evans' death in 1998, Pleasant Colony transferred to Lane's End Farm, where he was pensioned in the spring of 2000 due to declining libido. He was moved to the Kentucky Horse Park but was unable to settle in there and began losing weight. The horse's connections, deciding he needed a quieter environment, transferred him to Blue Ridge Farm in Virginia, where he settled into a peaceful retirement. Pleasant Colony died of natural causes in his paddock on December 31, 2002. His body was taken back to Buckland Farm's main property in Virginia for burial.
Pedigree notes
Pleasant Colony is inbred 5x5 to Mahmoud. He is a half brother to Homily (by What a Pleasure), whose daughter Salta's Pride (by El Raggaas) was a listed stakes winner in Argentina and the United States.
Pleasant Colony's dam Sun Colony won the 1972 Gallorette Handicap and is a half sister to Italian Group 2 winner Time and Life (by Arts and Letters). She is also a half sister to Lakeside Drive (by Kauai King), dam of stakes winner Mr. Bobeva (by Mr. Leader) and second dam of stakes winner and multiple stakes producer Margaret's Hope. In addition, Sun Colony is a half sister to Grade 2-placed Bidding Bold (by Bold Bidder), dam of Grade 3 winner Shellbacks.
The second dam of Pleasant Colony, Colonia, was a stakes winner in her native Uruguay. Sired by the Nasrullah horse Cockrullah, she is out of the Argentine mare Nalga, whose sire Guatan won the 1944 Gran Premio Jockey Club (the second leg of the Argentine Triple Crown) and was a good sire and broodmare sire.
Books and media
- Pleasant Colony is profiled in Chapter 11 of Avalyn Hunter's American Classic Pedigrees 1914-2002 (2003, Eclipse Press).
- Footage of Pleasant Colony's Kentucky Derby and Preakness can be accessed within the article "Pleasant Colony: A Genuine Racehorse" by Terry Conway, posted April 22, 2019, at America's Best Racing (https://www.americasbestracing.net/the-sport/2019-pleasant-colony-genuine-racehorse).
Fun facts
- Thanks to a court decision handed down the day before the 1981 Kentucky Derby (USA-G1), Pleasant Colony's Derby had 21 starters, the largest field since Cannonade's victory over 22 rivals in 1974. No Kentucky Derby since then has had more than 20 runners.
- Pleasant Colony's Kentucky Derby run made Dr. Janice Runkle the first woman to be the primary veterinarian for a Derby entrant or winner.
- Pleasant Colony's brilliant closing run in the 1981 Preakness Stakes (USA-G1) tied him with Little Current (1974), Affirmed (1978) and Codex (1980) for the fastest final 3/16 of a mile in the race, clocking :18-1/5 for the distance.
- Pleasant Colony's “buddy” during his retirement at Blue Ridge Farm was two-time American champion sprinter Housebuster, who had the stall and paddock right next door.
Last updated: August 17, 2024