Turf Talk Newsletter – 25 October, 2023

Gaynor Rupert Homebred Fancied For Doncaster Gr 1

God’s Window wins on debut over a mile at Doncaster (Skysports.com)

The Gaynor Rupert homebred Dubawi colt God’s Window is one of only four horses quoted in single figures for Saturday’s Gr 1 Kameko Futurity Trophy Stakes (Group 1) over a mile for two-year-old colts and fillies at Doncaster on Saturday.

The race formerly known as the Racing Post Trophy is one of the traditional biggest pointers to the British three-year-old classic season and starts at 15H10 South African time on Saturday.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained God’s Window, owned and bred by Gaynor Rupert’s Cayton Park Stud Ltd, has the advantage of course and distance experience.

In his only start he won a maiden stakes event over the course and distance by three-quarters of a length. He started 4/1 joint favourite with two other horses that day ( September 30) and won in soft conditions under Kieran Shoemark.

For Saturday’s race he is quoted at a general 8/1 in a field of ten and Shoemark retains the ride.

The joint 7/4 favourites are the Aidan O’Brien-trained Frankel colt Diego Velazquez, who is unbeaten in two starts including a Gr 2 over a mile at Leopardstown, and the Charlie Appleby-trained Godolphin-owned Dubawi colt Ancient Wisdom, who has won three times in four starts including a Gr 3 over a mile at Newmarket last time out by 3,75 lengths.

The Kameko Futurity Trophy was established in 1961 and six winners have subsequently

achieved victory in the following year’s Derby: Reference Point (1986); High Chaparral (2001); Motivator (2004); Authorized (2006); Camelot (2011); Auguste Rodin (2022).

Three winners of the race have stood at stud in South Africa, Peter Davies (1990 winner), Medaaly (1996) and the ill-fated Kingsbarns (2012).

The 1994 winner, the Lady Herries-trained Celtic Swing, is one of the most memorable winners of the race.

He routed them in the mud by twelve lengths and was subsequently named Cartier European Champion two-year-old colt.

His win set off unprecedented hype by a British public who at the time were desparate for a superstar. Throughout the winter Celtic Swing’s name was not far from the headlines. He was widely expected to become one of the greatest horses of all time and was unprecedentedly short odds for the 2000 Guineas and Derby.

Alas, he was narrowly beaten by Pennekamp in the 2000 Guineas. Then despite the mountain of ante-post money on him for the Derby he was diverted to run in the French Derby instead with the claim the ground at Epsom was too firm.

He won the French Derby narrowly before his next start in the Irish Derby. He ran a bitterly disappointing 8th but was found to have been injured in the running and never ran again.

Celtic Swing, who was by Damister out of a Mr Prospector mare, thus became a footnote in history despite the incredible hype that once surrounded him. Nevertheless, he was accorded a Timeform rating of 138, which puts him just two behind Vaguely Noble (1967 winner) and one behind Reference Point among the Kameko Futurity Trophy Stakes winners who are high up on the all time Timeform ratings.

If God’s Window can do it on Saturday he might become the second winner of this race to stand at Drakenstein Stud. Kingsbarns by Galileo was the first and had three crops in SA before his untimely passing. He produced two stakes winners and seven stakes-placed runners and among his stakes winners was the Gr 1-winning filly Gabor.

Hollywood Score Rare Owners’ Trifecta

The Hollywood Syndicate colours dominate the finish of today’s fourth race on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Trainers fill the trifecta occasionally but an owner’s trifecta is rare.

Today on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly the Hollywood Syndicate’s faniliar yellow with purple stars colours were carried by the first three past the post in race 4 over 1900m.

The winner was the Gareth van Zyl-trained Afropolitan (Master Of My Fate), ridden by Athandiwe Mgudlwa, and he was followed home by the Alyson Wright-trained Syx Hotfix (Flower Alley) and the Duncan Howells-trained El Rey Viene (William Longsword).

They were separated by 3,10 lengths and a long-head.

They were sent off at 6/1, 28/10 and 5/1 odds.

The trifecta in the eight horse field paid R170.10.

The Hollywood Syndicate then made it a quick double when the odds-on favourite the Clinton Binda-trained Dontshootthebarman won the next race over 1000m.

Hollywood are the early leaders in the national owners championship and have already had 30 wins, which is 17 more than the next highest. Suzette Viljoen and Sabine Plattner are both on 13 wins for the season.

Luke Ferraris Double At Sha Tin

Luke Ferraris and Australian trainer Mark Newnham score a quick double together with Mission Bravo (HKJC).

Luke Ferraris gave new Hong Kong trainer Mark Newnham his first winner on the island and today on the Sha Tin All Weather track he gave the Australian his first Hong Kong double.

Those are the only winners Newnham has had this season to date.

Ferraris goes to six wins for the season, joining Lyle Hewitson on that number and their compatriot Keagan de Melo is just one behind them.

In the second race of the day, a class 5 handicap over 1200m, Ferraris was on the Australian-bred five-year-old gelding All Is Ready (Super One), who was paying HK$4.50 on the Tote.

He drove the strongly built grey into a midfield position from draw four. The horse travelled strongly and Luke switched him out before reaching the straight. The pacemaker had stolen a march on the rail but the grey began eating up the ground down the centre with long strides and he caught the latter close to home. However, he was finishing so strongly he won by 1,75 lengths.

In the next race, a class 4 handicap over 1650m, Luke was on the Australian-bred six-year-old gelding Mission Bravo (Smart Missile), who was paying HK$4.10 on the Tote.

Jumping from draw ten the race caller commented that Mission Bravo “didn’t leave as quick as he can.”

Nevertheless, Ferraris stuck to the game plan and drove him up meaning he took the first turn four wide.

However, Ferraris managed to relax him down the back straight while still staying in touch with the leader Lucky Banner in a clear second place. He gave him a breather around the final turn, although the horse’s big stride carried him alongside the Lucky Banner. These two then had a ding dong tussle down the straight.

Mission Bravo always looked to have Lucky Banner’s measure, but only held on by a short-head, because the latter fought back late in the race.

It was a good ride considering the likely slower than expected start.

Frankie Dettori denied Melbourne Cup dream after whip ban

Frankie Dettori celebrates on Trawlerman after winning the Long Distance Cup at Ascot. Photograph: independent.ie

Rob Harris (theAge.com.au)

London: Frankie Dettori’s dream of winning a Melbourne Cup, one of the few major races not on his glittering CV, is over after he was suspended for a combined 16 days for breaching whip rules during his farewell to British racing.

The champion jockey’s plans to ride in Australia’s most famous race one last time were denied after he was found to have used his whip once above the permitted level of six in winning the Long Distance Cup aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained Trawlerman.

The 52-year-old, who is moving full-time to the US at the end of the year after abandoning plans to retire, enjoyed a perfect send-off at Ascot on Saturday when he rode two winners, which included capturing the Champion Stakes on King Of Steel, his last ride.

British racing’s new whip rules came into force over jumps in February and on flat racing the following month.

In a statement released on Tuesday Dettori said: “Regretfully at British Champions Day I went one stroke over in the opening and subsequent race.”

‘I’ve got to face reality’: Dettori to hang up saddle, meaning Melbourne Cup dream likely over

“Following the whip review committee meeting early this week, my 16-day suspension will take effect from Tuesday, November 7, meaning I am unable to ride at the Melbourne Cup carnival,” he said.

He said with flights booked, he still planned to attend Australia’s premier meeting to support the event.

The Italian, who has partnered more than 250 Group 1 winners around the world and more than 3300 winners, first rode in the Cup in 1993 aboard Drum Taps and has since ridden in the race 17 times, finishing second past the post on three occasions.

Dettori said in August it would be his last Melbourne Cup, describing it as “one of the best races in the world” and finally winning it would make him “the happiest man in the world”.

He finished second aboard 50-1 shot Central Park when beaten just a head by Rogan Josh in 1999 and filled the same spot aboard the Willie Mullins-trained Max Dynamite, who finished half a length behind Prince Of Penzance in 2015.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained Master Of Reality passed the post a head second behind Vow And Declare under Dettori in the 2019 running – the last time he rode in the race – but was demoted to fourth after a protest.

Dettori won the Ebor on Absurde for Mullins at York in August, had been mooted as his possible Melbourne Cup ride but Zac Purton was recently booked after he was allotted a low weight of 53 kg.

A British Horseracing Authority spokesman said the new penalties which were in place in the most prestigious and valuable races were intended to act as a deterrent against overuse of the whip.

“The overall objectives of the rules governing the whip, which came about following a lengthy consultation process and have been refined through regular dialogue with jockeys, are to ensure its more judicious use for encouragement, improving the perception of its use and ensuring that outcomes of races are fair,” he said.

“Over the course of the year, we have seen jockeys adapt superbly to the new rules and the overall offence rate has markedly decreased.”

Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra was slapped with a $50,000 fine and a seven-meeting suspension for breaking whip rules on Without A Fight.

He used the whip on nine occasions prior to the 100-metre mark, four more times than permitted, and 13 hits in totality.

He has deferred his suspension to start at midnight after the Cox Plate, in which he is set to partner Gold Trip.

Royal Mo In Fine Form Despite Limited Mares

The Piet Botha-trained Millstream Farm-bred Royal Mo colt Tyrion Lannister brought joy to the Dare 2 Dream Racing Syndicate (nominee: Piet Botha) at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday. He became the newly formed syndicate’s first winner.

The Klawervlei Stud-based Royal Mo, whose chief shareholder is Stonehill Stud, is in the middle of a fine trot.

It started in fairytale fashion on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Durbanville with the three-year-old Piet Botha-trained colt Tyrion Lannister, who gave the newly formed Dare To Dream Syndicate their first ever winner. Piet had told the owners to be on track because he thought he could win, so it was an exciting experience for the Dare To Dream “family”, many of whom are first-time owners.

Tyrion Lannister had them stretched after being taken to the lead from a wide draw by Richard Fourie and setting decent fractions. He fended them off courageously in the straight to win cosily in the end by 1,25 lengths.

On Tuesday at Hollywoodbets Durnbanville the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Right Royal Mo, having his first start since winning his maiden at the fourth time of asking, produced a strong late finish to get up by 0,40 lengths in a Class 5 handicap over 1600m under Aldo Domeyer.

Then today in the first race on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly the Glen Kottzen-trained Few Dollars More made his first run outside of Cape Town a successful one when winning the Maiden Handicap carrying 52kg under Cole Dicken. He was wearing first time cheekpieces and won full of running by 3,10 lengths.

Royal Mo has had 25 runners this season to date and six winners (of eight races), a 24% winners/runners strike rate.

Royal Mo’s best runner to date is the R7.5 million Gold Rush winner, the Justin Snaith-trained Royal Aussie, who showed his class a couple of weekends back when finishing third to the two superstars Charles Dickens and Gimme A Prince in the Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Matchem Stakes.

Royal Mo won a Grade 3 over 1700m and was third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby before fracturing a sesamoid as an early three-year-old.

He is by Coolmore sire sensation Uncle Mo, who was an American champion two-year-old.

One of the world’s leading stallion analysts, Bill Oppenheim, compared Uncle Mo’s early statistics to those of A.P. Indy, Danzig and Storm Cat.

Uncle Mo began standing at Ashford Stud, the American arm of Irish breeding giant Coolmore, for the 2012 Thoroughbred breeding season, and is now a “shuttle stallion” servicing mares at Coolmore’s American and Australian farms.

Uncle Mo was the leading freshman sire of 2015 in North America and the overall leading sire of two-year-olds in Europe and North America. In 2016, he was not only the leading second-crop sire, he also finished third in the general sire listing despite having only two crops of racing age. His stud fee was increased to $150,000 for the 2017 season.

Uncle Mo has sired 11 individual Gr 1 winners and these include Mo Donegal, the Belmont Stakes winner.

Australian Buyers Dominate Second Day of Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale

Lot 767: Balance Play (IRE)

Australian buyers were to the fore on the second day of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, buying six of the top eight lots including the session topping BALANCE PLAY at 575,000 guineas.

Waterhouse & Bott Secure Balance Play for 575,000 Guineas

The top lot on the second day of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale was BALANCE PLAY, the LOPE DE VEGA three-year-old sold by Alex Elliott’s Imperium Sales for Valmont, who realised 575,000 guineas to the bid of Johnny McKeever on behalf of the trainer partnership of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Will Bourne, Ciaron Maher’s head of bloodstock was the underbidder.

Claudia Miller, racing manager for Gai Waterhouse, said: “Balance Play is our highest rated horse of the sale, we were under strict instructions not to leave without him! He is a lovely three-year-old, lightly raced, very consistent, effective on all going. He just is the exact profile of the horse we look for at this sale. We are very excited to get him.”

Miller continued: “It was strong, we knew it was going to be strong, but he was a horse we were not leaving without. He could be anything for us, he is easily a Stakes horse, there is a lot of improvement in him form-wise, physically as well – these Europeans seem to explode when they get down to the sunshine and the warmer weather. We are expecting more to come.”

Miller concluded: “We have some commitment already, a couple of opportunities to get involved, but he is more or less sold.”

BALANCE PLAY was trained by Ralph Beckett and was offered with a Timeform rating of 108.

The same team joined up to secure BEAR ON THE LOOSE, the next lot in the ring, for 280,000 guineas. Of the immediate plans for both horses, Miller said: “We will get them down to Australia, probably give them both a good break, then look to the autumn and then the spring next year.”

“There is so much interest in Australia for these types of horses as they are racing for so much money. We have had incredible success with European horses, and in particular from this sale. It is a very happy hunting ground for us.”

Local agent Johnny McKeever said: “It is about 15 years we have been working with Gai, quite a long time! We are getting to know the system quite well. We are bidding against the likes of Wathnan and that is making it more expensive for us, and we have been outbid by the likes of Guy Mulcaster on two others tonight.”

He continued: “I think the top end is as strong as always. You kind of know on these ones who the opposition is going to be. We do have to pick them – Gai does not like it if you send a bad looking horse!”

Lot 769: He’s A Monster (IRE)

He’s A Monster Heads to Qatar at 450,000 Guineas

Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown secured the next two lots in the ring, HE’S A MONSTER and JUST BRING IT, from the same Imperium Sales draft. The pair realised 450,000 guineas and 300,000 guineas respectively and have been purchased on behalf of Wathnan Racing.

“They’ll both go to Qatar,” said Brown. “We focussed on buying real quality and hopefully we’ve done that. Everyone on the team was very keen on both of these horses. He’s A Monster was recommended highly by Archie [Watson]. He looks progressive and is a particularly good looking horse. He could end up running on either turf or dirt in Qatar.

“It’s a tremendous effort by Alex Elliott on his first venture selling. They were superbly presented.”

The three-year-old HE’S A MONSTER is a son of NO NAY NEVER who raced for Lone Star Investments. He has won five of his nine starts and was offered with a Timeform rating of 113. JUST BRING IT is a son of HARRY ANGEL who raced for Atlantic Equine, has won his last two starts and was offered with a Timeform rating of 99.

Alex Elliott, who was selling his first draft at Tattersalls under the Imperium Sales banner, was a little emotional after the draft went through the ring:

“I am absolutely over the moon, I am very proud of the horses and very proud of the job that the team has done. I am a bit overwhelmed really on this first time doing it.

“I said to Lucy [Ryan, assistant] a few months ago that we are going to do this, and she went ‘OK!’ She has not batted an eyelid right through from the yearling sales, she has put a team together of phenomenal horse people and done a great job. I can’t explain what a wonderful job they have all done.

“We are buying a lot of yearlings, I hope it is something we are going to continue to do. We have sold some serious horses tonight and I hope they go on to do better than they did for us – and they have done us a great service. I am very sad to see them go, and we are actually going to stay in Balance Play because we loved him and there is lots to come from him. We have a lot of faith in him.

“I am a bit overcome by how well everything has been received, I am very grateful that the owners went through with the idea and I just want to say thank you to everyone – the buyers, to the viewers, to my clients, to the trainers, as the horses turned up looking immaculate. It is everything we dreamed of and more – we came here with big expectations and for the all the horses to jump through the hoops…. I was expecting X and Y to be wrong and it was not at all!

“We have a lot of horses like Balance Play at home. Ralph has trained him masterfully, he is a late May foal, he has a staying pedigree and Ralph has brought him through slowly. He has handled every ground, he could be anything.

“We are sad to see him go, but it is the nature of the beast with this game. Hopefully we have got a bit back. I have wanted to do this for a few years and this felt like the right moment, the product was there and you have to have the right product. We were very confident that we had some serious horses.”

Lot 720: Amleto (IRE)

Bourne Secures Amleto for 360,000 Guineas for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace

AMLETO, a SEA THE STARS full-brother to the dual Group 1 winner SEA OF CLASS and four further blacktype winners, was bought by Will Bourne on behalf of Ciaron Maher Bloodstock for 360,000 guineas after he saw off Eddie O’Leary to secure the three-year-old gelding. He was in training with William Haggas and owned by Sunderland Holding Inc, and was offered with a Timeform rating of 98p.

Will Bourne, Maher’s head of bloodstock, said: “He is the one we really targeted and we were very keen to pick him up. He is a really nice horse, and the profile is very much for Australia. The sireline is proven down there with the Group 1 Australian Cup winner Fifty Stars and Just Fine, winner of the Group 1 Metropolitan.

“He is just a lovely lightly raced horse, and a perfect fit for Australia. He has plenty of miles left on the clock and we can’t wait to get him down there.”

Lot 721: Florida (IRE)

Mulcaster & Waller Secure Florida for 300,000 Guineas

New Zealand agent Guy Mulcaster was one of the first agents to venture up to the Autumn Horses in Training Sale and buy tried horses for the Australian market and specifically trainer Chris Waller, and the pair were active again today securing the three-year-olds FLORIDA and UNLIMITED for 300,000 guineas and 230,000 guineas respectively, both horses from William Haggas’ Somerville Lodge.

“Both horses were highly recommended by the Haggas stable and we were happy to go with their judgement,” said Mulcaster. “We like the horses’ profiles and we liked the race replays. Fingers crossed!”

“I had Chris on the phone when I bought Florida, and he was pretty happy to keep going and we managed to get him at that money. In the big scheme of things the money in Australia is for the milers and 1800m horses. We have a few more to look at tonight and tomorrow, then it’s on the plane and home!”

FLORIDA, a son of NO NAY NEVER, has run seven times, won twice and is rated 99 by Timeform, whilst the SAXON WARRIOR gelding UNLIMITED has won two of his last three starts and was offered with a Timeform rating of 91.

The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale continues at 9.30am on Wednesday, 25th October.

Fourie Edges Ahead Of Yeni

Richard Fourie goes back to the top of the national jockeys championship log after winning on the Clinton Binda-trained Hollywood Syndicate-owned Visionaire gelding Dontshootthebarman (Photo: Candiese Lenferna).

Richard Fourie had one winner on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly today and it enabled him to retake the lead in the national championships.

He is now on 67 wins, one ahead of Muzi Yeni, and he has done it at a strike rate of 21.61%.

Yeni leads the KZN Championships with 27 wins to the 23 of Fourie and 21 of Serino Moodley.

Today’s Question

The horse in question painted by Edward Troye

Which famous racehorse is the 2022 novel “Horse”, written by renowned Pullitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks, based on?

Midweek FIELDS

Vaal Classic Fields, Wednesday

Today’s Question Answer

The novel is based on the great American racehorse and sire Lexington, who saturated pedigrees in America at one stage such was his dominance.

wikipedia

Lexington (March 17, 1850 – July 1, 1875) was a United States Thoroughbred race horse who won six of his seven race starts. Perhaps his greatest fame, however, came as the most successful sire of the second half of the nineteenth century; he was the leading sire in North America 16 times, and broodmare sire of many notable racehorses.

Background

Lexington was a bay colt bred by Elisha Warfield at Warfield’s stud farm, The Meadows, near Lexington, Kentucky. Lexington was by the Hall of Fame inductee, Boston (by Timoleon by Sir Archy) from Alice Carneal by Sarpedon. He was inbred in the third and fourth generations (3m × 4f) to Sir Archy. Lexington stood 15.3 hands (63 inches, 160 cm) and was described as having good conformation though he had a distinctive “moose head” profile. At stud, he developed a willful and somewhat vicious temperament.

Racing record

Under the name of “Darley” Lexington easily won his first two races for Warfield and his partner, “Burbridge’s Harry”, a.k.a. Harry Lewis, a former slave turned well-known horse trainer. Harry’s son, Jarret, (Jarret is a composite speculative fictional character the author Geraldine Brooks invented for her novel “Horse” and the rest of this paragraph is fiction from the same novel, see below citation #2) had formed a bond with the colt. The two were inseparable. Jarret trained and prepared Darley for many of his races and acted as his groom as well. Lewis, being black, was not allowed to enter “Darley” in races in his own name, so the horse ran in Warfield’s name and colors. Darley and Jarret caught the eye of Richard Ten Broeck who asked Warfield to name his price. “Darley”, the son of Boston, and Jarret were sold in 1853 to Ten Broeck acting on behalf of a syndicate who would rename him Lexington. Affixed to Lexington’s pedigree Warfield wrote: “The colt was bred by me, as was also his dam, which I now and will ever, own…E. Warfield.”

A syndicate made up of Richard Ten Broeck, General Abe Buford, Captain Willa Viley, and Junius R. Ward, bought Lexington for $2,500 between heats (or during the running of his race), so tried claiming the purse money when he won. Failing that, he tried to deduct the purse money from the sale price. But Warfield held out. His new owners immediately sent Lexington to Natchez, Mississippi to train under J. B. Pryor.

Lexington raced at age three and four and although he only competed seven times, many of his races were grueling four-mile events. Lexington won six of his seven races and finished second once. One of his wins was the Phoenix Hotel Handicap in 1853. On April 2, 1855, at the Metairie race course in New Orleans, he set a record running four miles in 7 minutes, 19 3⁄4 seconds, running against time. Even with his complex and hard-fought rivalry with the horse Lecomte (also a son of Boston, both born just after Boston died), he was known as the best race horse of his day. His second match with Lecomte on April 14, 1855, was considered one of the greatest matches of the century. But Lexington had to be retired at the end of 1855 as a result of poor eyesight. His sire, Boston, had also gone blind. Conservation work in 2010 revealed that Lexington had had a massive facial infection that resulted in his going blind.

Stud record

One of the few known photographs of Lexington

Lexington stood for a time at the Nantura Stock Farm of Uncle John Harper in Midway, Kentucky, along with the famous racer and sire, Glencoe. Sold to Robert A. Alexander for $15,000 in 1858, reportedly the then highest price ever paid for an American horse, Lexington was sent to Alexander’s Woodburn Stud at Spring Station, Kentucky.

He stood for a price of $100 until 1861, when he first led the sire list, and it was increased to $200. He stood for a limited public fee of $500, the highest in the country and comparable to the leading English stallions, in 1865 and 1866 before being restricted to private stud duties only.

Called “The Blind Hero of Woodburn”, Lexington became the leading sire in North America sixteen times, from 1861 through 1874, and then again in 1876 and 1878. Lexington was the sire of the undefeated Asteroid and Norfolk. Nine of the first fifteen Travers Stakes were won by one of his sons or daughters. Among his noted progeny are:


Foaled	Name	Sex	Major Wins/Achievements
1857^[8]	Idlewind		Notable racer
1860^[8]	Cincinnati	Stallion	General Ulysses S. Grant‘s favorite horse. He was depicted in numerous statues of Grant that remain to this day.
1861	Asteroid	Stallion	Undefeated
1861	Kentucky	Stallion	Travers Stakes (1864), US Racing Hall of Fame inductee
1861^[8]	Norfolk	Stallion	Undefeated, Jersey Derby (1864)
1864^[8]	Hira	Mare	Dam of Himyar
1865	General Duke	Stallion	Belmont Stakes (1868), American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt
1867	Kingfisher	Stallion	Belmont Stakes (1870)
1867	Preakness	Stallion	Namesake of the Preakness Stakes, Manhattan Stakes (1873), US Racing Hall of Fame inductee
1868	Harry Bassett	Stallion	Belmont Stakes (1871), US Racing Hall of Fame inductee
1868^[8]	Monarchist	Stallion	Grand National Handicap (1871),
1870^[8]	Tom Bowling	Stallion	Travers Stakes (1873), US Racing Hall of Fame inductee
1872	Tom Ochiltree	Stallion	Preakness Stakes (1875), US Racing Hall of Fame inductee
1873^[8]	Neecy Hale	Mare	Kentucky Oaks (1876)
1873	Shirley	Gelding	Preakness Stakes (1876)
1873^[8]	Sultana	Mare	Travers Stakes (1876), Retrospective Champion Three-Year-Old Filly (1876)
1875	Belle of Nelson	Mare	Kentucky Oaks (1878)
1875	Duke of Magenta	Stallion	Preakness Stakes (1878), Belmont Stakes (1878), Travers Stakes (1878), US Racing Hall of Fame inductee

Lexington’s three Preakness Stakes winners equaled the record of another great sire, Broomstick.

In all Lexington sired 236 winners who won 1,176 races, ran second 348 times and third 42 times for $1,159,321 in prize money.

During the American Civil War, horses were forcibly conscripted from the Kentucky farms to serve as mounts in the bloody fray. Lexington, 15 years old and blind, had to be hidden away to save him from such a fate. He was sent to Illinois for this purpose.

Lexington died at Woodburn on July 1, 1875, and was buried in a casket in front of the stables. A few years later, in 1878, his owner, through the auspices of J.M. Toner, donated the horse’s bones to the U.S. National Museum (the Smithsonian Institution). The pioneering taxidermist Henry Augustus Ward of Ward’s Natural Science in Rochester, New York, was called in to supervise the disinterment and preparation of the skeleton. For many years the specimen was exhibited in the Osteology Hall of the National Museum of Natural History. In 1999, Lexington was part of the exhibition “On Time”, at the National Museum of American History, where he helped illustrate the history of the first mass-produced stopwatch that split time into fractions of seconds—which was supposedly developed to document Lexington’s feats on the race course. In 2010, Smithsonian conservators prepared the skeleton for loan to the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, Kentucky, in time for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, the first time these games had been held outside of Europe.

Lexington’s dominance in the pedigrees of American-bred Thoroughbreds, and the fact that the British Thoroughbred breeders considered him not a purebred, was a large factor in the so-called Jersey Act of 1913, in which the British Jockey Club limited the registration of horses not traced completely to horses in the General Stud Book.

Summary of Stud Career
Year	Rank in Sire List	Starters	Races Won	Money Won
1859	7th	7	10	$6,700
1860	2nd	12	37	$22,295
1861	1st	13	27	$22,245
1862	1st	5	14	$9,700
1863	1st	10	25	$14,235
1864	1st	13	38	$28,440
1865	1st	31	87	$58,750
1866	1st	34	112	$92,795
1867	1st	33	86	$54,030
1868	1st	36	92	$68,340
1869	1st	36	81	$56,375
1870	1st	35	82	$120,360
1871	1st	40	102	$109,095
1872	1st	28	82	$71,515
1873	1st	23	71	$71,565
1874	1st	23	70	$51,899
1875	3rd	30	33	$32,245
1876	1st	21	34	$90,570
1877	2nd	20	29	$32,815
1878	1st	16	36	$60,195
1879	7th	15	19	$17,439.50
1880	17th	9	12	$9,297.50
1881	17th	6	7	$1,055
1882	17th	3	1	$255
Totals		499	1,187	$1,102,211

Honors

Lexington was part of the first group of horses inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1955. The Belmont Lexington Stakes runs every year at Belmont Park in honor of Lexington, as does the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland Race Course.

On Tuesday, August 31, 2010 the Smithsonian loaned Lexington’s skeleton to the International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park, to be exhibited there through August 2013.

Lexington served as the model for the top of the Woodlawn Vase, given to the winner of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

Lexington was exhibited at the 1859 Great St. Louis Fair.[4]

Legacy

Lexington was the leading sire in North America a record 16 times. His sire line originally flourished, especially through Norfolk (who in turn produced champions Emperor of Norfolk and El Rio Rey), but then faced increasing competition from European imports. His last known male progeny was Conquering Elk (b. 1987). However, his influence on the pedigrees of the modern Thoroughbred can still be felt through his daughters, who produced winners Spendthrift, Himyar, Hanover, and Bramble. Himyar in turn established a sire line that has survived into the 21st century through Holy Bull, who sired both 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo and 2000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Mucho Uno. In turn, Mucho Uno sired 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man, the sire of 2020 Pegasus World Cup winner Mucho Gusto. Likewise, the Spendthrift line has survived into the 21st century through Tiznow, who won the Breeders Cup Classic in consecutive years (2000, 2001); he in turn produced 2008 Belmont Stakes winner Da’ Tara, and 2008 Santa Anita Derby and Travers Stakes winner Colonel John.

Lexington is the subject of the best selling novel Horse by Geraldine Brooks, published in 2022.

Pedigree

Some of the horses in Lexington’s pedigree cannot be traced back to England’s General Stud Book, a fact that can probably be attributed to the disruptions and sometimes hazardous record keeping in the period between the American Revolution and Civil War. The pedigree shown on The Jockey Club’s Equineline database is thus incomplete, not showing the dams of Timoleon, Florizel and the Alderman Mare. The pedigree shown below fills in those gaps based on American records.

Lexington is usually said to descend from family 12-b in the female line through his third dam Lady Grey. However, the mitochondrial DNA of descendants of Lady Grey is inconsistent with that of other members of family 12-b, indicating a likely mismatch.

Pedigree of Lexington, bay stallion, 1850
Sire Boston Chestnut 1833	Timoleon Chestnut 1814	Sir Archy Bay 1805	Diomed
		Sir Archy Bay 1805	Castianira
		Saltram mare Ch. 1801	Saltram
		Saltram mare Ch. 1801	Symme’s Wildair Mare
	Ball’s Florizel Mare Chestnut 1814	Ball’s Florizel	Diomed
		Ball’s Florizel	Shark Mare
		Alderman Mare 1799	Alderman
		Alderman Mare 1799	Clockfast Mare
Dam Alice Carneal Bay 1836	Sarpedon Bay 1828	Emilius	Orville
		Emilius	Emily
		Icaria	The Flyer
		Icaria	Parma
	Rowena Chestnut 1826	Sumpter	Sir Archy
		Sumpter	Robin Redbreast Mare
		Lady Grey	Robin Grey
		Lady Grey	Maria (family: 12-b)

Lexington was inbred 3 × 4 to the stallion Sir Archy and 4 × 4 to the stallion Diomed, meaning that both horses appears twice in his pedigree — Sir Archy in the third and fourth generations, and Diomed twice in the fourth generation.