Fabius (horse)
Encyclopedia
Fabius was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
best known for winning the 1956 Preakness Stakes
.
Calumet Farm
, Fabius was out of the mare Shameen, a daughter of the British
Eclipse Stakes
winner Royal Minstrel who was a son of the 2,000 Guineas Stakes winner, Tetratema
. Fabius was sired by the great Citation
, winner of the 1948 U.S. Triple Crown
and a Hall of Fame
inductee.
, in his first race of 1956 Fabius won the Florida Purse at Hialeah Park Race Track
under regular jockey Bill Hartack
. They then ran third in both the Fountain of Youth
at Gulfstream Park
and Hialeah's Flamingo Stakes
. His win in the Derby Trial Stakes at Churchill Downs
made him the second choice by bettors
for the Kentucky Derby
behind the heavily favored Needles
whom Fabius had lost to in the Flamingo. In the Derby, Fabius took over the lead by the time the field reached the mile pole but in the final yards could not hold off Needles and finished second by three-quarters of a length.
, C. V. Whitney's
colt Career Boy
, who had finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby but did not run in the Preakness, ran second behind winner, Needles, ahead of third-place finisher Fabius.
As a four-year-old, Fabius won the Armed Handicap at Gulfstream Park
where he also ran second in the Gulfstream Park Handicap
. Retired from racing, Fabius had limited success as a sire. From his few offspring, the best may have been multiple Canadian
stakes winner, Fabe Count.
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 1956 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...
.
Background
Bred and raced by Lexington, Kentucky'sLexington, 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...
Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...
, Fabius was out of the mare Shameen, a daughter of the British
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...
Eclipse Stakes
Eclipse Stakes
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.-History:The event is named after Eclipse, a...
winner Royal Minstrel who was a son of the 2,000 Guineas Stakes winner, Tetratema
Tetratema
Tetratema was an Irish bred Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned by Major Dermot McCalmont, Tetratema was bred at McCalmont's Ballylinch Stud on his Mount Juliet estate in Thomastown, County Kilkenny in Ireland...
. Fabius was sired by the great Citation
Citation (horse)
Citation was the eighth American Triple Crown winner, and one of three major North American Thoroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competition...
, winner of the 1948 U.S. Triple Crown
United 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...
and a 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.
Early Career
Trained by Jimmy JonesHorace A. Jones
Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones was an American thoroughbred horse trainer.The son of Hall of Fame horse trainer Ben A. Jones, Jimmy Jones was born in Parnell, Missouri...
, in his first race of 1956 Fabius won the Florida Purse at Hialeah Park Race Track
Hialeah Park Race Track
The Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic site in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
under regular jockey Bill Hartack
Bill Hartack
William John Hartack Jr. was a Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania.Referred to by the media as both "Bill" and "Willie" during his racing career, Hartack grew up on his widowed father's farm in the Blacklick...
. They then ran third in both the Fountain of Youth
Fountain of Youth Stakes
The Fountain of Youth Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida at the beginning of March. A Grade II event open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt, it offers a purse of $400,000...
at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
and Hialeah's Flamingo Stakes
Flamingo Stakes
The Flamingo Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in March at the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida. Run over a distance of nine furlongs, the inaugural race took place in 1926 at the Tampa, Florida racetrack...
. His win in the Derby Trial Stakes at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
made him the second choice by bettors
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...
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...
behind the heavily favored Needles
Needles (horse)
Needles was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced in Florida, the descendant of Blenheim II and a son and grandson of Kentucky Derby winners Ponder and Pensive, Needles was a sickly foal who was given his name because of the numerous veterinary injections he was...
whom Fabius had lost to in the Flamingo. In the Derby, Fabius took over the lead by the time the field reached the mile pole but in the final yards could not hold off Needles and finished second by three-quarters of a length.
1956 Preakness Stakes
In the Preakness Stakes, Fabius turned the tables on Needles. With his arch rival running near the back of the pack, just as he had in the Derby, Fabius made his move near the end of the backstretch and was in the lead as they turned for home. This time Needles could not catch him and Fabius won the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown by two lengths.Later Career
In the Belmont StakesBelmont 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...
, C. V. Whitney's
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney was an American businessman, film producer, writer, and government official, as well as the owner of a leading stable of thoroughbred racehorses....
colt Career Boy
Career Boy
Career Boy was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred and raced by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, a member of the prominent horse-racing Whitney family...
, who had finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby but did not run in the Preakness, ran second behind winner, Needles, ahead of third-place finisher Fabius.
As a four-year-old, Fabius won the Armed Handicap at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
where he also ran second in the Gulfstream Park Handicap
Gulfstream Park Handicap
The Gulfstream Park Handicap is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt...
. Retired from racing, Fabius had limited success as a sire. From his few offspring, the best may have been multiple 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...
stakes winner, Fabe Count.