This Week in Horse History - May 24th Through May 30th

May 27, 1823 - A match race was held pitting the racehorse American Eclipse against any horse owned by Colonel William R. Johnson. American Eclipse, being from North America, would race against a Southern horse in the match race of four heats. It was attended by more than 60,000 people and offered a purse of $20,000 to the winner. Colonel Johnson raced the horse Sir Henry. American Eclipse won the match, and several southerners, having bet their entire plantations on the match, lost everything. American Eclipse was retired and began a career at stud.

Information and photo courtesy of American Eclipse

May 28, 2003 - The first cloned horse was born. The horse was Prometea, a Haflinger, who was cloned from the skin cells of her mother. The embryo was then implanted into the mare, and she carried Prometea to term and, in effect, gave birth to her identical twin. The Laboratory of Reproductive Technologies in Cremona, Italy, was responsible for the procedure.

Information and photo courtesy of Cloned Foal Beats the Odds

May 31, 1908 - Colin's Ghost was victorious in the Belmont Stakes, winning his fourteenth straight race. Colin was owned by James R. Keene and was ridden by jockey Joe Notter. Notter misjudged the finish line and eased Colin up too early, but was able to recover from his mistake and Colin's Ghost still won the race by a head over Fair Play. The purse for the race was $25,000. Colin's Ghost would retire with 15 wins out of 15 starts.

Information and photo courtesy of Colin's Ghost: Thoroughbred Racing History