Dearly Precious was an American Champion

Eclipse Award

The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...

 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...

. Bred by Mrs. Jean R. Pancoast, she was out of the mare Ironically and sired by 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 Dr. Fager

Dr. Fager

Dr. Fager was an American a thoroughbred racehorse who had what many consider one of the greatest single racing seasons by any horse in the history of the sport. "The Doctor" was the only horse who ever held four titles in one year...

. Richard E. Bailey, a cable television

Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...

 executive, purchased her as a yearling for $22,000 and entrusted her race conditioning to Stephen A. DiMauro

Stephen A. DiMauro

Stephen A. "Steve" DiMauro is a retired jockey, Champion trainer and successful breeder and owner in American Thoroughbred horse racing....

.

En route to being voted the Eclipse Award

Eclipse Award

The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...

 as 1975's American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, Dearly Precious won eight of her nine starts. Her wins included important races for her age group under regular jockey Michael Hole

Michael Hole

Michael "Mike" Hole was a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Born in Canterbury, England, Michael Hole moved to the United States in 1961 where he rode professionally for fourteen years, winning 2042 races while riding horses to earnings of US$13,520,479...

, such the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes

Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes

The Arlington-Washington Breeders' Cup Lassie Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid September at Arlington Park Racetrack in Arlington Heights, Illinois...

, Astoria Stakes

Astoria Stakes

The Astoria Stakes is a long-lived race for two-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run at Belmont Park during its Spring/Summer season. Originally set at a distance of five furlongs, beginning in the year 1940, it went off at five and a half furlongs on the dirt...

, and the Spinaway Stakes

Spinaway Stakes

The Spinaway Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old fillies, it is a Grade I event contested at a distance of seven furlongs on dirt...

. As a three-year-old, Dearly Precious won her April 4, 1976 debut in the Flirtation Stakes at Baltimore's

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...

 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...

. On April 25, she won her tenth straight race, capturing the Prioress Stakes

Prioress Stakes

The Prioress Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of July at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York....

 at Aqueduct Racetrack. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50914F73558167493C5AB178FD85F428785F9 On May 5, Dearly Precious lost by half a length to Tell Me All in the Comely Handicap

Comely Stakes

The Comely Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Run in mid-April, since 1960 it has been open to three year old fillies who are willing to race one mile on the dirt track. The race is a Grade III event with a purse of $150,000 and...

,
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jxwTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4a0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6201,1070505&dq=dearly+precious+jerkens then on May 14 she was beaten by a nose in 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...

, handicapped by ten more pounds than the winner, What A Summer. On May 22, she came back to win the first leg of the Filly Triple Crown, the Acorn Stakes

Acorn Stakes

The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile with a current purse of $250,000. It is the first leg of the US Triple Tiara and is followed by the Coaching Club American Oaks...

. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SOgTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jgUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5390,5313284&dq=dearly+precious

Rested after her tough win over Optimistic Gal in the Acorn Stakes, Dearly Precious was in the hunt for another annual Championship when she suffered a bowed 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...

 in her left foreleg on July 11, 1976 while winning the Dark Mirage Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8-QRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=me0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1633,4689438&dq=dearly+precious+bailey+stakes Her racing career over, Dearly Precious retired having won twelve of her sixteen starts, and eventually served as a broodmare. Her offspring met with limited success in racing, the best of which was a mating to Nijinsky

Nijinsky II

The racehorse Nijinsky was one of the greatest horses in Thoroughbred horse-racing history. He won the U.K. Triple Crown of racing. Retired to stud he became the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland and the Leading broodmare sire in North America.He was bred at E. P...

 that produced stakes winner Mister Modesty.