A good juvenile and older horse and an outstanding 3-year-old, Zev was best known for his match race with Papyrus—the first-ever meeting of winners of the Kentucky Derby and Derby Stakes—and his rivalry with the brilliant In Memoriam. Unfortunately, he was a dismal failure as a sire.
Race record
43 starts, 23 wins, 8 seconds, 5 thirds, US$318,048
1922:
1923:
1924:
Honors
Assessments
Zev was rated #56 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005).
Ranked third among American older males of 1924 by The Blood-Horse.
As an individual
A brown horse, Zev was a plain, burly animal. He had excellent natural speed and was particularly comfortable on sloppy or muddy tracks. He had an excitable disposition which turned nastier as he aged.
As a stallion
According to Jockey Club records, Zev sired 47 winners (49.5%) and 2 stakes winners (2.1%) from 95 named foals.
Connections
Zev was bred by John E. Madden. He was owned by Harry Sinclair's Rancocas Stable, which purchased Zev privately as a yearling. Zev was trained by Sam Hildreth.
Pedigree notes
Zev is inbred 5x4 to seven-time leading English sire Hermit, winner of the 1867 Derby Stakes. He is a half brother to the minor stakes winners Neddam (by Ormondale) and Triple Crown (by Star Shoot). He is also a half brother to Honey Girl (by Friar Rock), dam of stakes winner Wacoche (by High Cloud). Zev's dam Miss Kearney is a stakes-winning half sister to 1913 Grand National Steeplechase winner Penobscot (by Yankee) and stakes winner Sticker (also by Yankee). She is also a half sister to The Nurse (by Yankee), dam of 1925 American co-champion 3-year-old filly Florence Nightingale and 1926 American co-champion 3-year-old filly Edith Cavell (both by Man o' War).
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photograph by C. C. Cook, showing Papyrus (left) and Zev (right) parading to the post for their 1923 match race. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: March 13, 2020
Race record
43 starts, 23 wins, 8 seconds, 5 thirds, US$318,048
1922:
- Won Grand Union Hotel Stakes (USA, 6FD, Saratoga)
- Won Albany Handicap (USA, 6FD, Saratoga)
- 2nd Futurity Stakes (USA, 6FD, Belmont)
- 3rd Hopeful Stakes (USA, 6FD, Saratoga)
1923:
- Won Kentucky Derby (USA, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
- Won Belmont Stakes (USA, 11FD, Belmont)
- Won Paumonok Handicap (USA, 6FD, Jamaica)
- Won Rainbow Handicap (USA, 6FD, Jamaica)
- Won Withers Stakes (USA, 8FD, Belmont)
- Won Queens County Handicap (USA, 8FD, Aqueduct)
- Won Lawrence Realization (USA, 13FD, Belmont)
- Won Autumn Championship Stakes (USA, 8FD, Empire City)
- Won Fall Serial #3 (USA, 9FD, Pimlico)
- Won match race with Papyrus (USA, 12FD, Belmont)
- Won match race with In Memoriam (USA, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
- 2nd Latonia Championship (USA, 14FD, Latonia)
1924:
- Won Kings County Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Jamaica)
- Won Fall Serial #1 (USA, 6FD, Pimlico)
- 2nd Paumonok Handicap (USA, 6FD, Jamaica)
- 2nd Arverne Handicap (USA, 6FD, Aqueduct)
- 2nd Interborough Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Jamaica)
- 3rd Excelsior Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Jamaica)
- 3rd Continental Handicap (USA, 9FD, Jamaica)
- 3rd Fall Serial #2 (USA, 8FD, Pimlico)
Honors
- National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1983)
- American Horse of the Year (1923)
- American champion 2-year-old male (1922)
- American champion 3-year-old male (1923)
Assessments
Zev was rated #56 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005).
Ranked third among American older males of 1924 by The Blood-Horse.
As an individual
A brown horse, Zev was a plain, burly animal. He had excellent natural speed and was particularly comfortable on sloppy or muddy tracks. He had an excitable disposition which turned nastier as he aged.
As a stallion
According to Jockey Club records, Zev sired 47 winners (49.5%) and 2 stakes winners (2.1%) from 95 named foals.
Connections
Zev was bred by John E. Madden. He was owned by Harry Sinclair's Rancocas Stable, which purchased Zev privately as a yearling. Zev was trained by Sam Hildreth.
Pedigree notes
Zev is inbred 5x4 to seven-time leading English sire Hermit, winner of the 1867 Derby Stakes. He is a half brother to the minor stakes winners Neddam (by Ormondale) and Triple Crown (by Star Shoot). He is also a half brother to Honey Girl (by Friar Rock), dam of stakes winner Wacoche (by High Cloud). Zev's dam Miss Kearney is a stakes-winning half sister to 1913 Grand National Steeplechase winner Penobscot (by Yankee) and stakes winner Sticker (also by Yankee). She is also a half sister to The Nurse (by Yankee), dam of 1925 American co-champion 3-year-old filly Florence Nightingale and 1926 American co-champion 3-year-old filly Edith Cavell (both by Man o' War).
Fun facts
- Zev's match race with Papyrus, with a total purse of US$100,000, was the richest in history up to that time. The match itself was a farce as Papyrus was not properly shod for the sloppy going and could never get any traction. The Zev-Papyrus match race was ranked #81 in Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments, a review of racing in the 20th century compiled by The Blood-Horse and released in 2006.
- In an unusual series for a stakes horse, Zev raced six times within three weeks during the month of October 1924. After running second in the Interborough Handicap on October 1 and third in the Continental Handicap on October 4, both at Jamaica, he was then shipped to Latonia, where he won four consecutive races during the period of October 10 to October 18 in spite of being "very unsound" according to C. J. Savage of the Louisville Courier-Journal. While none of the races he won at Latonia were stakes events, his victims during this streak included the champion 3-year-old filly Princess Doreen and the tough old campaigner Best Pal.
- At the time of his retirement, Zev held both the world's record for earnings by a Thoroughbred and the record for earnings in a single season (US$276,408 as a 3-year-old).
- Zev was the fourth of five Kentucky Derby winners bred or co-bred by John Madden at his farm, Hamburg Place, and the fourth of six Kentucky Derby winners who were foaled there. (The sixth, Alysheba, was born when Madden's grandson Preston Madden owned Hamburg Place.) Zev was also the last of five Belmont Stakes winners bred or co-bred by Madden; the others were Joe Madden (1909), The Finn (1915), Sir Barton (1919) and Grey Lag (1921).
- Zev was named for Harry Sinclair's legal counsel, Colonel William Zeverley.
Photo credit
Photograph by C. C. Cook, showing Papyrus (left) and Zev (right) parading to the post for their 1923 match race. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: March 13, 2020