Biography

A nine-time Grade 1 winner, Easy Goer ran the second-fastest Belmont Stakes in history and set the record for the fastest mile ever recorded by a 3-year-old male on dirt, winning the 1989 Gotham Stakes in 1:32.40. 

Bred and owned by Ogden Phipps, Easy Goer was a son of Alydar out of the Buckpasser mare Relaxing, the Eclipse winner for Champion Older Female in 1981. Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey and ridden by Hall of Famer Pat Day, Easy Goer arrived at the races as a 2-year-old in 1988. After finishing second in his career debut at Belmont Park, Easy Goer broke his maiden that summer at Saratoga.

In October 1988, Easy Goer won the Cowdin Stakes and Champagne Stakes at Belmont before finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs. With a record of 4-2-0 from six starts and earnings of $697,500, Easy Goer won the Eclipse Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Male. 

Easy Goer began his 3-year-old campaign with consecutive victories in the Swale, Gotham, and Wood Memorial before finishing second to Sunday Silence in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. With the Triple Crown within Sunday Silence’s reach, Easy Goer exacted his revenge in the Belmont with an eight-length victory in 2:26, the second-fastest in the race’s history behind only Secretariat.

Following the Belmont, Easy Goer traveled to Saratoga and won the Whitney against older horses before taking the Travers. Returning to Belmont Park in the fall, Easy Goer extended his win streak to five by defeating older horses in both the Woodward Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Easy Goer and Sunday Silence met once more that year in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Gulfstream Park. Sunday Silence wrapped up Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Colt honors with a neck victory over Easy Goer, who finished the year with an 8-3-0 record from 11 starts and earnings of $3,837,150. Although not a champion at 3, Easy Goer became the first horse to win the Belmont, Whitney, Travers, Woodward, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, as well as the first 3-year-old to win the combination of the Whitney, Woodward, and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

As a 4-year-old, Easy Goer won the Suburban Handicap before being retired because of a bone chip in his right front ankle. He finished his career with a record of 14-5-1 from 20 starts and earnings of $4,873,770.

After his retirement from racing, Easy Goer was sent to Claiborne Farm. He sired nine stakes winners — including Grade 1 winners Will’s Way, My Flag, and Furlough — before his death in 1994.

Achievements

Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Male — 1988

Triple Crown Highlights

Won the Belmont Stakes — 1989

Notable

Won the Champagne Stakes — 1988
Won the Cowdin Stakes — 1988
Won the Gotham Stakes — 1989
Won the Jockey Club Gold Cup — 1989
Won the Swale Stakes — 1989
Won the Travers Stakes — 1989
Won the Whitney Handicap — 1989
Won the Wood Memorial Invitational Stakes — 1989
Won the Woodward Handicap — 1989
Won the Gold Stage Stakes — 1990
Won the Suburban Handicap — 1990

Horse Profile for Easy Goer | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information

Biography

Known to give her racehorses unusual names, Jane du Pont Lunger of Christiana Stables came with Go for Wand from the obscure phrase, “going for a wand to protect yourself from an obeah or ‘voodoo’ curse.”

A daughter of Deputy Minister out of the out of the Cyane mare Obeah, Go for Wand was bred in Pennsylvania and raised at historic Claiborne Farm in Kentucky for owner du Pont Lunger. Go for Wand’s sire won Eclipse and Sovereign awards, while her dam was a two-time winner of the Delaware Handicap.

Go for Wand was sent to trainer Billy Badgett, a former assistant to Hall of Famer Woody Stephens. Badgett received the job based on a recommendation to du Pont Lunger from Claiborne’s Seth Hancock. It didn’t take the trainer long to recognize he had something special.

“You could see the other horses really working to do what they had to do, but Go for Wand did everything in hand all the time,” Badgett said in a 1990 interview in The BloodHorse.

Go for Wand made her debut Sept. 14, 1989, at Belmont, breaking her maiden by four lengths in a six-furlong event. She returned to Belmont less than three weeks later and turned in a devastating performance with an 18¼-length victory in a one-mile allowance. After suffering the only defeat of her juvenile season in the Frizette, Go for Wand won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies by 2¾ lengths at Gulfstream en route to being named Champion 2-Year-Old Filly. She was only getting started.

Go for Wand kicked off her sophomore campaign with a victory in the Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland in April 1990 and followed with a five-length win 11 days later in the Ashland. After finishing second in the Kentucky Oaks, Go for Wand won the Mother Goose at Belmont in June, but she missed the Coaching Club American Oaks in July because of a minor illness. Following a seven-week layoff, Go for Wand was aimed at Saratoga. She quickly silenced any questions about her fitness level in the seven-furlong Test. After breaking slowly, Go for Wand fired along the rail in a duel with the speedy Forest Fealty, churning out fractions of 22.25 and 44.62. After six furlongs in 1:08.38, Go for Wand still had plenty in reserve and ripped through a final furlong in 12.71 to defeat Screen Prospect by two lengths in 1:21.09, equaling the stakes record in the process.

Nine days later in the Alabama, Go for Wand was again in top form. As she did in the Ashland and Mother Goose, Go for Wand proved her superiority over the excellent filly Charon, who won the Coaching Club American Oaks by nine lengths in Go for Wand’s absence. The only other Alabama entry was Monmouth Oaks winner Pampered Star, who never factored.

At the time of the Alabama, no filly other than Go for Wand had beaten Charon, but the gap between the two was enormous. Future Hall of Fame jockey Randy Romero, Go for Wand’s rider her entire career, crouched still as a statue for more than a mile before the champion began to distance herself from Charon at the three-sixteenths pole. Go for Wand won by seven lengths and broke Love Sign’s decade-old stakes record in the process. Her final time of 2:00.80 set an Alabama record for the 1¼-mile distance.

“I never went to the whip, never asked her for anything in the Alabama. She was so special and so talented,” Romero said. “She broke the record, but she could have exploded the record if asked. It was unbelievable how easy she went. She was so big and strong, but what set her apart was that she had a great mind and she was so smooth.”

Following her magical Saratoga performances, Go for Wand returned to Belmont and defeated older mares in the Maskette and Beldame. Twenty days after the Beldame, Go for Wand’s life came to a tragic end in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Belmont. Owning a slight lead over older champion Bayakoa entering the stretch, Go for Wand went down at the sixteenth pole. She suffered a compound fracture to her right front ankle and had to be euthanized.

“I think about her all the time,” Romero said. “She was one of the greatest ever and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to ride her. As amazing as she was and even with all her accomplishments I never found out how good she could be because I never had to push her. She did everything so easily and she was just on a different level.”

Two days after the Distaff, Go for Wand was buried in the infield at Saratoga Race Couse. She was later honored with the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly. Go for Wand won seven Grade 1 races in total and compiled an overall record of 10-2-0 from 13 starts with earnings of $1,373,338. The Maskette was renamed the Go for Wand Handicap in 1992.

Achievements

Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Filly — 1989
Eclipse Award Champion 3-Year-Old Filly — 1990

Breeders' Cup Highlights

Won the Juvenile Fillies — 1989

Notable

Won the Alabama Stakes — 1990
Won the Ashland Stakes — 1990
Won the Beaumont Stakes — 1990
Won the Beldame Stakes — 1990
Won the Maskette Stakes — 1990
Won the Mother Goose Stakes — 1990
Won the Test Stakes — 1990

Horse Profile for Go for Wand | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information

Biography

Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Male in 1989 when he won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup Classic — defeating champion Easy Goer each time — Sunday Silence finished first or second in all of his 14 races and retired with earnings of more than  $4.9 million, which at the time made him the third-leading earner in history behind only Alysheba and John Henry.

Bred in Kentucky by Tom Tatham’s Oak Cliff Thoroughbreds, Sunday Silence didn’t necessarily seem destined for greatness. He was a son of 1983 leading sire Halo, who was standing at Arthur B. Hancock III’s Stone Farm, but he was gangly and from a modest female family. Hancock, who had raised the colt for Oak Cliff, consigned the horse to the Keeneland July yearling sale. Hancock was not pleased with the bidding and bought the colt back for Oak Cliff from the consignment for $17,000. Oak Cliff didn’t want the colt, so Hancock owned him. The following year, Sunday Silence was consigned to a 2-year-old sale in California, and again, he did not meet his reserve. Hancock arranged for the colt to go to Charlie Whittingham’s barn, and the Hall of Fame trainer liked what saw enough that he agreed to partner with Hancock on the horse and also brought in partner Dr. Ernest Galliard.

Sunday Silence only raced three times as a juvenile, winning once and finishing second twice. He was growing into himself and handily won an allowance race in his 3-year-old debut. He then came back with a victory in Grade 2 San Felipe Handicap and followed that with a runaway win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, which established him as the leading Kentucky Derby candidate on the West Coast.

The stage for the Run for the Roses was set. The best colt in the west, Sunday Silence, was to take on the best colt in the east, Easy Goer, the 1988 Eclipse Award winner for Champion 2-Year-Old Male. On an unseasonably cold day in May over a muddy track, Sunday Silence drew clear of his rival in the Kentucky Derby to win by 2¼ lengths at Churchill Downs. Two weeks later, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer were back at it in the Preakness Stakes. In one of the most memorable races of the 20^th century, the colts engaged at the top of the stretch and battled all the way to the Pimlico finish line. Neither horse backed down, and at the wire Sunday Silence prevailed by a nose. He was denied the Triple Crown however, with Easy Goer dominating the Belmont Stakes in an eight-length victory. 

Back to California, Sunday Silence had a six-week break, then ran second in the Grade 1 Swaps Stakes. He won the Grade 1 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs in his prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Gulfstream, where he was to meet Easy Goer for the fourth and final time. In that race, Sunday Silence moved past his rival on the far turn, then held firm to withstand Easy Goer’s late rush to win the 1¼-mile race by a neck. Sunday Silence was voted the Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Male and set a new single-year earnings record of $4,578,454.

Sunday Silence’s 4-year-old season was cut short by injury. He won the Grade 1 Californian Stakes and finished second to subsequent champion Criminal Type in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup.  A leg injury discovered after the latter caused his retirement. He won major races from coast to coast, winning nine times and never finished worse than second. The BloodHorse ranked Sunday Silence No. 31 among the top 100 horses of the 20^th century.

A Japanese syndicate, headed by Zenya Yoshida who had acquired a percentage of the horse early in his 4-year-old season, made an offer to purchase Sunday Silence for stud duty at Yoshida’s Shadai Stallion Station in Shiraoi, Hokkaido. There was little interest in Sunday Silence from American breeders, so Hancock accepted the syndicate’s offer. 

Sunday Silence became the most influential stallion in Japanese history. He topped the country’s general sire list for the first time in 1995 and did not relinquish the title until 2008, six years after his death in 2002 at the age of 16. Additionally, Sunday Silence was Japan’s leading broodmare sire from 2007 through 2019 and was America’s top broodmare sire in 2016 and 2019. Per statistics compiled by The Jockey Club, Sunday Silence sired 1,089 winners (69.9 percent) and 171 stakes winners (11 percent) from 558 named foals of racing age.

Achievements

Eclipse Award Horse of the Year — 1989
Eclipse Award Champion 3-Year-Old Male — 1989

Triple Crown Highlights

Won the Kentucky Derby — 1989
Won the Preakness Stakes — 1989

Breeders' Cup Highlights

Won the Classic — 1989

Notable

Won the San Felipe Handicap — 1989
Won the Santa Anita Derby — 1989
Won the Super Derby — 1989
Won the Californian Stakes — 1990

Horse Profile for Sunday Silence | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information

Biography

Bred and owned by Willis Sharpe Kilmer, Sun Beau competed at 15 different tracks and was conditioned by nine trainers in his five-year career. He won under as much as 132 pounds and is retrospectively recognized as champion older male in 1929, 1930, and 1931.

Sun Beau showed some promise as a 3-year-old in 1928, winning the Potomac Handicap, Maryland Handicap, and Latonia Championship Stakes. The following year, he won the first of three consecutive editions of the Hawthorne Gold Cup, defeating Misstep and Diavolo. His wins in 1929 also included Havre de Grace Handicap, Washington Handicap, and Aqueduct Handicap.

As a 5-year-old in 1930, Sun Beau defeated Alcibiades in the Hawthorne Gold Cup, repeated in the Washington Handicap, and won the Toronto Autumn Cup. In his final season of 1931, Sun Beau won the Fashion Stakes, Philadelphia Handicap, Arlington Cup, Arlington Handicap, Lincoln Handicap, and ended his career with his third Hawthorne Gold Cup, defeating Mate for his 33rd career victory.

Sun Beau finished his career with earnings of $376,744, a total that stood as the American record until surpassed by Seabiscuit nine years later. Sun Beau was not a successful sire. Only six if his 134 registered foals became stakes winners.

Sun Beau died in 1943 at the age of 18.

Achievements

Champion Older Male — 1929
Champion Older Male — 1930
Champion Older Male — 1931

Notable 

Won the Hawthorne Gold Cup — 1929, 1930, 1931
Won the Washington Handicap — 1929, 1930
Won the Latonia Championship — 1928
Won the Maryland Handicap — 1928
Won the Potomac Handicap — 1928
Won the Aqueduct Handicap — 1929
Won the Havre de Grace Cup — 1929
Won the Southern Maryland Handicap — 1930
Won the Toronto Autumn Cup — 1930
Won the Arlington Cup — 1931
Won the Arlington Handicap — 1931
Won the Fashion Stakes — 1931
Won the Lincoln Handicap — 1931
Won the Philadelphia Handicap — 1931

Horse Profile for Sun Beau | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information

Biography

An undefeated Eclipse Award winner as a 2-year-old, Foolish Pleasure won the Kentucky Derby in 1975 and was a successful handicapper as a 4-year-old, winning the Donn Handicap and defeating Forego in the Suburban Handicap.

A bay son of What a Pleasure out of the Tom Fool mare Fool Me Not, Foolish Pleasure was a $20,000 Saratoga yearling purchase. He was bred by Waldemar Farms and campaigned by John L. Greer.

Trained by Hall of Famer LeRoy Jolley, Foolish Pleasure won all seven of his starts as a 2-year-old in 1974, including Grade 1 victories in the Sapling, Hopeful, and Champagne stakes.

Foolish Pleasure suffered his first loss when he finished third in the 1975 Florida Derby, but he bounced back to win the Wood Memorial and then defeated the likes of Avatar, Diablo, and Master Derby in the Kentucky Derby. Foolish Pleasure also finished second in both the Preakness and Belmont.

Foolish Pleasure won the Donn Handicap as a 4-year-old in 1976 under 129 pounds and added victories in the Arlington Golden Invitational Handicap and a memorable win over Hall of Famer and three-time Horse of the Year Forego in the Suburban Handicap.

Foolish Pleasure was retired after his 1976 season with a career record of 16-4-3 from 26 starts and earnings of $1,216,705. He died in 1994 at the age of 22.

Achievements

Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Colt — 1974

Triple Crown Highlights

Won the Kentucky Derby — 1975

Notable

Won the Champagne Stakes — 1974
Won the Cowdin Stakes — 1974
Won the Hopeful Stakes — 1974
Won the Sapling Stakes — 1974
Won the Tremont Stakes — 1974
Won the Flamingo Stakes — 1975
Won the Arlington Golden Invitational Handicap — 1976
Won the Wood Memorial Stakes — 1975
Won the Donn Handicap — 1976
Won the Suburban Handicap — 1976

Horse Profile for Foolish Pleasure | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information

Biography

Horse of the Year in 1926 and the first horse to win consecutive runnings of the Suburban Handicap, Crusader was a son of Man o' War bred and owned by Sam Riddle.

A golden chestnut standing 16 hands, Crusader was foaled at Riddle’s Faraway Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. As a 2-year-old, Crusader was trained by G. R. Tompkins, who brought him out for the first time April 16, 1925, at Havre de Grace in Maryland. Crusader was unplaced that day and did not break his maiden until his third start, covering 4½ furlongs at Pimlico in 0:54⅖.

Crusader won his first stakes race that October at Pimlico by 10 lengths in the $10,000-added Manor Handicap, covering one mile in 1:41. Overall, Crusader posted a juvenile record of 5-1-2 from 11 starts with earnings of $15,400. He was considered a solid horse at the time, but nothing special.

George Conway took over training duties for Riddle’s horses in 1926. Crusader didn’t make his seasonal debut until May 20 and started out slow, finishing second in his first two outings. Crusader finally delivered a breakthrough performance when he won the Suburban Handicap by five lengths. Crusader’s stablemate, the standout American Flag, finished second.

Crusader followed his Suburban victory by earning the biggest purse share of his career, $48,550, in winning the Belmont Stakes. He added victories in the Dwyer Stakes (setting a track record of 2:29⅗ for 1½ miles), Cincinnati Derby (defeating Preakness winner Display in track-record time of 2:02 for 1¼ miles), Huron Handicap, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Havre de Grace Handicap (defeating older standouts Sarazen and Princess Doreen in equaling the track record of 1:50 for nine furlongs), Maryland Handicap, and Riggs Memorial Handicap (carrying high weight of 130 pounds). Crusader completed his 3-year-old season with a record of 9-4-0 from 15 starts and earnings of $166,033. He was recognized as Horse of the Year for his efforts.

Returning as a 4-year-old in 1927, Crusader was unplaced while carrying top weight in his first two starts. He returned to top form with an impost of 127 pounds in winning the Suburban again, securing a seven-length victory. No horse won consecutive editions of the Suburban for almost 70 years until Devil His Due accomplished the feat in 1993 and 1994.

Crusader was injured in the Brooklyn Handicap and kept away from the races for the next three months. He won three times in five starts in purse races upon his return but was no longer the same horse. As a 5-year-old in 1928, Crusader was winless in seven starts, although he placed three times and finished third twice.

Recognizing Crusader’s best days had passed, Riddle retired him with a career record of 18-8-4 from 42 starts and earnings of $203,261. Crusader was unsuccessful as a stallion, siring only six stakes winners in 12 seasons, and died May 4, 1940, at the age of 17 at Walter Hoffman’s Rancho Casitas near Ventura, California.

Achievements

Horse of the Year — 1926
Champion 3-Year-Old Colt — 1926

Triple Crown Highlights

Won the Belmont Stakes — 1926

Notable

Won the Manor Handicap — 1925
Won the Cincinnati Derby — 1926
Won the Dwyer Stakes — 1926
Won the Havre de Grace Handicap — 1926
Won the Huron Handicap — 1926
Won the Jockey Club Gold Cup — 1926
Won the Maryland Handicap — 1926
Won the Riggs Memorial Handicap — 1926
Won the Suburban Handicap — 1926, 1927
Won the Delaware Handicap — 1927

Horse Profile for Crusader | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information

Biography

Bred in Canada by Jean-Louis Levesque, La Prevoyante was a champion in her home country as well as the United States. Undefeated in 12 starts as a juvenile in 1972, La Prevoyante won the Eclipse Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, as well as the corresponding Sovereign Award that year, and was named Canadian Horse of the Year.

Levesque, who owned three harness tracks in Canada, turned the daughter of Buckpasser over to future Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Joseph “Yonnie” Starr. La Prevoyante won her career debut at Woodbine on May 3, 1972, and proved to be unbeatable throughout a magical campaign, winning at seven different tracks and claiming prizes such as the Schuylerville, Spinaway, Matron, Frizette, Selima, and Gardenia along the way.

La Prevoyante was finally defeated in the first start of her 3-year-old season in 1973, but she quickly rebounded with an allowance victory followed by a win in the La Troienne Stakes. She also won the Quebec Derby that year and finished second in the Kentucky Oaks and third in the Canadian Oaks.

As a 4-year-old, La Prevoyante won three consecutive allowance sprints at Saratoga to go with two victories at Woodbine and one at Hialeah to earn the Sovereign Award for Champion Older Female. La Prevoyante, however, suffered a fatal heart attack following the Miss Florida Handicap on Dec. 28, 1974.

La Prevoyante’s career record of 25-5-3 from 39 starts and earnings of $572,417 led her to be inducted as part of the inaugural Canadian Hall of Fame class in 1976. She earned the corresponding American honor in 1995.

Achievements

Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Filly — 1972
Sovereign Award Horse of the Year (Canada) — 1972
Sovereign Award Champion 2-Year-Old Filly (Canada) — 1972
Sovereign Award Champion Older Female (Canada) — 1974

Notable

Won the Colin Stakes — 1972
Won the Fleur de Lys Stakes — 1972
Won the Frizette Stakes — 1972
Won the Gardenia Stakes — 1972
Won the Matron Stakes — 1972
Won the My Dear Stakes — 1972
Won the Princess Elizabeth Stakes — 1972
Won the Schuylerville Stakes — 1972
Won the Selima Stakes — 1972
Won the Spinaway Stakes — 1972
Won the La Troienne Stakes — 1973
Won the Quebec Derby — 1973
Won the Ville-Marie Stakes — 1973

Horse Profile for La Prevoyante | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information

Biography

Bred and owned by George D. Widener, Eight Thirty showed promise as a 2-year-old by winning the Christiana Stakes and Flash Stakes before coming into his own midway through his 3-year-old campaign in 1939.

A chestnut son of Pilate out of the High Time mare Dinner Time, Eight Thirty strung together a five-race win streak as a sophomore that included the Diamond State Stakes, Wilson Stakes, Travers Stakes, Saratoga Handicap, and Whitney Handicap. Late in the year, Eight Thirty had an ankle issue that sidelined him until May 1940.

Returning as a 4-year-old, Eight Thirty won the Toboggan and Suburban handicaps before being given a break to prepare for a demanding stretch that included a victory in the Massachusetts Handicap (equaling the track record for nine furlongs). Thirteen days later, Eight Thirty repeated in the Wilson Stakes at Saratoga.

Eight Thirty made two starts as a 5-year-old in 1941. He recorded his second victory in the Toboggan and won the Metropolitan Handicap under an impost of 132 pounds. Eight Thirty, however, once again developed ankle problems and was retired to stud with a career record of 16-3-5 from 27 starts and earnings of $155,475.

Eight Thirty sired 299 foals, including 43 stakes winners, in 17 crops. Among his best were Sailor and Rare Perfume, the latter the dam of Widener’s 1962 champion, Jaipur. Eight Thirty died April 7, 1958, at the age of 29 at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky. 

Achievements

Won the Wilson Stakes — 1939, 1940
Won the Toboggan Handicap — 1940, 1941
Won the Christiana Stakes — 1938
Won the Flash Stakes — 1938
Won the Saratoga Handicap — 1939
Won the Travers Stakes — 1939
Won the Whitney Stakes — 1939
Won the Massachusetts Handicap — 1940
Won the Suburban Handicap — 1940
Won the Metropolitan Handicap — 1941

Horse Profile for Eight Thirty | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information

Biography

Flatterer was the most dominant American steeplechaser of the 1980s, winning four consecutive Eclipse Awards from 1983 through 1986.

Bred in Pennsylvania by owner William L. Pape and Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, Flatter won four races on the flats as a sophomore in 1982 before switching to jumps the following year as a 4-year-old.

In 1983, Flatterer established himself as America’s top steeplechaser by sweeping the Grand National, Temple Gwathmey, and Colonial Cup en route to his first Eclipse Award.

The following year, Flatterer repeated in the Colonial Cup and added wins in the New York Turf Writers Cup, Delta Air Handicap, and Brook Handicap, earning $120,342 for the year with a record of 6-1-0 from nine starts. He was again recognized as the champion steeplechaser.

In 1985, Flatterer won his third Colonial Cup and second temple Gwathmey to win the Eclipse Award for the third consecutive year. Flatterer’s fourth consecutive Colonial Cup victory in 1986 coincided with his fourth straight Eclipse Award. He also turned in strong efforts in finishing second in both the French Champion Hurdle in 1986 and the English Champion Hurdle in 1987. Flatterer won his final major race, the Iroquois Memorial Steeplechase, in 1987 at the age of 8. He was retired with a record of 24-7-5 from 51 starts and earnings of $538,708.

Flatterer spent his retirement at Pape’s My Way Farm in Unionville, Pennsylvania, where he lived until the remarkable age of 35.

Achievements

Eclipse Award Champion Steeplechase Horse — 1983
Eclipse Award Champion Steeplechase Horse — 1984
Eclipse Award Champion Steeplechase Horse — 1985
Eclipse Award Champion Steeplechase Horse — 1986

Notable

Won the Colonial Cup — 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
Won the Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase — 1983, 1985
Won the Grand National Steeplechase — 1983
Won the Brook Steeplechase — 1984
Won the New York Turf Writers Cup — 1984
Won the Jaguar Cup — 1986
Won the National Hunt Cup — 1986
Won the Iroquois Steeplechase Handicap — 1987

Horse Profile for Flatterer | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information

Biography

Bred and owned by Paul Mellon and trained by Hall of Famer Elliott Burch, Arts and Letters enjoyed a magical season in 1969, winning several of the most prestigious races in America en route to Horse of the Year honors.

Although he finished second to Majestic Prince in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes that year, Arts and Letters avenged those defeats by thwarting his rival’s Triple Crown bid by winning the Belmont Stakes by 5½ lengths.

By the time of his Belmont victory, Arts and Letters was thriving. Prior to the Belmont, Arts and Letters easily won the Metropolitan Handicap and was rounding into top form. Later that summer, at Saratoga, Arts and Letters crushed the field by 10 lengths in the Jim Dandy Stakes before winning the 100th running of the Travers Stakes by 6½ lengths.

Following the Travers, Arts and Letters defeated top handicapper Nodouble by two lengths in the Woodward Stakes and stretched his win streak to six with a 14-length romp in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Arts and Letters finished 1969 with a record of 8-5-1 from 14 starts and earnings of $555,604. Along with Horse of the Year, he was named Champion 3-Year-Old Male and Daily Racing Form selected him as Champion Handicap Male. 

Arts and Letters won the Grey Lag Handicap as a 4-year-old, but pulled a suspensory ligament in his left front ankle during the Californian Handicap. The injury ended his career.

Retired to Greentree Stud, Arts and Letters sired Preakness Stakes winner Codex and Winter’s Tale, a two-time winner of the Suburban and Nassau County handicaps.

Arts and Letters died at Greentree in 1998 at the age of 32. He is buried on the property, which is now part of Gainesway Farm.

Achievements

Horse of the Year — 1969
Champion 3-Year-Old Male — 1969
Champion Handicap Male (Daily Racing Form) — 1969

Triple Crown Highlights

Won the Belmont Stakes — 1969

Notable 

Won the Blue Grass Stakes — 1969
Won the Everglades Stakes — 1969
Won the Jim Dandy Stakes — 1969
Won the Jockey Club Gold Cup — 1969
Won the Metropolitan Handicap — 1969
Won the Travers Stakes — 1969
Won the Woodward Stakes — 1969
Won the Grey Lag Handicap — 1970

Horse Profile for Arts and Letters | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information