Homer C. Pardue
Encyclopedia
Homer Chesley Pardue was an American
trainer
and owner of Thoroughbred
racehorses.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky
, across the street from Churchill Downs
, Homer Pardue began working in the racing industry as an exercise rider at the famous track while still a fourteen-year-old schoolboy. Twenty years later he had his first Kentucky Derby runner in when Red Hannigan finished twelfth in the 1954 running. In the 1940s, under his wife Katy's name, he owned and raced a several horses such asd Rodger Joe and Doubt Not. 1972 saw Pardue return to the famed Triple Crown
series with his Louisiana
and Arkansas Derby
winner No Le Hace. The colt finished second in both the Derby and the Preakness Stakes
and then sixth in the Belmont Stakes
.
Among Pardue's other important wins, in 1975 he trained two-year-old Soy Numero Uno to a win in the then most important U.S. race for juveniles, the Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park
. With Clev Er Tell, in 1977 Pardue again won the Louisiana and Arkansas Derbys in the same year but was then forced out of the Triple Crown events when the horse suffered a fractured knee during training.
On January 5, 1979, Pardue died at age 68 at his home in Louisville, Kentucky.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
and owner of 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...
racehorses.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, across the street from 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...
, Homer Pardue began working in the racing industry as an exercise rider at the famous track while still a fourteen-year-old schoolboy. Twenty years later he had his first Kentucky Derby runner in when Red Hannigan finished twelfth in the 1954 running. In the 1940s, under his wife Katy's name, he owned and raced a several horses such asd Rodger Joe and Doubt Not. 1972 saw Pardue return to the famed 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...
series with his Louisiana
Louisiana Derby
The Louisiana Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Usually run in early March, the race is open to horses, age three, willing to race 11/8 miles on the dirt. A Grade II event, it currently offers a purse of...
and Arkansas Derby
Arkansas Derby
The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
winner No Le Hace. The colt finished second in both the Derby and 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...
and then sixth 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...
.
Among Pardue's other important wins, in 1975 he trained two-year-old Soy Numero Uno to a win in the then most important U.S. race for juveniles, the Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
. With Clev Er Tell, in 1977 Pardue again won the Louisiana and Arkansas Derbys in the same year but was then forced out of the Triple Crown events when the horse suffered a fractured knee during training.
On January 5, 1979, Pardue died at age 68 at his home in Louisville, Kentucky.