Lemon Drop Kid (USA)
May 26, 1996 – Living
Kingmambo (USA) x Charming Lassie (USA), by Seattle Slew (USA)
Family 3-l
May 26, 1996 – Living
Kingmambo (USA) x Charming Lassie (USA), by Seattle Slew (USA)
Family 3-l
A Grade 1 winner at 2, 3, and 4, Lemon Drop Kid finally rose to the top of his crop as a 4-year-old. If his stud career has not quite matched the glitter of his illustrious pedigree, it has nonetheless been very good and a worthy addition to the family record of the modern foundation mare Missy Baba.
Race record
24 starts, 10 wins, 3 seconds, 3 thirds, US$3,245,369
1998:
1999:
2000:
Honors
Eclipse Award, American champion older male (2000)
Assessments
Rated at 121 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juvenile males of 1998, 5 pounds below champion Answer Lively.
Rated at 125 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1999, 1 pound below champion and Horse of the Year Charismatic but tied with Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1) winner Cat Thief and dual Classic runner-up Menifee for second.
Rated at 125 pounds in the Mile and Intermediate categories on the 2000 International Classification, 9 pounds below the overall highweight, Dubai Millennium (who earned his rating in the Intermediate category) and one pound below the top miler, 3-year-old Observatory.
As an individual
A bay horse described by his connections as "a natural athlete," Lemon Drop Kid stands 16.2 hands. He is a handsome, lengthy horse with a very good shoulder and the long, powerful hip typical of his sire Kingmambo. He was a game competitor on the track but remained somewhat unfocused mentally until blinkers were added to his regular equipment as a 4-year-old. He was generally a better racehorse in the summer and late fall than in the spring.
As a stallion
Lemon Drop Kid's progeny are generally better with age and prefer routes to sprints, and many have a strong aptitude for turf and synthetic surfaces. As of November 10, 2024, The Jockey Club credits Lemon Drop Kid with having sired 109 stakes winners.
Sire rankings
Per Arion Pedigrees (www.arion.co.nz):
Per The Blood-Horse:
Notable progeny
Beach Patrol (USA), Belichick (CAN), Cannock Chase (USA), Christmas Kid (USA), Citronnade (USA), Kid Mambo (USA), Lemon Pop (USA), Lemons Forever (USA), Richard's Kid (USA), Romantic Vision (USA), Santa Teresita (USA), Somali Lemonade (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Bar of Gold (USA), Barbados Bob (USA), Courage Mon Ami (GB), Divisidero (USA), Eda (USA), Elusive Kate (USA), Finest City (USA), Forever Unbridled (USA), Lochte (USA), Miss Mischief (USA), Olympic Kremlin (BRZ), Tamarkuz (USA), Unbridled Forever (USA), Without Parole (GB), Yellow Agate (USA)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Lemon Drop Kid was bred by William S. Farish III and William S. Kilroy. He was owned by Jeanne Vance, who purchased him for US$200,000 from the 1997 Keeneland September yearling sale and raced him together with her husband, Milton J. “Laddie” Dance. Lemon Drop Kid was trained by Flint S. “Scotty” Schulhofer and was ridden to his Belmont Stakes win by Jose Santos. Syndicated for US$30 million, Lemon Drop Kid entered stud in 2001 in Kentucky at Lane's End Farm and stood there until being pensioned in January 2021.
Pedigree notes
Lemon Drop Kid is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to 1998 Railbird Stakes (USA-G2) winner Brulay (by Rubiano), dam of Grade 2 winner Neko Bay (by Giant's Causeway). He is also a half brother to English Group 3 winner Statue of Liberty (by Storm Cat).
Lemon Drop Kid's dam Charming Lassie is a winning half sister to four stakes winners including multiple Group 1 winner Wolfhound (by Nureyev) and 1992 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Weekend Surprise (by Secretariat), a Grade 3 winner whose produce includes 1992 American Horse of the Year and two-time American leading sire A.P. Indy (by Seattle Slew) and 1990 Preakness Stakes (USA-G1) winner Summer Squall (by Storm Bird). Charming Lassie is also a full sister to stakes producer Lassie Connection and a half sister to the good South African sire Al Mufti (by Roberto) and stake producer Lassie's Lady (by Alydar).
Charming Lassie is out of Grade 3 winner Lassie Dear (by Buckpasser), a half sister to 1979 French champion older male Gay Mecene and two other stakes winners. The female line is one of the best in the American Stud Book and entered the United States via 1941 Irish Oaks winner Uvira II, dam of five stakes winners and stakes producers Missy Baba (by My Babu), Obedient (by Mahmoud), Navira (by Nasrullah) and Oonagh (by Sword Dancer).
Books and media
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photo taken by Jessica Morgan at Lane's End Farm in 2015. Used by permission.
Last updated: November 13, 2024
Race record
24 starts, 10 wins, 3 seconds, 3 thirds, US$3,245,369
1998:
- Won Futurity Stakes (USA-G1, 8FD, Belmont)
- 2nd Champagne Stakes (USA-G1, 8.5FD, Belmont)
1999:
- Won Belmont Stakes (USA-G1, 12FD, Belmont)
- Won Travers Stakes (USA-G1, 10FD, Saratoga)
- 2nd Jim Dandy Stakes (USA-G2, 9FD, Saratoga)
- 3rd Peter Pan Stakes (USA-G2, 9FD, Belmont)
2000:
- Won Whitney Handicap (USA-G1, 9FD, Saratoga)
- Won Woodward Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Belmont)
- Won Suburban Handicap (USA-G2, 10FD, Belmont)
- Won Brooklyn Handicap (USA-G2, 9FD, Belmont)
- 3rd Pimlico Special Handicap (USA-G1, 9.5FD, Pimlico)
Honors
Eclipse Award, American champion older male (2000)
Assessments
Rated at 121 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juvenile males of 1998, 5 pounds below champion Answer Lively.
Rated at 125 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1999, 1 pound below champion and Horse of the Year Charismatic but tied with Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1) winner Cat Thief and dual Classic runner-up Menifee for second.
Rated at 125 pounds in the Mile and Intermediate categories on the 2000 International Classification, 9 pounds below the overall highweight, Dubai Millennium (who earned his rating in the Intermediate category) and one pound below the top miler, 3-year-old Observatory.
As an individual
A bay horse described by his connections as "a natural athlete," Lemon Drop Kid stands 16.2 hands. He is a handsome, lengthy horse with a very good shoulder and the long, powerful hip typical of his sire Kingmambo. He was a game competitor on the track but remained somewhat unfocused mentally until blinkers were added to his regular equipment as a 4-year-old. He was generally a better racehorse in the summer and late fall than in the spring.
As a stallion
Lemon Drop Kid's progeny are generally better with age and prefer routes to sprints, and many have a strong aptitude for turf and synthetic surfaces. As of November 10, 2024, The Jockey Club credits Lemon Drop Kid with having sired 109 stakes winners.
Sire rankings
Per Arion Pedigrees (www.arion.co.nz):
- 7th on the North American general sire list in 2014.
Per The Blood-Horse:
- 8th on the American general sire list in 2014; 10th in 2007.
Notable progeny
Beach Patrol (USA), Belichick (CAN), Cannock Chase (USA), Christmas Kid (USA), Citronnade (USA), Kid Mambo (USA), Lemon Pop (USA), Lemons Forever (USA), Richard's Kid (USA), Romantic Vision (USA), Santa Teresita (USA), Somali Lemonade (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Bar of Gold (USA), Barbados Bob (USA), Courage Mon Ami (GB), Divisidero (USA), Eda (USA), Elusive Kate (USA), Finest City (USA), Forever Unbridled (USA), Lochte (USA), Miss Mischief (USA), Olympic Kremlin (BRZ), Tamarkuz (USA), Unbridled Forever (USA), Without Parole (GB), Yellow Agate (USA)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Lemon Drop Kid was bred by William S. Farish III and William S. Kilroy. He was owned by Jeanne Vance, who purchased him for US$200,000 from the 1997 Keeneland September yearling sale and raced him together with her husband, Milton J. “Laddie” Dance. Lemon Drop Kid was trained by Flint S. “Scotty” Schulhofer and was ridden to his Belmont Stakes win by Jose Santos. Syndicated for US$30 million, Lemon Drop Kid entered stud in 2001 in Kentucky at Lane's End Farm and stood there until being pensioned in January 2021.
Pedigree notes
Lemon Drop Kid is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to 1998 Railbird Stakes (USA-G2) winner Brulay (by Rubiano), dam of Grade 2 winner Neko Bay (by Giant's Causeway). He is also a half brother to English Group 3 winner Statue of Liberty (by Storm Cat).
Lemon Drop Kid's dam Charming Lassie is a winning half sister to four stakes winners including multiple Group 1 winner Wolfhound (by Nureyev) and 1992 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Weekend Surprise (by Secretariat), a Grade 3 winner whose produce includes 1992 American Horse of the Year and two-time American leading sire A.P. Indy (by Seattle Slew) and 1990 Preakness Stakes (USA-G1) winner Summer Squall (by Storm Bird). Charming Lassie is also a full sister to stakes producer Lassie Connection and a half sister to the good South African sire Al Mufti (by Roberto) and stake producer Lassie's Lady (by Alydar).
Charming Lassie is out of Grade 3 winner Lassie Dear (by Buckpasser), a half sister to 1979 French champion older male Gay Mecene and two other stakes winners. The female line is one of the best in the American Stud Book and entered the United States via 1941 Irish Oaks winner Uvira II, dam of five stakes winners and stakes producers Missy Baba (by My Babu), Obedient (by Mahmoud), Navira (by Nasrullah) and Oonagh (by Sword Dancer).
Books and media
- Lemon Drop Kid is profiled in Chapter 13 of Avalyn Hunter's American Classic Pedigrees 1914-2002 (2003, Eclipse Press).
- The New York Racing Association’s footage of Lemon Drop Kid’s Belmont Stakes victory can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ0Q4F1VV0M.
Fun facts
- Lemon Drop Kid is named for a champion show horse, a Saddlebred who was the only horse of his breed ever to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. The show horse, in turn, was named for a character created by journalist and author Damon Runyon. Runyon's short story, “The Lemon Drop Kid,” was later made into a 1951 movie under the same title.
- Scotty Schulhofer considered Lemon Drop Kid to be the best horse he ever trained, surpassing his Eclipse Award champions Fly So Free, Mac Diarmida, Rubiano, Smile and Ta Wee.
Photo credit
Photo taken by Jessica Morgan at Lane's End Farm in 2015. Used by permission.
Last updated: November 13, 2024