Flying Paster
Encyclopedia
Flying Paster was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
bred in California
by his owner, Bernard J. Ridder
of the Knight Ridder
newspaper chain. Named for a printing
process mechanism, the colt was a grandson of the British
and North American Champion Sire
, Nasrullah, who in turn was the son of the great Nearco
.
An outstanding racehorse, Flying Paster had the misfortune of being foaled in the same year as Spectacular Bid
, a future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee and a horse that The Blood-Horse magazine
would rate as America's 10th best horse of the 20th Century
. Ridden by Don Pierce
, in 1978 Flying Paster was the dominant two-year-old on the U.S. West Coast
, winning six stakes races, usually with a powerful stretch drive. He became the first 2-year-old to be voted California Horse of the Year
.
With Pierce in the saddle to start his three-year-old campaign, Flying Paster won February's San Vicente Stakes
, was third in the March San Felipe Stakes
, then captured the West Coast's most important race for three-year-olds, the Santa Anita Derby
. Sent to the Kentucky Derby
, Flying Paster was the second choice among bettors
behind the heavily favored Spectacular Bid. However, the colt suffered a cut in his right foreleg during the race and finished fifth. After tying the Pimlico
track record for the first quarter, Flying Paster finished a distant fourth in the Preakness Stakes
. He did not run in the third and final leg of the Triple Crown series, the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes
. Regaining his form, near the end of the 1979 racing season, Flying Paster came back with an important win in the Grade I Hollywood Derby
.
Racing at age four, in 1980 Flying Paster finished second four times to Spectacular Bid including in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap
. Ridden by Chris McCarron
in 1981, he started the year with wins in the San Pasqual
and San Carlos Handicap
s, then made it three in a row by capturing the San Antonio Handicap
.
Retired to stud
duty, Flying Paster sired 48 stakes winners and was California's leading sire for five consecutive years from 1987 through 1991. His progeny included Grade I winner Cats Cradle and the Jack Kent Cooke
-owned California Champion, Flying Continental whose wins included the Jockey Club Gold Cup
.
At the pinnacle of his breeding career, Flying Paster died unexpectedly at age sixteen from a heart attack on August 22, 1992 at Cardiff Stud Farm in Creston
, California
.
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...
bred in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
by his owner, Bernard J. Ridder
Bernard J. Ridder
Bernard Joseph "Ben" Ridder was an American newspaper publisher who served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ridder Publications, Inc. and an executive in the California Thoroughbred horse racing industry as well as a racehorse owner and breeder. Ridder was born in New York City, one of...
of the Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
newspaper chain. Named for a printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
process mechanism, the colt was a grandson of the British
Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The list below shows the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1751. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
and North American Champion Sire
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
, Nasrullah, who in turn was the son of the great Nearco
Nearco
Nearco was an Italian bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by Thoroughbred Heritage as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He was not only unbeaten, winning 14 races at distances from 5 furlongs to 1 mile 7 furlongs ,...
.
An outstanding racehorse, Flying Paster had the misfortune of being foaled in the same year as Spectacular Bid
Spectacular Bid
Spectacular Bid was an American Thoroughbred race horse. "The Bid" as he was known was one of the most dominant gallopers of his time...
, a 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 and a horse that The Blood-Horse magazine
The Blood-Horse magazine
The Blood-Horse is an international weekly news magazine about Thoroughbred horses, horse breeding, and horseracing. It was founded in 1916, the oldest continually published North American Thoroughbred magazine. The magazine is based in Lexington, Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World...
would rate as America's 10th best horse of the 20th Century
Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
In 1999, a panel for The Blood-Horse magazine was made up of distinguished horse racing people: Howard Battle, Lenny Hale, Jay Hovdey, William Nack, Pete Pedersen, Jennie Rees and Tommy Trotter. These experts compiled a list of what they considered to be the top 100 United States thoroughbred...
. Ridden by Don Pierce
Donald R. Pierce
Donald R. Pierce is a retired U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey in thoroughbred horse racing.Based in California, Pierce earned his first win in 1954 and went on to become a leading jockey in the 1960s and 1970s...
, in 1978 Flying Paster was the dominant two-year-old on the U.S. West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, winning six stakes races, usually with a powerful stretch drive. He became the first 2-year-old to be voted California Horse of the Year
California Horse of the Year
The California Horse of the Year is an American horse racing honor awarded annually since 1973 by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association to a Thoroughbred racehorse bred in the state of California.-Winners:...
.
With Pierce in the saddle to start his three-year-old campaign, Flying Paster won February's San Vicente Stakes
San Vicente Stakes
The San Vicente Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park. A Grade III event, the race is open to three-year-old horses willing to race seven furlongs on the dirt and carries a purse of $150,000....
, was third in the March San Felipe Stakes
San Felipe Stakes
The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The San Felipe is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in mid-March, it is raced at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on dirt and currently...
, then captured the West Coast's most important race for three-year-olds, the Santa Anita Derby
Santa Anita Derby
The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $1 million. Inaugurated in 1935, it is considered the most important West Coast stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby...
. Sent to 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...
, Flying Paster was the second choice among bettors
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
behind the heavily favored Spectacular Bid. However, the colt suffered a cut in his right foreleg during the race and finished fifth. After tying the Pimlico
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...
track record for the first quarter, Flying Paster finished a distant fourth in the 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 did not run in the third and final leg of the Triple Crown series, the 1½ mile 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...
. Regaining his form, near the end of the 1979 racing season, Flying Paster came back with an important win in the Grade I Hollywood Derby
Hollywood Derby
The Hollywood Derby is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November/early December at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The race is open to horses, age three willing to race a mile and a quarter on turf. It currently offers a purse of ...
.
Racing at age four, in 1980 Flying Paster finished second four times to Spectacular Bid including in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap
Santa Anita Handicap
The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season...
. Ridden by Chris McCarron
Chris McCarron
Christopher John "Chris" McCarron is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He is currently working as a racing analyst for TVG Network....
in 1981, he started the year with wins in the San Pasqual
San Pasqual Handicap
The San Pasqual Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the first part of January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
and San Carlos Handicap
San Carlos Handicap
The San Carlos Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at during the third week of February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
s, then made it three in a row by capturing the San Antonio Handicap
San Antonio Handicap
The San Antonio Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
.
Retired to 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...
duty, Flying Paster sired 48 stakes winners and was California's leading sire for five consecutive years from 1987 through 1991. His progeny included Grade I winner Cats Cradle and the Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke was a Canadian entrepreneur and former owner of the Washington Redskins , the Los Angeles Lakers , and the Los Angeles Kings , and built The Forum in Inglewood, California and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.-Early career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Cooke moved with his family to...
-owned California Champion, Flying Continental whose wins included the Jockey Club Gold Cup
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
.
At the pinnacle of his breeding career, Flying Paster died unexpectedly at age sixteen from a heart attack on August 22, 1992 at Cardiff Stud Farm in Creston
Creston, California
Creston is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. It is located about 15 miles southeast of the City of Paso Robles.-History:Creston Creston is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. It is located about 15 miles...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.