Chop Chop was a consistent and honest runner, but he was decidedly below the top American colts of his year in ability. His best performance as a racer was in the 1943 Empire City Handicap, in which he set a new Jamaica track record for a mile and three-sixteenths and left future Jockey Club Gold Cup winner and champion sire Princequillo behind in third place. Sent to Canada for stud duty, he proved a consistent sire of winners, earning admission to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame based on his prowess as a stallion. While his best winners were as a group not on the same level as the runners representing the best American-based sires of the day, Chop Chop was an important link in upgrading the Canadian Thoroughbred breeding industry to its present level of competitiveness on the international stage, and he managed to continue the male line of Sir Gallahad III through his champion son Victoria Park.
Race record
11 starts, 4 wins, 4 seconds, 2 thirds, US$36,600
1942:
1943:
Honors
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1977)
As an individual
A dark bay horse (registered as dark bay or brown), Chop Chop bore little resemblance to his tall, rangy sire. Chunky and short-coupled, he was straight-legged behind and had rather short pasterns. He tended to stamp his foals with his own build. He preferred to run on the lead.
As a stallion
According to his entry at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Chop Chop led the Canadian general sire list for five straight seasons (1959-1963). The Jockey Club’s records show that Chop Chop sired 160 winners (79.2%) and 28 SWs (13.9%) from 202 named foals. Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers) credits Chop Chop with 29 stakes winners.
Notable progeny
Blue Light (CAN), Canadiana (CAN), Lyford Cay (CAN), Victoria Park (CAN)
Notable progeny of daughters
Dance in Time (CAN), Fanfreluche (CAN), South Ocean (CAN)
Connections
Chop Chop was bred by Charles H. Theriot. He was owned by Josephine Hartford Douglas, who bought him as a yearling for US$4,100, and was trained by Harris Brown. He did not race in 1944 and in 1945 was leased by Gil Darlington to stand at Darlington's Trafalgar Farm in Ontario. Chop Chop was later purchased by E. P. Taylor and moved to Taylor's National Stud (later Windfields Farm). He died from severe colic on February 23, 1963, and was buried at the original Windfields Farm property in what became known as the Trillium Cemetery.
Pedigree notes
Chop Chop’s pedigree is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to Nourishment (by Manna), dam of stakes winner Bullreigh Jr. (by Bull Reigh).
Chop Chop is out of Sceptical, whose sire Buchan won England’s top events over 10 furlongs, the Eclipse Stakes (twice) and the Champion Stakes, and was first past the post but disqualified in the Ascot Gold Cup; he later led the combined English/Irish general sire list in 1927 and was a two-time champion broodmare sire as well. Sceptical was unplaced in 13 starts and was produced from Clodagh, whose sire Tredennis (by Kendal out of 1882 One Thousand Guineas winner St. Marguerite) had been a useless racehorse but became a champion sire in Ireland and the champion broodmare sire on the 1926 combined English/Irish list. Clodagh, in turn, was out of Clare, a daughter of the St. Simon horse Desmond (the English/irish champion sire of 1913) out of Sheila, by Salisbury.
Fun facts
Last updated: July 26, 2023
Race record
11 starts, 4 wins, 4 seconds, 2 thirds, US$36,600
1942:
- Won Endurance Handicap (USA, 8F+70yD, Bowie)
- 2nd Ardsley Handicap (USA, 8F+70yD, Empire City)
1943:
- Won Empire City Handicap (USA, 9.5FD, Jamaica; new track record 1:57-1/5)
- 3rd Classic Stakes (USA, 10FD, Arlington Park)
Honors
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1977)
As an individual
A dark bay horse (registered as dark bay or brown), Chop Chop bore little resemblance to his tall, rangy sire. Chunky and short-coupled, he was straight-legged behind and had rather short pasterns. He tended to stamp his foals with his own build. He preferred to run on the lead.
As a stallion
According to his entry at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Chop Chop led the Canadian general sire list for five straight seasons (1959-1963). The Jockey Club’s records show that Chop Chop sired 160 winners (79.2%) and 28 SWs (13.9%) from 202 named foals. Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers) credits Chop Chop with 29 stakes winners.
Notable progeny
Blue Light (CAN), Canadiana (CAN), Lyford Cay (CAN), Victoria Park (CAN)
Notable progeny of daughters
Dance in Time (CAN), Fanfreluche (CAN), South Ocean (CAN)
Connections
Chop Chop was bred by Charles H. Theriot. He was owned by Josephine Hartford Douglas, who bought him as a yearling for US$4,100, and was trained by Harris Brown. He did not race in 1944 and in 1945 was leased by Gil Darlington to stand at Darlington's Trafalgar Farm in Ontario. Chop Chop was later purchased by E. P. Taylor and moved to Taylor's National Stud (later Windfields Farm). He died from severe colic on February 23, 1963, and was buried at the original Windfields Farm property in what became known as the Trillium Cemetery.
Pedigree notes
Chop Chop’s pedigree is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to Nourishment (by Manna), dam of stakes winner Bullreigh Jr. (by Bull Reigh).
Chop Chop is out of Sceptical, whose sire Buchan won England’s top events over 10 furlongs, the Eclipse Stakes (twice) and the Champion Stakes, and was first past the post but disqualified in the Ascot Gold Cup; he later led the combined English/Irish general sire list in 1927 and was a two-time champion broodmare sire as well. Sceptical was unplaced in 13 starts and was produced from Clodagh, whose sire Tredennis (by Kendal out of 1882 One Thousand Guineas winner St. Marguerite) had been a useless racehorse but became a champion sire in Ireland and the champion broodmare sire on the 1926 combined English/Irish list. Clodagh, in turn, was out of Clare, a daughter of the St. Simon horse Desmond (the English/irish champion sire of 1913) out of Sheila, by Salisbury.
Fun facts
- “Chop chop” is an idiom traceable to interactions between British seamen and Chinese workers in British-occupied South China in the 19th century, perhaps coming from the Cantonese “chok chok.” As adopted by the seamen, “chop chop” meant “hurry!” and indicated that an action was to be carried out immediately.
- Chop Chop’s only time out of the money as a racehorse was in a race at Aqueduct in which he lost his jockey at the break.
- Although Chop Chop stood for only CAN$250 while he was at Trafalgar Stud, he attracted very few mates and averaged only five runners per crop from his first four seasons at stud. He had no mates at all in 1952. when he moved to the National Stud, but after his daughter Canadiana emerged as that year’s top juvenile filly in Canada, the stallion got more mates in 1953 than he had received during his first five years at stud put together.
- Chop Chop is one of three horses to have sired four winners of the Queen’s Plate. His winners were Canadiana (1953), Lyford Cay (1957), Victoria Park (1960), and Blue Light (1961).
Last updated: July 26, 2023