Hourless
Encyclopedia
Hourless was a British-born Thoroughbred
racehorse
who raced in the United States where he won the 1917 Belmont Stakes
.
Haras de Villers in Foucarmont in Upper Normandy, France, he was foaled in England. He was sired by the French-bred Negofol; Negofol would later be imported to stand at Xalapa Farm
in Kentucky, where he would sire the Preakness Stakes
winner Coventry
. His dam was Hour Glass, bred in France but then sent to England. Hourless was foaled at Southcourt Stud in Southcote, Bedfordshire, which was owned by Leopold de Rothschild
. With World War I raging in Europe, in 1915 both Hour Glass and Hourless were exported to the United States.
inductee Sam Hildreth
. In 1916 he was one of the top two-year-olds in the United States and won a number of important races, including the Grand Union Hotel Stakes
at Saratoga Race Course
. For the year, he was ranked second only to Campfire
.
In his three-year-old season no U.S. Triple Crown series had yet been formalized and Hourless did not run in the Kentucky Derby
or the Preakness Stakes
, which were held on the same day. Ridden in 1917 by another future Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmy Butwell
, Hourless won the one–mile Withers Stakes
and set a new record in winning the (then) 1 3/8–mile Belmont Stakes
. After the other entrants were scratched, the October 18, 1917 John R. McLean Memorial Championship at Laurel Park Racecourse in Maryland
turned into a match race
between Hourless and Wilfrid Viau's Kentucky Derby winner, Omar Khayyam
. Earlier that year, Omar Khayyam had beaten Hourless in the Lawrence Realization Stakes
and in the Brooklyn Derby
. This time, however, Hourless won by a length He retrospectively named 1917 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse, jointy with Omar Khayyam.
. One of his best sons was Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
inductee and 1934 King's Plate
winner, Horometer
. Among Hourless' daughters was Late Date, 1935 American Champion Older Female Horse.
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...
who raced in the United States where he won the 1917 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...
.
Background
Bred at August Belmont, Jr.'sAugust Belmont, Jr.
August Belmont, Jr. was an American financier, the builder of New York's Belmont Park racetrack, and a major owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.-Early life:...
Haras de Villers in Foucarmont in Upper Normandy, France, he was foaled in England. He was sired by the French-bred Negofol; Negofol would later be imported to stand at Xalapa Farm
Xalapa Farm
Xalapa Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding farm founded in 1897 in Paris, Kentucky by Edward Francis Simms.Horses such as Prince Palatine have stood at stud at Xalapa Farm. They have bred notable Graded stakes race winners such as Suave Dancer who in 1991 won the Irish Champion Stakes...
in Kentucky, where he would sire 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...
winner Coventry
Coventry (horse)
Coventry was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by Edward Simms, the owner of Xalapa Farm in Paris, Kentucky who had purchased his sire Negofol from the Haras du Quesnay in Normandy, France owned by the estate of the wealthy American, Willie K...
. His dam was Hour Glass, bred in France but then sent to England. Hourless was foaled at Southcourt Stud in Southcote, Bedfordshire, which was owned by Leopold de Rothschild
Leopold de Rothschild
Leopold de Rothschild CVO was a British banker, thoroughbred race horse breeder, and a member of the prominent Rothschild family.-Education and career:...
. With World War I raging in Europe, in 1915 both Hour Glass and Hourless were exported to the United States.
Racing career
Raced by August Belmont, Jr., Hourless was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of FameNational 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 Sam Hildreth
Sam Hildreth
Samuel Clay Hildreth was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.Born in Independence, Missouri, Sam Hildreth began his training career in 1887, competing at racetracks in the Midwestern United States with such horses as the good racemare Hurley Burley, the dam of...
. In 1916 he was one of the top two-year-olds in the United States and won a number of important races, including the Grand Union Hotel Stakes
Grand Union Hotel Stakes
The Grand Union Hotel Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A sprint race, it was open to two-year-old horses and run on dirt over a distance of six furlongs....
at Saratoga Race Course
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...
. For the year, he was ranked second only to Campfire
Campfire (horse)
Campfire was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Bred and raced by the co-owner and president of Saratoga Race Course, Richard T...
.
In his three-year-old season no U.S. Triple Crown series had yet been formalized and Hourless did not run 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...
or 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...
, which were held on the same day. Ridden in 1917 by another future Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmy Butwell
James H. Butwell
James H. "Jimmy" Butwell was an American Racing Hall of Fame jockey. His birth year placed at the Family Search.org website states it as 1896...
, Hourless won the one–mile Withers Stakes
Withers Stakes
The Withers Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds willing to compete one mile on the dirt. Held at Aqueduct Racetrack every year at the end of April , it is a Grade III event, and offers a purse of $150,000...
and set a new record in winning the (then) 1 3/8–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...
. After the other entrants were scratched, the October 18, 1917 John R. McLean Memorial Championship at Laurel Park Racecourse in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
turned into a match race
Match race
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.The term may be best known as a race between two sailing boats racing around a course...
between Hourless and Wilfrid Viau's Kentucky Derby winner, Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyam (horse)
Omar Khayyam was a British-born Thoroughbred racehorse who was sold as a yearling to an American racing partnership and who became the first foreign-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby...
. Earlier that year, Omar Khayyam had beaten Hourless in the Lawrence Realization Stakes
Lawrence Realization Stakes
The Lawrence Realization Stakes was an American horse race first run on the turf in 1889. The race, for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts, geldings and fillies, was last run in 2005.-History:...
and in the Brooklyn Derby
Dwyer Stakes
The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade II stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over a distance of 1 1/16-miles on dirt...
. This time, however, Hourless won by a length He retrospectively named 1917 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse, jointy with Omar Khayyam.
Stud career
Retired to stud, Hourless sired Mike Hall, 1928 American Champion Older Male Horse and Charley O., winner of the 1930 Florida DerbyFlorida Derby
The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida on the Saturday closest to the end of March or the first of April. Added to the racing schedule in 1952, the Grade 1 race is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt...
. One of his best sons was Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
inductee and 1934 King's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
winner, Horometer
Horometer
Horometer was a Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Col. Sam McLaughlin's Parkwood Stable, he was out of the mare Star Pal and sired by Hourless, the 1917 American Co-Champion 3-Yr-Old Male Horse and winner of the Belmont Stakes.Trained by Canadian Hall of Fame...
. Among Hourless' daughters was Late Date, 1935 American Champion Older Female Horse.