This Week in Horse History - April 19th Through April 25th

April 19, 1969 - The Lady Godiva Stakes was originally run today. Bill Veek, the President of Suffolk Downs, created the race to feature all female jockeys. The race offered a $10,000 purse, and was won by Penny Ann Early.…

This Week in Horse History - April 12th Through April 18th

April 14, 1936 - Today the first race result decided by a photo finish camera in Maryland took place. The race took place in Havre de Grace, Maryland, and a horse named Alit was declared to be the winner. Today, digital cameras are used at the finish lines of…

This Week in Horse History - April 5th Through April 11th

April 6, 1974 - The current facilities of W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center were dedicated on this day. The Kellogg Arabian Horse Center is an educational facility dedicated to promoting the Arabian breed. Its horses are shown by equine studies…

This Week in Horse History - March 29th Through April 4th

March 30th, 2005 - Reining Quarter Horse Hollywood Dun It was euthanized because of health problems resulting from testicular cancer. Hollywood Dun It was the All Time Leading Sire in National Reining Horse history. At the end of the 2004 NRHA Futurity, his foals had earned…

This Week in Horse History - March 22nd Through March 28th

March 23, 1962 - Jacqueline Kennedy received a horse named Sardar from Ayub Khan, Pakistan's governor. Governor Khan, a horseman himself, learned of Jackie Kennedy's love of horses when he first

visited the White House. He gave her Sardar, a gelding, who she nicknamed Black Jack.…

This Week in Horse History - March 15th Through March 21st

March 16th, 1936: Today, the New Hampshire Jockey Club was formed. Lou Smith controlled the club, which took over control of the Rockingham Park track. Rockingham Park was the first racetrack and opened on June 28, 1906 in Salem Depot, New Hampshire. The clubhouse at…

This Week in Horse History - March 8th Through March 14th

March 9, 1975 - Thoroughbred racehorse John Henry was born today. He acquired his name, named after the legendary steel driver John Henry, because while young he (the horse) used to pull his steel buckets off of the walls and flatten them. He was…

This Week in Horse History - March 1st Through March 7th

March 2-3, 2002 - The USET Reining Championship Qualifier was held. The competition was for a spot in the USET Reining Championship Semi-Finals, held in May. The top twenty riders from the Semi-Finals then progress to the $100,000 USET Reining Championship, held…

Week of February 22nd Through February 28th

February 23, 2002 - Reining stallion Topsail Cody died from colic. Topsail Cody was born in 1977 and would go on to win the 1980 National Reining Horse Association Futurity. In 1996, Topsail Cody was

inducted into the National…

Week of February 15th Through February 21st

February 15th, 1974 - 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew was born. The horse was born with a right front hoof that curved outward and didn’t look like a champion, so he was purchased for a

mere $17,500 by Karen and Mickey Taylor and Jim and Sally…

^{This Week in Horse History - February 8th Through February 14th}

February 8^th, 1983 – Thoroughbred racehorse Shergar was stolen from his home in County Kildare, Ireland. Shergar was worth $13.5 million. Shergar was a five-year old champion Irish racehorse. Thieves forced Shergar’s groom James Fitzpatrick to load him onto a trailer. They demanded a…

This Week in Horse History - February 1st Through February 7th



February 2nd, 1997 – A life-size bronze statue of the Thoroughbred racehorse Cigar was unveiled at Florida's Gulfstream Park. The bay stallion raced in 1993 as a three-year-old and continued to race through 1996 as a six-year-old. He was declared Horse of the Year in both 1995 and 1996, and won the inaugural running of the Dubai Cup in 1996. He now lives at Kentucky Horse Park. Cigar retired as the leading North…

This Week in Horse History - January 18th Through January 24th



January 18th, 1909 – Today, in 1909, the National Western Stock Show opened in the National Amphitheater in Denver. Admission was 25 cents. The stock show included cattle breeds along with a horse show portion, which featured draft horses and Saddlebreds. The stock show first opened in 1906. In 2006 its attendance reached a record 726,972 people. In 2009 there were more than 16,000 entries in the horse show…

This Week in Horse History - January 11th Through January 17th



January 12, 1998 - Zippo Pine Bar, a hugely influential Quarter Horse sire, was euthanized on January 12, 1998 after suffering a stroke. Zippo was bought as a yearling in 1969 for $1,000 and went on to become a top Western pleasure horse. He had a tremendous career as a stallion, siring 1,636 registered foals. Among his foals are 14 World Champions and 29 Reserve World Champions. Zippo was the leading Western…

This Week in Horse History - January 4th Through January 10th



January 5, 1961 - The television show "Mr. Ed" debuted for its six year run. The show featured Wilbur Post (Alan Young) and his talking horse, Mr. Ed. Mr. Ed was played by Bamboo Harvester, a parade horse. He was foaled in 1949 and was owned by the president of the California Palomino Society. Bamboo Harvester was purchased by the Mister Ed Company and was trained by Les Hilton. Mr. Ed did many scenes in one…

This Week in Horse History - December 28th Through January 3rd



December 29, 1945 – The record for the slowest winning time for a steeplechase race was set by a horse named Never Mind II. Never Mind refused the fourth fence during a two mile steeplechase and his jockey, assuming they were defeated, returned the horse to the paddock. The jockey was then informed that every other horse in the race had either fallen or been disqualified. On learning this, the jockey brought…

This Week in Horse History - December 21st Through December 27th



December 22, 1991- At age 21, jockey Kent Desormeaux won his 2,000th race. Desormeaux's victory was on Saron Lake at Hollywood Park. At age 21, Desormeaux was the youngest jockey to reach the mark of 2,000 victories. He also holds the record for the most victories by a jockey in a single year – he won 598 times in 1989. Desormeaux was also the youngest jockey to earn 3,000 victories.…

This Week in Horse History - December 14th Through December 20th



December 14, 2002 – Today, the second Saturday in December, marked the First Annual Day of the Horse in the state of California. The day serves as a celebration of the horse as being a living link to our history, and the Legislature called "upon all citizens to be mindful of the welfare of the horse and its contribution to our economy, heritage, and history." Various stables held celebrations…

This Week in Horse History - December 6th Through December 12th



December 6, 2008– A horse named Peppy Superboom sold at the National Reining Horse Association/Markel Insurance Futurity Prospect Sale for $240,000, breaking the record for the largest purchase price ever paid at a NRHA sale. Peppy Superboom was born in 2006 and was sired by the NRHA Top 15 All-Time Leading Sire Boomernic. Peppy Superboom was consigned by Schmersal Reining Horses and was…

This Week in Horse History - November 29th Through December 5th



November 30, 1963 – Quarter Horse Jet Deck wins the Josie's Bar Handicap. Jet Deck was the first Quarter Horse to earn over $200,000 during his racing career. Born in 1960, Jet Deck was first bred in 1965, and it was instantly apparent that he passed his talents as a racehorse on to his offspring. In 1969, the wins of Jet Deck's offspring totaled 25 firsts, 14 seconds and 12 thirds in stakes…