Cleopatra (horse)
Encyclopedia
Cleopatra was an American
Champion Thoroughbred
filly
racehorse
. Her sire was the one of Great Britian]]'s top stallions Corcyra, a son of three-time the Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland Polymelus
. Her dam was Gallice, a daughter of Gallinule. Cleopatra will best be remembered for her easy victory in the second running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
on May 17, 1920.
she placed second to the century's greatest race horse Man O' War
in the six furlong sprint. Cleopatra's next start came in the prestigious Champagne Stakes and she won that mile race on dirt going away over the males including the colt Upset who is the actual name sake for the sports term "Upset
".
to inaugural Pimlico Oaks
winner and racing legend Milkmaid
at Aqueduct Racetrack
. On the first Saturday of May, Cleopatra ran a disappointing 15th as the only filly in the 1920 Kentucky Derby
.
In mid-May her connections; trainer James G. Rowe, Sr. and owner William R. Coe
decided to wheel the hard charging filly back in just 13 days after the Derby and run in the $6,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
then called the Pimlico Oaks
. In only the second running of that race she was sent off as the morning line favorite and lived up to her reputation by winning the mile and a sixteenth race in 1:53.00 flat. She did this against a strong field of nine stakes winning fillies including runner-up Arethusa and Rubidium.
In July she won the Coaching Club American Oaks
setting a new track record at Belmont Park
for the 11 forlong race in 2:18.80. Early in the Saratoga meet, Cleopatra won the Huron Handicap. In late August Cleopatra won the prestigious Alabama Stakes
at Saratoga Race Course
. In the late autumn, Cleopatra came back to win the Latonia Championship (in what is now Turfway Park
) setting a new track record for the marathon 1-3/4 mile race in 2:56.80. Her record in 1920 was 6-5-3 in 15 starts, that year she won the fourth highest annual amount of earning in any year up to that point. That record was good enough to insure her of divisional championship honors by being voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly for 1920.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Champion 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...
filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
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...
. Her sire was the one of Great Britian]]'s top stallions Corcyra, a son of three-time the Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland Polymelus
Polymelus
Polymelus was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who was the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for five years . Among his most famous descendants are Secretariat and Northern Dancer. However, it was through his son Phalaris that he will forever be remembered...
. Her dam was Gallice, a daughter of Gallinule. Cleopatra will best be remembered for her easy victory in the second running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
on May 17, 1920.
Two year-old season
Cleopatra was a brilliant filly from the first time she stepped onto the race track. She broke her maiden race in her very first outing. In her second race she stepped up and raced against the males in the Hopeful Stakes. In that race at Saratoga Race CourseSaratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
she placed second to the century's greatest race horse Man O' War
Man O' War
Man O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...
in the six furlong sprint. Cleopatra's next start came in the prestigious Champagne Stakes and she won that mile race on dirt going away over the males including the colt Upset who is the actual name sake for the sports term "Upset
Upset
An upset occurs in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, when the party popularly expected to win , is defeated by an underdog whom the majority expects to lose, defying the conventional wisdom...
".
Three year-old season
Cleopatra's sophomore season was one for the ages as she strung together six stakes wins and finished in the money in 13 of 15 starts. In April, Cleopatra finished second in the Ladies HandicapLadies Handicap
The Ladies Handicap is a historic American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies three years of age and older that is held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Inaugurated at the Jerome Park Racetrack in 1868, it is the oldest stakes race in the U.S. exclusively for fillies and mares...
to inaugural Pimlico Oaks
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
winner and racing legend Milkmaid
Milkmaid (horse)
Milkmaid was an American two-time Champion Thoroughbred filly racehorse. She was bred by J. Hal Woodford at his farm in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Woodford had bred and raced the 1907 Kentucky Derby winner, Pink Star...
at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
. On the first Saturday of May, Cleopatra ran a disappointing 15th as the only filly in the 1920 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...
.
In mid-May her connections; trainer James G. Rowe, Sr. and owner William R. Coe
William R. Coe
William Robertson Coe was an insurance, railroad and business executive, as well as a collector of Americana and an important philanthropist for the academic discipline of American Studies.-Early life:...
decided to wheel the hard charging filly back in just 13 days after the Derby and run in the $6,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
then called the Pimlico Oaks
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
. In only the second running of that race she was sent off as the morning line favorite and lived up to her reputation by winning the mile and a sixteenth race in 1:53.00 flat. She did this against a strong field of nine stakes winning fillies including runner-up Arethusa and Rubidium.
In July she won the Coaching Club American Oaks
Coaching Club American Oaks
The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $250,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in 2010....
setting a new track record at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
for the 11 forlong race in 2:18.80. Early in the Saratoga meet, Cleopatra won the Huron Handicap. In late August Cleopatra won the prestigious Alabama Stakes
Alabama Stakes
The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, it currently offers a purse of $500,000...
at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
. In the late autumn, Cleopatra came back to win the Latonia Championship (in what is now Turfway Park
Turfway Park
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located just outside the city limits to the north of Florence, Kentucky, about 10 miles south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati...
) setting a new track record for the marathon 1-3/4 mile race in 2:56.80. Her record in 1920 was 6-5-3 in 15 starts, that year she won the fourth highest annual amount of earning in any year up to that point. That record was good enough to insure her of divisional championship honors by being voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly for 1920.