Burgoo King
Encyclopedia
Burgoo King was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who won the first two legs of the U.S. Triple Crown series but who did not run in final race, the Belmont Stakes
.
Owned by Colonel Edward R. Bradley
and foaled at his renowned Idle Hour Stock Farm
near Lexington, Kentucky
, Burgoo King was named for a local grocer famous for his burgoo
stew. Out of the mare Minawand, he was sired by Bradley's 1926 Kentucky Derby winner, Bubbling Over
.
Burgoo King was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee, "Derby Dick" Thompson. Although he won four of his twelve starts in 1931, Burgoo King's best result in several major races for American two-year-olds was a third place finish in the 1931 Pimlico Futurity.
At age three, Burgoo King was unplaced in the Withers Stakes
and for the Kentucky Derby
was not considered a significant contender. He was sent off at betting
odds of close to 6:1 behind the favored Hopeful Stakes winner, Tick On. The colt was ridden by 19-year-old Eugene James
, an up-and-coming jockey from Louisville, Kentucky
about whom TIME
magazine said had "made a sensation" in his 1931 racing season. Nonetheless, at the time, Col. Bradley's top jockey was Laverne Fator
who had first choice of any of Idle Hour's horses. Fator chose to ride the colt Brother Joe, leaving the lightly regarded Burgoo King for young Eugene James.
Derby favorite Tick On finished sixth but in the ensuing Preakness Stakes
he provided fierce competition with Burgoo King and jockey Eugene James beating Tick On by a head. Tragically, a year after his two Classic wins, Eugene James would die in a drowning
accident in Lake Michigan
.
. The 1932 Belmont was run on June 4 but it has been reported that the colt was not eligible due to a failure on the part of his handlers to file all of the required paperwork. However, according to other sources, he twisted an ankle before the race and could not run. Another source claims that on June 11, while training for the American Derby
in Chicago
, Burgoo King bowed a tendon
and would not race again for almost two years.
That Burgoo King did not race from around mid 1932 until mid 1934 is a fact, but the National Sporting Library's
Thoroughbred Heritage website says that he was referred to as being "far from robust" by turf writers. As such, he may have had a minor ankle injury that kept him out of the Belmont but would have healed enough in time for the American Derby a week later. Or, his handlers may simply have chosen not to risk injuring the suddenly valuable colt over the Belmont's 1½ mile distance, the longest and most grueling of the Triple Crown races. Instead, they may have opted to go to the then very prestigious American Derby which was run at the Kentucky Derby distance of 1¼ miles. Two years later the handlers for 1934 Kentucky Derby winner Cavalcade
, who lost the Preakness by a nose, chose to skip the Belmont and compete in the American Derby instead.
Whatever the case, the colt's injury was a serious one and he did not return to racing until May 1934. At a time when more than one organization selected annual thoroughbred champions, despite his shortened campaign, Burgoo King still shared U.S. Three-Year-Old Co-Champion honors with Faireno
. As a five-year-old horse in 1934, he returned to have a successful campaign in minor races, winning two of his five starts along with one second place finish and a third in each of his other two races.
Retired to Idle Hour Stock Farm, Burgoo King met with modest success at stud
. Although none of his progeny achieved his race or earnings success, he did produce six stakes race winners. Burgoo King was eventually sent to Darby Dan Farm
in Columbus, Ohio
where he died in 1946. He is buried there in the farm's equine cemetery.
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...
who won the first two legs of the U.S. Triple Crown series but who did not run in final race, the 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...
.
Owned by Colonel Edward R. Bradley
Edward R. Bradley
Colonel Edward Riley Bradley was an American steel mill laborer, gold miner, businessman and philanthropist. As well as a race track proprietor, he was the preeminent owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses in the Southern United States during the first three decades of the 20th Century...
and foaled at his renowned Idle Hour Stock Farm
Idle Hour Stock Farm
Idle Hour Stock Farm was a 400 acre thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm near Lexington, Kentucky, United States established in 1906 by Colonel Edward R...
near Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, Burgoo King was named for a local grocer famous for his burgoo
Burgoo
Burgoo is a term used for many types of stew or porridge made from a mixture of ingredients.-North American usage:Burgoo is a spicy stew, similar to Irish or Mulligan stew, often served with cornbread or corn muffins....
stew. Out of the mare Minawand, he was sired by Bradley's 1926 Kentucky Derby winner, Bubbling Over
Bubbling Over (horse)
Bubbling Over was an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. Bred in Kentucky, he was sired by English stakes winner North Star out of the mare, Beaming Beauty, who in turn was sired by the great Belmont Stakes champion, Sweep....
.
Burgoo King was trained by future 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, "Derby Dick" Thompson. Although he won four of his twelve starts in 1931, Burgoo King's best result in several major races for American two-year-olds was a third place finish in the 1931 Pimlico Futurity.
At age three, Burgoo King was unplaced in the Withers Stakes
Withers Stakes
The Withers Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds willing to compete one mile on the dirt. Held at Aqueduct Racetrack every year at the end of April , it is a Grade III event, and offers a purse of $150,000...
and for 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...
was not considered a significant contender. He was sent off at betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
odds of close to 6:1 behind the favored Hopeful Stakes winner, Tick On. The colt was ridden by 19-year-old Eugene James
Eugene James
Eugene James was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, James was a very promising young jockey who began racing in 1930 at age seventeen. According to TIME magazine, he "made a sensation" in his first season of racing...
, an up-and-coming jockey from Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
about whom TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine said had "made a sensation" in his 1931 racing season. Nonetheless, at the time, Col. Bradley's top jockey was Laverne Fator
Laverne Fator
Laverne Fator was an American Hall of Fame jockey.Born in Hailey, Idaho, Laverne Fator and his brothers Mark and Elmer all became jockeys. The most successful of the three, Laverne Fator's riding career began at small bush tracks in the Western United States. His first major win came in 1918 at...
who had first choice of any of Idle Hour's horses. Fator chose to ride the colt Brother Joe, leaving the lightly regarded Burgoo King for young Eugene James.
The Derby and Preakness
The 1932 Kentucky Derby had a large field of twenty starters but Burgoo King got away cleanly. Shortly into the race stablemate Brother Joe pulled up lame. Although Burgoo King raced two-wide with another horse behind the frontrunner, he made a strong move on the backstretch to take the lead and in the homestretch pulled away to win easily by three lengths. For Col. Bradley, it marked a record third Kentucky Derby win.Derby favorite Tick On finished sixth but in the ensuing 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...
he provided fierce competition with Burgoo King and jockey Eugene James beating Tick On by a head. Tragically, a year after his two Classic wins, Eugene James would die in a drowning
Drowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
accident in Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
.
The Belmont Stakes mystery
Winning the 1932 Belmont Stakes would have made Burgoo King the third U.S. Triple Crown champion in history. Two years earlier, the term "Triple Crown" had been coined by a sportswriter amid the hoopla surrounding Gallant FoxGallant Fox
Gallant Fox was a United States Thoroughbred horseracing champion.Foaled at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky by Sir Gallahad III out of the mare Marguerite, Gallant Fox was a bay colt who became the second horse to win the U.S...
. The 1932 Belmont was run on June 4 but it has been reported that the colt was not eligible due to a failure on the part of his handlers to file all of the required paperwork. However, according to other sources, he twisted an ankle before the race and could not run. Another source claims that on June 11, while training for the American Derby
American Derby
The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at the city's old Washington Park race track and raced there until 1905 when the facility was closed and the track demolished....
in 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...
, Burgoo King bowed a tendon
Tendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
and would not race again for almost two years.
That Burgoo King did not race from around mid 1932 until mid 1934 is a fact, but the National Sporting Library's
National Sporting Library
The National Sporting Library & Museum The National Sporting Library and Museum, located in beautiful, historic Middleburg, Virginia, is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the literature, art, and culture of horse and field sports...
Thoroughbred Heritage website says that he was referred to as being "far from robust" by turf writers. As such, he may have had a minor ankle injury that kept him out of the Belmont but would have healed enough in time for the American Derby a week later. Or, his handlers may simply have chosen not to risk injuring the suddenly valuable colt over the Belmont's 1½ mile distance, the longest and most grueling of the Triple Crown races. Instead, they may have opted to go to the then very prestigious American Derby which was run at the Kentucky Derby distance of 1¼ miles. Two years later the handlers for 1934 Kentucky Derby winner Cavalcade
Cavalcade (horse)
Cavalcade was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.In the early 1930s, Bob Smith, a trainer with a history of spotting talent, had been hired by heiress Isabel Dodge Sloane to stock her newly formed Brookmeade Stable. A descendant of the 1893 English Triple Crown champion...
, who lost the Preakness by a nose, chose to skip the Belmont and compete in the American Derby instead.
Whatever the case, the colt's injury was a serious one and he did not return to racing until May 1934. At a time when more than one organization selected annual thoroughbred champions, despite his shortened campaign, Burgoo King still shared U.S. Three-Year-Old Co-Champion honors with Faireno
Faireno
Faireno was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred and raced by William Woodward's Belair Stud. Out of the mare, Minerva, he was sired by Chatterton, a son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Fair Play who was also the sire of Man o' War.Faireno's race conditioning was the...
. As a five-year-old horse in 1934, he returned to have a successful campaign in minor races, winning two of his five starts along with one second place finish and a third in each of his other two races.
Retired to Idle Hour Stock Farm, Burgoo King met with modest success at stud
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
. Although none of his progeny achieved his race or earnings success, he did produce six stakes race winners. Burgoo King was eventually sent to Darby Dan Farm
Darby Dan Farm
Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath , it was expanded from an original farm into a 4,000...
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
where he died in 1946. He is buried there in the farm's equine cemetery.