Nellie Morse (USA)
1921 – August 30, 1941
Luke McLuke (USA) x La Venganza (USA), by Abercorn (AUS)
Family 9-f
1921 – August 30, 1941
Luke McLuke (USA) x La Venganza (USA), by Abercorn (AUS)
Family 9-f
Nellie Morse was as tough as nails and needed to be, for she ran 22 times as a juvenile. That schedule probably took something out of her, for she made only 12 more starts during the rest of her career. She won the Preakness Stakes before tailing off, however, and became a fine broodmare after her retirement from racing.
Race record
34 starts, 7 wins, US$73,565
1923:
1924:
1925:
Honors
American co-champion 3-year-old filly (1924)
Assessments
Rated second among American 3-year-old fillies of 1924 by The Blood-Horse.
As an individual
A muscular bay filly with marked power in her hindquarters, Nellie Morse was considered very attractive. There is no question that she was sound and tough. She handled off going well and won both the Pimlico Oaks and the Preakness under such conditions.
As a producer
Nellie Morse produced seven foals, of which five started and won. Her important foals are as follow:
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Nellie Morse was bred by J. O. "Jack" Keene and William Cleveland. She was owned by American cartoonist H. C. "Bud" Fisher, who purchased the filly for US$2,000 at the 1922 Saratoga yearling sale. She was trained by Albert Gordon. Nellie Morse produced three foals for Fisher before being bred to American Flag. She was then entered in a sale at Lexington, where she was purchased by Warren Wright for a sale-topping US$6,100. She spent the rest of her life as a broodmare at his Calumet Farm.
Pedigree notes
Nellie Morse is inbred 3x3 to two-time Australian leading sire Trenton, 5x4x5 to the high-class Australian stayer and important sire Goldsbrough and 5x5 to Sterling. She is a half sister to stakes winner Manager Waite (by Watercress).
Nellie Morse's dam La Venganza was sired by 1887 AJC Derby winner Abercorn, one of the best Australian runners of his time, out of the Trenton mare Colonial, dam of stakes winners Mary Davis (by Watercress) and Air Man (by Waterboy). Colonial also produced the excellent broodmare Rose Leaves (by Ballot), whose six stakes winners include the great sire Bull Lea (by Bull Dog) and the good stayer Espino (by Negofol), winner of the 1926 Lawrence Realization and Saratoga Cup. Colonial, in turn, was produced from the Paradox mare Thankful Blossom, whose dam The Apple (by Hermit) is the ancestress of numerous Classic winners around the world through her daughters Cider (by Harvester) and One I Love (by Minting).
Books and media
Nellie Morse is profiled in Chapter 5 of Avalyn Hunter's American Classic Pedigrees 1914-2002 (2003, Eclipse Press).
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: June 3, 2022
Race record
34 starts, 7 wins, US$73,565
1923:
- Won Fashion Stakes (USA, 5FD, Belmont)
- 2nd Spinaway Stakes (USA, 6FD, Saratoga)
- 2nd Matron Stakes (USA, 6FD, Belmont)
- 2nd Rosedale Stakes (USA, 5FD, Jamaica)
- 2nd Saratoga Sales Stakes (USA, 5.5FD, Saratoga)
- 3rd Nursery Stakes (USA, 6FD, Belmont)
1924:
- Won Pimlico Oaks (USA, 8.5FD, Pimlico)
- Won Preakness Stakes (USA, 9FD, Pimlico)
- 2nd Kentucky Oaks (USA, 9FD, Churchill Downs; moved up from 3rd on the disqualification of first-place Glide)
1925:
- 2nd Ladies Handicap (USA, 8FD, Belmont)
Honors
American co-champion 3-year-old filly (1924)
Assessments
Rated second among American 3-year-old fillies of 1924 by The Blood-Horse.
As an individual
A muscular bay filly with marked power in her hindquarters, Nellie Morse was considered very attractive. There is no question that she was sound and tough. She handled off going well and won both the Pimlico Oaks and the Preakness under such conditions.
As a producer
Nellie Morse produced seven foals, of which five started and won. Her important foals are as follow:
- Nellie Flag (1932, by American Flag) is generally considered the American champion 2-year-old filly of 1934. A great foundation mare for Calumet Farm, she produced 1943 American champion handicap female Mar-Kell (by Blenheim II), dam of the high-class Mark-Ye-Well (by Bull Lea) and the good stakes filly Amoret (by Bull Lea). Nellie Flag is also the dam of 1943 Kentucky Oaks winner Nellie L. (by Blenheim II), dam of multiple stakes winner De Luxe (by Bull Lea) and of multiple stakes winner Sunshine Nell (by Sun Again), dam of the good stakes winner and sire Dewan (by Bold Ruler) and of multiple stakes winner Sunny (by Princequillo). In further removes. Nellie Flag is the ancestress of 1976 American champion 3-year-old male Bold Forbes, 1987 Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) winner Bet Twice, 1999 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner Admire Vega, and the great Forego.
- Count Morse (1933, by Reigh Count) won four stakes-level handicaps as a 4-year-old. He was of no significance as a sire.
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Nellie Morse was bred by J. O. "Jack" Keene and William Cleveland. She was owned by American cartoonist H. C. "Bud" Fisher, who purchased the filly for US$2,000 at the 1922 Saratoga yearling sale. She was trained by Albert Gordon. Nellie Morse produced three foals for Fisher before being bred to American Flag. She was then entered in a sale at Lexington, where she was purchased by Warren Wright for a sale-topping US$6,100. She spent the rest of her life as a broodmare at his Calumet Farm.
Pedigree notes
Nellie Morse is inbred 3x3 to two-time Australian leading sire Trenton, 5x4x5 to the high-class Australian stayer and important sire Goldsbrough and 5x5 to Sterling. She is a half sister to stakes winner Manager Waite (by Watercress).
Nellie Morse's dam La Venganza was sired by 1887 AJC Derby winner Abercorn, one of the best Australian runners of his time, out of the Trenton mare Colonial, dam of stakes winners Mary Davis (by Watercress) and Air Man (by Waterboy). Colonial also produced the excellent broodmare Rose Leaves (by Ballot), whose six stakes winners include the great sire Bull Lea (by Bull Dog) and the good stayer Espino (by Negofol), winner of the 1926 Lawrence Realization and Saratoga Cup. Colonial, in turn, was produced from the Paradox mare Thankful Blossom, whose dam The Apple (by Hermit) is the ancestress of numerous Classic winners around the world through her daughters Cider (by Harvester) and One I Love (by Minting).
Books and media
Nellie Morse is profiled in Chapter 5 of Avalyn Hunter's American Classic Pedigrees 1914-2002 (2003, Eclipse Press).
Fun facts
- While La Venganza was carrying Nellie Morse, Jack Keene gave the mare to a local tobacco farmer with the proviso that he would retain ownership of her foal. After the mare dropped her filly, Keene insisted that the pair be kept in a tobacco barn until Nellie Morse was weaned as he felt that a farm with barbed-wire fencing and pieces of farm machinery strewn over its fields was no safe place to turn a foal out to pasture. The conditions of Nellie Morse's early life caused longtime racing man John “Trader” Clark to refer to Nellie Morse as “a hothouse filly.” They were also the reason that Keene decided to sell Nellie Morse, as he believed that no foal raised in a setting offering so little opportunity for exercise and muscular development could become a good racehorse.
- Nellie Morse was named for owner Bud Fisher's mother.
- Nellie Morse's adventures at 2 were not limited to the racetrack. Sent by boat from Belmont Park to the now-defunct Empire City track to contest a handicap race, she was delayed by a storm and didn't reach the track until after her race had already been run.
- Nellie Morse was the fourth filly to win the Preakness Stakes, following Flocarline (1903), Whimsical (1906), and Rhine Maiden (1915). She was the last to do so until 2009, when eventual Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra defeated Kentucky Derby (USA-G1) winner Mine That Bird. Since then, Swiss Skydiver has also won the race, defeating Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (USA-G1) winner and eventual American Horse of the Year Authentic in 2020.
- Nellie Morse's Preakness victory was her third straight win in nine days, but she never won again.
- Nellie Morse's daughter Nellie Flag was the first stakes winner and the first champion bred by now-legendary Calumet Farm following its conversion from a Standardbred nursery.
- In 1993, Laurel Park renamed its Queen Isabella Stakes in Nellie Morse's honor. It was last carded at a mile on dirt for fillies and mares aged 4 and up.
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: June 3, 2022