Verbatim (USA)
February 10, 1965 – March 15, 1991
Speak John (USA) x Well Kept (USA), by Never Say Die (USA)
Family 10-d
February 10, 1965 – March 15, 1991
Speak John (USA) x Well Kept (USA), by Never Say Die (USA)
Family 10-d
In spite of a pedigree that suggested stamina as its strong suit, Verbatim looked more like a miler at 3. At 4, he was able to stretch his speed up to 10 furlongs and proved that he did not have to control the pace to get a two-turn distance when he used a stalking trip to beat the top handicappers Nodouble and Quicken Tree in the 9-furlong Governor Nicolls Stakes. His merit as a sire was roughly comparable to his merit as a racer, as he proved to be a good stallion just below the top tier of sires.
Race record
51 starts, 11 wins, 10 seconds, 7 thirds, US$415,802
1967:
1968:
1969:
1970:
Assessments
Rated at 115 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1967, 11 pounds below champion Vitriolic.
Rated at 115 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1968, 15 pounds below divisional co-champion Stage Door Johnny and 14 pounds below the other co-champion, Forward Pass.
Rated at 124 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older males of 1969, 8 pounds below champion Nodouble.
Rated at 112 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older males of 1970, 20 pounds below champion Arts and Letters and 18 pounds below the official divisional co-champion Nodouble (who shared handicap male honors with turf specialist and co-Horse of the Year Fort Marcy).
As an individual
A dark bay or brown horse, Verbatim stood 15.3 hands. He generally did his best racing on or close to the pace. He was indifferent to track conditions.
As a stallion
The Jockey Club's records show Verbatim as the sire of 429 winners (70.6%) and 55 stakes winners (9.0%) from 608 named foals.
Sire rankings
Per the American Racing Manual (Daily Racing Form) series:
Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
Notable progeny
Alphabatim (USA), Princess Rooney (USA), Summing (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Buck's Boy (USA), Fogoso Nove (ARG), My Own Business (VEN)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Verbatim was bred and owned by Maxwell Gluck's Elmendorf Farm. He was trained at various times by Jerome C. “Jerry” Meyer, V. J. "Lefty" Nickerson, J. P. Conway, and A. Bencivenga. He entered stud in Kentucky in 1971 at Elmendorf, moving to Spendthrift Farm in late 1989. He was pensioned following the 1990 breeding season and was euthanized March 15, 1991, due to the infirmities of old age.
Pedigree notes
A member of the first crop of 1961 Del Mar Derby winner Speak John, Verbatim is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to False Fashion (by the stakes-winning Goya II horse Arrogate), dam of Grade 2 winners Our Talisman (by Cornish Prince) and Silent Cal (by Hold Your Peace), Grade 3 winner Capital Idea (by Iron Ruler), and minor stakes winners Never Swoon (by Swoon's Son) and Vermejo Park (by Sir Gaylord). He is also a half brother to Scotch Hop (by Ben Lomond), whose great-granddaughter Miss Lambada was the champion juvenile filly of 1990 in the Dominican Republic.
Verbatim's dam Well Kept failed to win or place in two starts but is a half sister to Early Frames (by Prince John), whose Fleet Nasrullah colt Don B. won the 1967 Bay Meadows Juvenile Championship, the 1967 California Breeders' Champion Stakes, and four other stakes races. Early Frames is also the third dam of 1995 Panamanian champion imported 2-year-old male Gris Grande, Peruvian Group 2 winner Tactical War, and Grade 3 winners Fantasy Angel and Magic Code.
Sired by 1954 English champion 3-year-old male Never Say Die, Well Kept is also a half sister to Rising Fury (by Summer Tan), third dam of Grade 2 winner A to the Z. Well Kept and her sisters were produced from Bed o' Roses II (by Preciptic, a stakes-winning son of 1937 English champion older male Precipitation), a half sister to two-time English champion sprinter and 1953 Hollywood Gold Cup winner Royal Serenade (by Royal Charger), 1954 English champion sprinter Royal Palm (by Royal Charger), and juvenile stakes winner Anonymous (by Valerian). The next dam in the tail-female line, Pasquinade, is an unraced daughter of 1938 Two Thousand Guineas winner Pasch out of 1933 Jersey Stakes winner Fur Tor, by 1933 French champion sire Apelle.
Fun facts
Last updated: January 29, 2022
Race record
51 starts, 11 wins, 10 seconds, 7 thirds, US$415,802
1967:
- 2nd Remsen Handicap (USA, 8FD, Aqueduct)
1968:
- Won Gotham Stakes (USA, 8FD, Aqueduct)
- Won Bahamas Stakes (USA, 7FD, Hialeah)
- Won Bay Shore Stakes (first division) (USA, 7FD, Aqueduct)
- 3rd Wood Memorial Stakes (USA, 9FD, Aqueduct)
- 3rd Withers Stakes (USA, 8FD, Aqueduct)
- 3rd Derby Trial Stakes (USA, 8FD, Churchill Downs)
1969:
- Won Amory L. Haskell Handicap (USA, 10FD, Monmouth)
- Won Governor Nicolls Stakes (USA, 9FD, Belmont)
- Won Whitney Stakes (USA, 9FD, Saratoga)
- 2nd Brooklyn Handicap (USA, 10FD, Aqueduct)
- 3rd Woodward Stakes (USA, 10FD, Belmont)
- 3rd Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (USA, 10FD, Hawthorne)
- 3rd William Penn Handicap (USA, 9FD, Liberty Bell)
- Also set NTR of 1:41-2/5 for 8.5FD at Liberty Bell Park
1970:
- 2nd Suburban Handicap (USA, 10FD, Aqueduct)
Assessments
Rated at 115 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1967, 11 pounds below champion Vitriolic.
Rated at 115 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1968, 15 pounds below divisional co-champion Stage Door Johnny and 14 pounds below the other co-champion, Forward Pass.
Rated at 124 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older males of 1969, 8 pounds below champion Nodouble.
Rated at 112 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older males of 1970, 20 pounds below champion Arts and Letters and 18 pounds below the official divisional co-champion Nodouble (who shared handicap male honors with turf specialist and co-Horse of the Year Fort Marcy).
As an individual
A dark bay or brown horse, Verbatim stood 15.3 hands. He generally did his best racing on or close to the pace. He was indifferent to track conditions.
As a stallion
The Jockey Club's records show Verbatim as the sire of 429 winners (70.6%) and 55 stakes winners (9.0%) from 608 named foals.
Sire rankings
Per the American Racing Manual (Daily Racing Form) series:
- 8th on the American general sire list in 1981 and 1984; 10th in 1979.
Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
- 8th on the American general sire list in 1981 and 1984; 10th in 1979.
Notable progeny
Alphabatim (USA), Princess Rooney (USA), Summing (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Buck's Boy (USA), Fogoso Nove (ARG), My Own Business (VEN)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Verbatim was bred and owned by Maxwell Gluck's Elmendorf Farm. He was trained at various times by Jerome C. “Jerry” Meyer, V. J. "Lefty" Nickerson, J. P. Conway, and A. Bencivenga. He entered stud in Kentucky in 1971 at Elmendorf, moving to Spendthrift Farm in late 1989. He was pensioned following the 1990 breeding season and was euthanized March 15, 1991, due to the infirmities of old age.
Pedigree notes
A member of the first crop of 1961 Del Mar Derby winner Speak John, Verbatim is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to False Fashion (by the stakes-winning Goya II horse Arrogate), dam of Grade 2 winners Our Talisman (by Cornish Prince) and Silent Cal (by Hold Your Peace), Grade 3 winner Capital Idea (by Iron Ruler), and minor stakes winners Never Swoon (by Swoon's Son) and Vermejo Park (by Sir Gaylord). He is also a half brother to Scotch Hop (by Ben Lomond), whose great-granddaughter Miss Lambada was the champion juvenile filly of 1990 in the Dominican Republic.
Verbatim's dam Well Kept failed to win or place in two starts but is a half sister to Early Frames (by Prince John), whose Fleet Nasrullah colt Don B. won the 1967 Bay Meadows Juvenile Championship, the 1967 California Breeders' Champion Stakes, and four other stakes races. Early Frames is also the third dam of 1995 Panamanian champion imported 2-year-old male Gris Grande, Peruvian Group 2 winner Tactical War, and Grade 3 winners Fantasy Angel and Magic Code.
Sired by 1954 English champion 3-year-old male Never Say Die, Well Kept is also a half sister to Rising Fury (by Summer Tan), third dam of Grade 2 winner A to the Z. Well Kept and her sisters were produced from Bed o' Roses II (by Preciptic, a stakes-winning son of 1937 English champion older male Precipitation), a half sister to two-time English champion sprinter and 1953 Hollywood Gold Cup winner Royal Serenade (by Royal Charger), 1954 English champion sprinter Royal Palm (by Royal Charger), and juvenile stakes winner Anonymous (by Valerian). The next dam in the tail-female line, Pasquinade, is an unraced daughter of 1938 Two Thousand Guineas winner Pasch out of 1933 Jersey Stakes winner Fur Tor, by 1933 French champion sire Apelle.
Fun facts
- Verbatim finished first in the 1969 Independence Handicap at Liberty Bell Park, setting a new track record of 1:41-2/5 for the 8.5 furlongs. He was subsequently disqualified for the purse due to a drug positive but was allowed to keep his track record.
Last updated: January 29, 2022