General Assembly (horse)
Encyclopedia
General Assembly was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. He was bred and raced by the prominent husband-and-wife team of Bertram and Diana Firestone, of Upperville, Virginia
. General Assembly was out of the mare Exclusive Dancer, daughter of Hall of Fame
inductee and American Horse of the Year Native Dancer
. His sire was the 1973 U.S. Triple Crown champion Secretariat
, who was rated #2 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
.
General Assembly was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee LeRoy Jolley
. At age two, the colt won the Hopeful Stakes and the Saratoga Special Stakes
; he ran second to Spectacular Bid
in both the Champagne Stakes and the Laurel Futurity.
Racing at age three in 1979, in the U.S. Triple Crown series General Assembly ran second in the Kentucky Derby
and fifth in the Preakness Stakes
to winner Spectacular Bid
. In the Belmont Stakes
, he finished seventh behind upset winner Coastal
. General Assembly won the Vosburgh Stakes
and ran second again to Spectacular Bid in the Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap
. He then earned the most important victory of his career with a 15-length win in the Travers Stakes
, in which he set a Saratoga
track record for the mile and a quarter which still stands (as of 2011).
duty beginning in 1980 at his owner's breeding operation in County Kildare
, Ireland
. In 1986 he returned to the United States to stand in Kentucky
; in 1993 was sent to breeders in France
, and in 1995 to a German
breeding farm. Although General Assembly was never the successful stallion his regal bloodline promised, he sired 31 stakes-race winners. One of his best-known offspring was Steady Flame, who raced at two in Ireland and then was sent to Hong Kong
; there he won the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup
, was a champion sprinter in 1989-91 and champion older miler in 1990.
In March 2005, Gestüt Olympia in Alpen, Germany
announced that the
29-year-old General Assembly had been euthanized
due to heart and circulatory problems.
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...
. He was bred and raced by the prominent husband-and-wife team of Bertram and Diana Firestone, of Upperville, Virginia
Upperville, Virginia
Upperville is an unincorporated community in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States, located along U.S. Route 50 fifty miles from downtown Washington, D.C.. Founded in the 1790s along Pantherskin Creek, it was originally named Carrstown by first settler Josephus Carr...
. General Assembly was out of the mare Exclusive Dancer, daughter of 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 American Horse of the Year Native Dancer
Native Dancer
Native Dancer , nicknamed the Grey Ghost, was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in history, the first horse made famous through the medium of television. He was one of the best horses produced in USA after the war...
. His sire was the 1973 U.S. Triple Crown champion Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
, who was rated #2 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses 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...
.
General Assembly was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee LeRoy Jolley
LeRoy Jolley
LeRoy Jolley is an United States Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of horse trainer Moody Jolley, LeRoy Jolley has been around horses all his life at age nineteen received a New York State trainer's license....
. At age two, the colt won the Hopeful Stakes and the Saratoga Special Stakes
Saratoga Special Stakes
The Saratoga Special Stakes is an American grade II thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is for two-year-olds willing to race six and a half furlongs on the dirt....
; he ran second to 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...
in both the Champagne Stakes and the Laurel Futurity.
Racing at age three in 1979, in the U.S. Triple Crown series General Assembly ran second in 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...
and fifth 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...
to winner 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...
. In the 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...
, he finished seventh behind upset winner Coastal
Coastal (horse)
Coastal was an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Majestic Prince out of the mare, Alluvial, who was in turn was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame stallion, Buckpasser. He was a half-brother, thru Alluvial, to Slew o' Gold.Owned by William...
. General Assembly won the Vosburgh Stakes
Vosburgh Stakes
The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender...
and ran second again to Spectacular Bid in the Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap
Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap
The Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on a dirt track....
. He then earned the most important victory of his career with a 15-length win in the Travers Stakes
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
, in which he set a Saratoga
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...
track record for the mile and a quarter which still stands (as of 2011).
As a sire
General Assembly was retired to studStud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
duty beginning in 1980 at his owner's breeding operation in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. In 1986 he returned to the United States to stand in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
; in 1993 was sent to breeders in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and in 1995 to a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
breeding farm. Although General Assembly was never the successful stallion his regal bloodline promised, he sired 31 stakes-race winners. One of his best-known offspring was Steady Flame, who raced at two in Ireland and then was sent to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
; there he won the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup
Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup
Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late May or early June at Sha Tin Racecourse. A Group One race that offers a purse of HK$8,000,000, it is run on turf over a distance of 2400 meters and is open to horses three years of age and older...
, was a champion sprinter in 1989-91 and champion older miler in 1990.
In March 2005, Gestüt Olympia in Alpen, Germany
Alpen, Germany
Alpen is a municipality in the district of Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Division of the town :The municipality consists 4 districts:* Alpen* Menzelen* Veen* Bönninghardt- Transportation :...
announced that the
29-year-old General Assembly had been euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
due to heart and circulatory problems.