Donau (horse)
Encyclopedia
Donau was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse and was the winner of the 1910 Kentucky Derby
.
. Donau's dam, Al Lone, was a semi-successful selling-plater
with sixteen minor racing wins to her credit in 128 starts. His sire Woolsthorpe was imported from Britain
by Col. Young in the 1890s.
By Piatt's account, Donau had a fiery temper as a yearling, repeatedly kicking any other colt that would come near him, necessitating a separation from other horses. Thomas Piatt raised Donau at Brookdale Farm until September 1908, when he was sold to William Gerst for $350.[2]
in Yonkers
, where he also started in three other races over a period of eight days.
Ridden by Canadian
-born jockey Frederick Herbert, Donau won the 1910 Kentucky Derby in a close finish over Joe Morris at a time of 2:06 2/5 on a fast track, winning a total of $4,850 for Gerst. After the Derby win, Donau's unruly behavior worsened to a point where he would lie down on the track if prompted too harshly by racetrack employees or trainers.[2] He was gelded
at the end of his three-year old season in an attempt to curb his behavior, but still retained his fiery temper.[2] Donau was retired from flat racing in December 1912, at age five.
Donau was in the process of being re-trained for steeplechasing
when he died suddenly in February 1913 during a disease epidemic that killed three and sickened 18 other horses at the Nashville
farm of William Gerst.
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 and was the winner of the 1910 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...
.
Pedigree
Donau was bred by Col. Milton Young, who owned both his sire and dam, but was foaled at Brookdale Farm, the property of Thomas Piatt, in LexingtonLexington, 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...
. Donau's dam, Al Lone, was a semi-successful selling-plater
Claiming race
A claiming race in thoroughbred horse racing is one in which the horses are all for sale for more or less the same price up until shortly before the race. Race types form a hierarchy in terms of the quality of horse they attract, with handicap races and graded stakes races attracting the "best"...
with sixteen minor racing wins to her credit in 128 starts. His sire Woolsthorpe was imported from Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Col. Young in the 1890s.
By Piatt's account, Donau had a fiery temper as a yearling, repeatedly kicking any other colt that would come near him, necessitating a separation from other horses. Thomas Piatt raised Donau at Brookdale Farm until September 1908, when he was sold to William Gerst for $350.[2]
Racing career
Donau started 41 times as a two year old, which was considered excessive by many horsemen, even at a time when racehorses were normally raced hard at a very young age.[2] Donau's first major stakes win was the 1909 Wakefield Stakes, run at the Empire City Race TrackYonkers Raceway
Yonkers Raceway, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and New York state-approved slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New York near the New York City border...
in Yonkers
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
, where he also started in three other races over a period of eight days.
Ridden by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born jockey Frederick Herbert, Donau won the 1910 Kentucky Derby in a close finish over Joe Morris at a time of 2:06 2/5 on a fast track, winning a total of $4,850 for Gerst. After the Derby win, Donau's unruly behavior worsened to a point where he would lie down on the track if prompted too harshly by racetrack employees or trainers.[2] He was gelded
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
at the end of his three-year old season in an attempt to curb his behavior, but still retained his fiery temper.[2] Donau was retired from flat racing in December 1912, at age five.
Donau was in the process of being re-trained for steeplechasing
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
when he died suddenly in February 1913 during a disease epidemic that killed three and sickened 18 other horses at the Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
farm of William Gerst.