Bee Bee Bee
Encyclopedia
Bee Bee Bee was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
best known for winning the 1972 Preakness Stakes
. To date Bee Bee Bee is only one of eight Maryland-bred colts to win the Preakness and one of only eleven from the state to win a triple crown race.
He was sired by multiple stakes winner Better Bee, who was a grandson of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee Reigh Count
. His dam was Paula, a granddaughter of the great Nearco
. Bee Bee Bee was bred by former Illinois
racing commissioner William S. Miller of Chicago
who dispersed his racing stable following a bribery scandal involving Chicago mayor, Richard J. Daley
. As a result, during the 1971-72 winter Bee Bee Bee became the property of William S. Farish III who late in the decade became the owner of Lane's End Farm
near Versailles, Kentucky
.
In the fall of 1971, two-year-old Bee Bee Bee was competing at Timonium Racetrack, a half-mile track far from the limelight that shone on the best-bred stars at top tracks along the Eastern seaboard
. After winter racing in Florida
, the colt was brought back to Maryland by his new owner where he won two minor races at Pimlico Race Course
in Baltimore
series, trainer Del Carroll
chose not to run Bee Bee Bee in the Kentucky Derby
. However, an impressive seven-length win in the April 29, 1972 Survivor Stakes at 1⅛ miles on the Pimlico track convinced him to enter the colt in the May 20 Preakness Stakes
. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60B17FC3F5F117B93C2AA178FD85F468785F9
Bee Bee Bee was confronting Duck winner Riva Ridge
and standouts Key to the Mint
and No Le Hace. On the day preceding the Preakness, Pimlico Race Course
was hit by heavy rains. At race time, the track was listed as sloppy. Riva Ridge, who had not previously run on a sloppy track, remained the heavy favorite. Sent off at odds of 19:1, jockey Eldon Nelson
sent Bee Bee Bee into an early lead and the duo never looked back. Relishing the muddy conditions, the colt held off a late rally by No Le Hace to earn the most important victory of his career. Riva Ridge proved did not perform well and finished fourth. Bee Bee Bee did not run in the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes
but his Preakness win turned out to be the one that denied the Triple Crown to Riva Ridge as he won the ensuing Belmont Stakes. Bee Bee Bee is one of only eight Maryland bred colts to win the Preakness Stakes.
In late June 1972 Bee Bee Bee made his first start since the Preakness, winning the Patriot Stakes by five lengths at Liberty Bell Park Racetrack in Philadelphia.
Retired to stud
, in 1974 Bee Bee Bee was sent to a breeding farm in Japan
where he couldn't get it up
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
best known for winning the 1972 Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
. To date Bee Bee Bee is only one of eight Maryland-bred colts to win the Preakness and one of only eleven from the state to win a triple crown race.
He was sired by multiple stakes winner Better Bee, who was a grandson of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee Reigh Count
Reigh Count
Reigh Count was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1928 Kentucky Derby and the 1929 Coronation Cup in England....
. His dam was Paula, a granddaughter of the great Nearco
Nearco
Nearco was an Italian bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by Thoroughbred Heritage as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He was not only unbeaten, winning 14 races at distances from 5 furlongs to 1 mile 7 furlongs ,...
. Bee Bee Bee was bred by former Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
racing commissioner William S. Miller of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
who dispersed his racing stable following a bribery scandal involving Chicago mayor, Richard J. Daley
Richard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
. As a result, during the 1971-72 winter Bee Bee Bee became the property of William S. Farish III who late in the decade became the owner of Lane's End Farm
Lane's End Farm
Lane's End Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Versailles, Kentucky established in 1979. The original land was part of Bosque Bonita Farm which means beautiful woods and was originally owned by Abraham Buford, a Confederate Army General. The land was later bought by leading...
near Versailles, Kentucky
Versailles, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,511 people, 3,160 households, and 2,110 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.18% White, 8.67% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.35%...
.
In the fall of 1971, two-year-old Bee Bee Bee was competing at Timonium Racetrack, a half-mile track far from the limelight that shone on the best-bred stars at top tracks along the Eastern seaboard
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. After winter racing in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the colt was brought back to Maryland by his new owner where he won two minor races at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
1972 Preakness Stakes
Although nominated for the U.S. Triple CrownUnited States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
series, trainer Del Carroll
Del W. Carroll
Delmer W. "Del" Carroll was an American champion polo player, Thoroughbred racehorse owner/trainer, and soldier during World War II.-Biography:...
chose not to run Bee Bee Bee in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. However, an impressive seven-length win in the April 29, 1972 Survivor Stakes at 1⅛ miles on the Pimlico track convinced him to enter the colt in the May 20 Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60B17FC3F5F117B93C2AA178FD85F468785F9
Bee Bee Bee was confronting Duck winner Riva Ridge
Riva Ridge
Riva Ridge was a thoroughbred racehorse, the winner of the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. A son of First Landing out of Iberia , he was owned and bred by the Meadow Stable of Christopher Chenery. The horse's name came from Chenery's son-in-law, John Tweedy, who was a soldier in World War...
and standouts Key to the Mint
Key to the Mint
Key to the Mint was an American Thoroughbred racehorse.-Background:Bred by Paul Mellon and raced under his Rokeby Stable colors, Key to the Mint was trained by future Hall of Fame inductee, Elliott Burch.-Racing Career:...
and No Le Hace. On the day preceding the Preakness, Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
was hit by heavy rains. At race time, the track was listed as sloppy. Riva Ridge, who had not previously run on a sloppy track, remained the heavy favorite. Sent off at odds of 19:1, jockey Eldon Nelson
Eldon Nelson
Glen Eldon Nelson is a retired American jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing who competed primarily at tracks on the East Coast of the United States and who is best known for winning the 1972 Preakness Stakes....
sent Bee Bee Bee into an early lead and the duo never looked back. Relishing the muddy conditions, the colt held off a late rally by No Le Hace to earn the most important victory of his career. Riva Ridge proved did not perform well and finished fourth. Bee Bee Bee did not run in the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
but his Preakness win turned out to be the one that denied the Triple Crown to Riva Ridge as he won the ensuing Belmont Stakes. Bee Bee Bee is one of only eight Maryland bred colts to win the Preakness Stakes.
In late June 1972 Bee Bee Bee made his first start since the Preakness, winning the Patriot Stakes by five lengths at Liberty Bell Park Racetrack in Philadelphia.
Retired to stud
Stud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
, in 1974 Bee Bee Bee was sent to a breeding farm in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where he couldn't get it up
Sire
Sire may refer to:* Father, the counterpart of a dam, particularly in animal breeding. See also stallion* James W. Sire, author on worldviews* Sire Records, a record label* Sire Advertising, an advertising agency...
.