Whist (horse)

Last updated
Whist
SireSingleton
Grandsire St. Simon
DamWood-Nymph
Damsire The Ill-Used
Sex Stallion
Foaled1908
CountryUnited States
Colour Bay
Breeder August Belmont Jr.
OwnerAugust Belmont Jr.
Trainer John Whalen
Major wins
Hamilton Derby (1911)

Whist (foaled 1908 in Kentucky) was a Thoroughbred race horse bred and raced by August Belmont Jr. The colt came to prime racing age at a turbulent time in American racing and as such is best known for his win in the 1911 Hamilton Derby in Ontario, Canada in which he defeated both the Kentucky Derby winner Meridian and the runner-up, Governor Gray. [1] [2]

As a two-year-old competing in the United States in 1910, Whist's best performance in a stakes race was a second to Stinger in the Pimlico Nursery Stakes.

As a three-year-old, Whist faced a shortage of races in which to compete as a result of the 1911 shutdown of all racetracks in New York State induced by the 1908 enactment of the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation. [3] [4] As a consequence, many American owners began sending horses to compete in Canada where stall space would soon be in short supply. [5] Prior to winning the Hamilton Derby, trainer John Whalen had shipped the Belmont stable to Blue Bonnets Raceway in Montreal where Whist set a new Canadian record of 1:38 flat in winning a one-mile race on dirt. [6]

Whilst's racing career ended with his unexpected death later in 1911. [7]

Related Research Articles

The National Stallion Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held sixty-two times between 1898 and 1971. Inaugurated as the National Stallion Race at Morris Park Racecourse in The Bronx, the event was open to horses of either sex until 1948 when it became a race exclusively for colts and geldings and a National Stallion Stakes was created. Contested on dirt at a distance of five furlongs, from 1905 onward it was hosted by Belmont Park in Elmont, New York except for 1963 through 1967 when it was run at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, New York.

Eddie Dugan

Eddie Dugan was a jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who won three American Classic Races and two Canadian Classic Races. In addition, Dugan raced and won in Russia.

Meridian (horse) American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Meridian (1908–1935) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1911 Kentucky Derby, setting a new record by running 114 miles in 2 minutes, 5 seconds. The previous record of 2:0614 had been set by Lieut. Gibson in the 1900 Derby. Meridian was determined to be the historical Champion Three-Year Old and Horse of the Year of 1911.

The Advance Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1899 through 1910 at the Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Brooklyn, New York. An important race open to horses age three and older, it was raced on dirt. The final running took place on June 27, 1910 and was won by Ballot for the second time.

The 1928 Preakness Stakes was the 53rd running of the Preakness. The race took place on Friday, May 11, 1928, eight days before the Kentucky Derby making it the first leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series. A horse race for three-year-old thoroughbreds, it carried a total purse of $71,370. It was run on a track rated fast in a final time of 2:00 1/5. Ridden by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Raymond Workman, Victorian won the race by a nose over runner-up Toro. Nassak, the betting favorite from the powerful Rancocas Stable finished a distant 11th. The fifth-place finisher, Sun Beau, went on to a brilliant racing career and was voted U.S. Champion Older Horse in three straight years culminating with his 1996 induction into the U.S. National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

The Great Trial Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York from 1891 through 1910 and for 1913 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt, it was run at a distance of 5¾ furlongs from 1891 through 1900 and then at 6 furlongs. Run in late June or early July, for most of its years at Sheepshead Bay the Great Trial Stakes was the most valuable race for two-year-olds during the track's summer meet.

The Huron Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run between 1901 and 1940 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Raced on dirt, it was run at a distance of 1 3/16 miles with the exception of 1914 when the distance was set at 1 1/4 miles.

The Golden Rod Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1891 through 1908 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. It was a race on turf for two-year-old horses of either sex.

William Henry "Harry" Blaylock was a jockey in Thoroughbred racing who met with success both in the United States and his native Canada. In 1893 he won the Queen's Plate which became Canada's most important race and is the oldest continuously run race for Thoroughbred horses in North America.

Mother Goose was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was named the American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Filly of 1924. From the 128 runnings of the Belmont Futurity Stakes since its inception in 1888, through 2019 Mother Goose is one of only thirteen fillies to have ever won the event. The Mother Goose Stakes at New York's Belmont Park is named in her honor.

Whichone (1927–1944) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was named the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1929. Although Whichone earned important race wins as a three-year-old, injuries hampered his racing career including a bowed tendon sustained in the running of the 1930 Travers Stakes that ended his career.

The Hamilton Derby was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race first run on June 4, 1907 at the Hamilton Jockey Club Racetrack in Hamilton, Ontario. Open to three-year-old horses of either sex, it was contested over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on dirt.

The Spring Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run on dirt for twenty-five years between 1886 and 1910 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, from inception through 1889 it was raced over a distance of six furlongs and then from 1890 through 1909 it was run on the futurity course at a distance of 5 ¾ furlongs. Its final running in 1910 was at a distance of five furlongs.

The Empire City Derby was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1917 through 1933 at Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, New York. A race for three-year-old horses of either sex, the event was contested at a mile and one-eighth at inception until 1920 when it was set at what became known as the "Derby distance" of a mile and one-quarter. With the Brooklyn Derby at Belmont Park having changed its name to the Dwyer Stakes, the Empire City Derby was then the only Derby event in the Northeastern United States.

Disguise was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1900 Jockey Club Stakes in England but is best remembered for his success as a sire.

The Chesapeake Stakes was an important American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses of either sex contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and one-sixteenth at Havre de Grace Racetrack in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Run from 1920 until the track closed after the 1950 edition, the race usually run in late April race was a last major prep before the Kentucky Derby. For owners who had not nominated their horse for the Derby it was a chance to test their horse's ability against some of the best three-year-olds in the country, a number of which they would undoubtedly encounter in the ensuing Preakness Stakes.

Charles Edward was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who in less than a month in 1907 set three track records including a world record. In a 1910 history of one of the three races, the Daily Racing Form wrote that Charles Edward "gave in the Seagate one of the most amazing displays of high-class speed ever witnessed."

William Lloyd Kelsay was one of the top jockeys in American Thoroughbred racing during the 1920s who was widely respected for his ability to handle two-year-old horses during their first year of racing.

The Broadway Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1897 thru 1910 at Gravesend Race Track in Gravesend, New York. A race for three-year-old horses of either sex, it was contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and one-sixteenth.

Voter was a Thoroughbred racehorse bred in England that competed in the United States where his racing success led to his selection as the American Champion Older Male Horse of 1899. When his racing career was over, Voter became an influential sire.

References

  1. "Whist Is Derby Winner: Belmont Colt Leads Meridian And Governor Gray To Finish At Hamilton". Daily Racing Form. 1911-06-18. Retrieved 2020-03-25 via University of Kentucky Archives.
  2. "Whist Captures Derby; August Belmont's Colt Wins Hamilton Racing Feature". New York Times, Section Sport, page 5. 1911-06-18. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  3. "Penalties in the New York Bills". Daily Racing Form. 1908-01-18. Retrieved 2018-10-26 via University of Kentucky Archives.
  4. "Race Track Bill Defeated In Senate; Measure Modifying Directors' Liability for Gambling Fails of Passage". The New York Times. July 14, 1911. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  5. "Hamilton Stalls In Great Demand". Daily Racing Form. 1911-06-07. Retrieved 2020-03-24 via University of Kentucky Archives.
  6. "Canadian Record Broken by Whist". Gazette from Montreal, Quebec. 1911-06-11. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  7. "Record of August Belmont's Racing Stable". Daily Racing Form. 1911-12-29. Retrieved 2020-03-25 via University of Kentucky Archives.