Spendthrift (USA)
1876 – October 21, 1900
Australian (GB) x Aerolite (USA), by Lexington (USA)
American Family 3
1876 – October 21, 1900
Australian (GB) x Aerolite (USA), by Lexington (USA)
American Family 3
Probably the second-best horse Daniel Swigert ever raced after the great Hindoo, Spendthrift was at or near the top of his crop at both 2 and 3 and might have been the undisputed champion of the latter year had he not been plagued with tender feet, which put him at a disadvantage over a hard track. He became sick after being shipped to England at 4, was unplaced in his only start there, and failed to recover his form when brought back to the United States at 5. His stud career was in line with the ability he had revealed earlier, and he passed on his mantle to his sons Kingston and Hastings, both two-time American champion sires.
Race record
16 starts, 9 wins, 5 seconds, 0 thirds, US$27,250
1878:
1876:
Honors
As an individual
A well-made, short-coupled, attractive chestnut horse with a beautiful head and somewhat heavy shoulders, Spendthrift had very thin-soled feet and preferred off tracks to hard, fast ones. He had an excellent disposition.
As a stallion
Clio Hogan's Index to Stakes Winners 1865-1967 credits Spendthrift with 15 stakes winners.
Notable progeny
Assignee (USA), Hastings (USA), Kingston (USA), Lazzarone (USA), Selika (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Esherin (USA), Hermis (USA)
Connections
Spendthrift was bred by A. J. Alexander at his famous Woodburn Stud. He was owned by Daniel Swigert, who purchased Spendthrift for US$1,000 as a yearling. Following the colt's juvenile season, he was purchased by James R. Keene for US$15,000 (“with contingencies,” according to Joe Palmer) and trained afterward by Colonel Thomas Puryear. He retired to stud in Kentucky in 1883 at the farm of William Kenney at an initial stud fee of US$50. The following year, Keene was forced to sell his bloodstock in 1884 due to personal financial difficulties. After moving temporarily to the farm of Dr. E. M. Norwood, Spendthift was purchased by the partnership of Senator Johnson N. Camden, Overton Chennault, and Christopher Chennault, which stood the horse under the name of Spendthrift Stud. The partnership was dissolved in 1892 and Overton Chennault obtained full possession of Spendthrift for US$13,500 at the ensuing auction. The stallion spent the rest of his life at Chennault's farm near Lexington, dying there in 1900.
Pedigree notes
Spendthrift is inbred 4x5 to 1823 Derby Stakes winner and two-time English champion sire Emilius. He is a full brother to stakes winner Rutherford and to Fellowcraft, a great four-mile heat runner and the horse that broke Lexington's American record for four miles by running the distance in 7:19-1/2 at Saratoga. He is also a full brother to Jersey Belle, second dam of 1881 Champagne Stakes winner Macduff and 1885 United States Hotel Stakes winner Favor and third dam of 1907 Kentucky Derby winner Pink Star. In addition, he is a half sister to Addie C., dam of 1894 Kentucky Derby winner Chant and multiple stakes winner Chorister (both by Falsetto), and to Platina (by Planet), dam of the high-class gelding Drake Carter (by Ten Broeck) and multiple stakes winner Fellowplay (by Longfellow) and second dam of 1885 American co-champion 3-year-old male Bersan.
Spendthrift and his siblings were produced from the Lexington mare Aerolite, whose full sister Idlewild was a notable racer whose victories included the 1861 Woodlawn Challenge Stakes and who produced the good stakes winners Fanchon and Wildidle to covers by Australian. Aerolite, in turn, was out of the Glencoe mare Florine, whose female line traces back to an unnamed daughter of imported Medley (dam unknown) and cannot be connected to any of the Bruce Lowe families.
Books and media
Spendthrift is one of 50 stallions profiled in Joe Palmer's Names in Pedigrees (1939, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; re-released in 1974).
Fun facts
Last updated: November 8, 2021
Race record
16 starts, 9 wins, 5 seconds, 0 thirds, US$27,250
1878:
- Won Sandford Stakes (USA, 8FD, Louisville)
- Won Young America #1 Stakes (USA, 6FD, Nashville)
- Won Colt and Filly Stakes (USA, 8FD, Nashville)
1876:
- Won Belmont Stakes (USA, 12FD, Jerome Park)
- Won Lorillard Stakes (USA, 11FD, Jerome Park)
- Won Champion Stakes (USA, 12FD, Monmouth)
- Won Jersey Derby (USA, 12FD, Monmouth)
- 2nd Travers Stakes (USA, 14FD, Saratoga)
- 2nd Kenner Stakes (USA, 16FD, Saratoga)
- 2nd Withers Stakes (USA, 8FD, Jerome Park)
- 2nd Jerome Stakes (USA, 14FD, Jerome Park)
Honors
- American co-champion 2-year-old male (1878)
- American co-champion 3-year-old male (1879)
As an individual
A well-made, short-coupled, attractive chestnut horse with a beautiful head and somewhat heavy shoulders, Spendthrift had very thin-soled feet and preferred off tracks to hard, fast ones. He had an excellent disposition.
As a stallion
Clio Hogan's Index to Stakes Winners 1865-1967 credits Spendthrift with 15 stakes winners.
Notable progeny
Assignee (USA), Hastings (USA), Kingston (USA), Lazzarone (USA), Selika (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Esherin (USA), Hermis (USA)
Connections
Spendthrift was bred by A. J. Alexander at his famous Woodburn Stud. He was owned by Daniel Swigert, who purchased Spendthrift for US$1,000 as a yearling. Following the colt's juvenile season, he was purchased by James R. Keene for US$15,000 (“with contingencies,” according to Joe Palmer) and trained afterward by Colonel Thomas Puryear. He retired to stud in Kentucky in 1883 at the farm of William Kenney at an initial stud fee of US$50. The following year, Keene was forced to sell his bloodstock in 1884 due to personal financial difficulties. After moving temporarily to the farm of Dr. E. M. Norwood, Spendthift was purchased by the partnership of Senator Johnson N. Camden, Overton Chennault, and Christopher Chennault, which stood the horse under the name of Spendthrift Stud. The partnership was dissolved in 1892 and Overton Chennault obtained full possession of Spendthrift for US$13,500 at the ensuing auction. The stallion spent the rest of his life at Chennault's farm near Lexington, dying there in 1900.
Pedigree notes
Spendthrift is inbred 4x5 to 1823 Derby Stakes winner and two-time English champion sire Emilius. He is a full brother to stakes winner Rutherford and to Fellowcraft, a great four-mile heat runner and the horse that broke Lexington's American record for four miles by running the distance in 7:19-1/2 at Saratoga. He is also a full brother to Jersey Belle, second dam of 1881 Champagne Stakes winner Macduff and 1885 United States Hotel Stakes winner Favor and third dam of 1907 Kentucky Derby winner Pink Star. In addition, he is a half sister to Addie C., dam of 1894 Kentucky Derby winner Chant and multiple stakes winner Chorister (both by Falsetto), and to Platina (by Planet), dam of the high-class gelding Drake Carter (by Ten Broeck) and multiple stakes winner Fellowplay (by Longfellow) and second dam of 1885 American co-champion 3-year-old male Bersan.
Spendthrift and his siblings were produced from the Lexington mare Aerolite, whose full sister Idlewild was a notable racer whose victories included the 1861 Woodlawn Challenge Stakes and who produced the good stakes winners Fanchon and Wildidle to covers by Australian. Aerolite, in turn, was out of the Glencoe mare Florine, whose female line traces back to an unnamed daughter of imported Medley (dam unknown) and cannot be connected to any of the Bruce Lowe families.
Books and media
Spendthrift is one of 50 stallions profiled in Joe Palmer's Names in Pedigrees (1939, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; re-released in 1974).
Fun facts
- Spendthrift got his name from Daniel Swigert's response to a New York shopping spree by his wife. Irritated by the jab, Mrs. Swigert named the colt's year-younger full brother “Miser,” but Swigert had the last laugh as Spendthrift proved far the better horse as both a racer and a stallion.
- Spendthrift's half-length loss in the Withers Stakes was solely due to James R. Keene's decision to win the race with Dan Sparling, a much inferior stablemate on which Keene had bet heavily in the winter books. While Keene's action in having Spendthrift “pulled” to allow his stablemate to win was legal under the then-extant rules of racing, the rules were amended the following year to require an owner with multiple entries in a race to declare which he intended to try to win with.
- Spendthrift's greatest race was probably the 1879 Lorillard Stakes, in which he was kicked hard at the post and then left at the start, losing some 50 yards; in addition, he was conceding 5 to 10 pounds to his primary rivals. In spite of these handicaps, he ran down George Lorillard's Harold, the co-champion 2-year-old male of 1878 and winner of the 1879 Preakness Stakes.
- The present-day Spendthrift Farm was named after the champion by Leslie Combs II, a great-grandson of Daniel Swigert who founded the farm in 1937 on land that had once been part of Swigert's Elmendorf Farm.
Last updated: November 8, 2021