HorseRacingGreats

This site gives any fan the chance to educate themselves about the many great thoroughbreds that have races throughout the rich history of the sport, the reason for their respective greatness, the events that in winning made them famous, and an explanation of the events themselves. For instance, an explanation of why the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore, and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in New York are collectively known as the Triple Crown of American Racing is given, complete with an explanation of the origin of the phrase itself. The great careers of the eleven horses that have won these three races in the same season, known as Triple Crown champions, like Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, and Citation are given brief overviews. Also, the lesser-known Triple Tiara, more commonly referred to as the Filly Triple Crown, is also described. 

Early Thoroughbreds - Today’s thoroughbred racehorse excels at speed. For centuries, they have been bred to be lean and fast. All thoroughbreds today are descended from three Arabian stallions which were shipped from the Middle East to England, beginning in the 1680s with the Byerly Turk. He was followed soon after by the Darley Arabian (1704) and the Godolphin Barb (1729; also known as the Godolphin Arabian). The Arabian stallions were highly prized for their speed, agility, and high spirits. They were bred to English mares by those seeking more speed. Today, all modern thoroughbred race horses can trace their pedigree directly back to one of these three stallions, bred to one of 74 mares of English and Arabian descent. Over time, other stallions were used. Noteworthy stallions include the Alcock Arabian and the Brownlow Turk, who was responsible for introducing the gray coat color into the gene pool.

Foundation Sires - The major foundation sires are the Godolphin Arabian, the Darley Arabian, and the Byerly Turk. Interestingly, these three stallions ended up with only one grandson or great grandson to carry the bloodlines into the next centuries. The Godolphin Arabian’s grandson, Matchem, was the only descendent to maintain a line of males to the present day. The line of the Byerly Turk was continued by his great-great-grandson, Herod. The Darley Arabian’s great-great-grandson was Eclipse, a racehorse famed for winning every race in his career. Every thoroughbred horse can trace his or her ancestry back to one of these three foundation stallions.