Johnstown (horse)
Encyclopedia
Johnstown was an American
Hall of Fame
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who won two out of every three races he competed in. Bred at Claiborne Farm
, he was purchased by William Woodward, Sr.
and raced under his Belair Stable
banner.
After a successful season racing at age two when he won seven of his twelve starts, in the spring of 1939 Johnstown gave trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons
his third straight Wood Memorial Stakes
, an important stepping stone to the U.S. Triple Crown races.
, Johnstown did not disappoint. Despite a poor start, under jockey
James Stout
he took command by the mile pole and defeated Challedon
by eight lengths. In the Preakness Stakes
, it came up muddy(he never raced on an off-track before or after), Johnstown finished a disappointing 5th to winner Challedon. With Challedon not eligible for the Belmont Stakes
, Johnstown easily won the final leg of the U.S. Triple Crown races. From there he went on to win several more important races and wound up his highly successful season with seven wins in nine starts.
at Claiborne Farm, Johnstown met with modest success as a sire
, producing winners of only six Graded stakes race
s. However, he was a leading broodmare sire during the 1950s with his most famous offspring being Hall of Famer Nashua
.
Johnstown died in 1950 at the age of fourteen and was buried in the equine cemetery at Claiborne Farm. He was posthumously inducted into the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
in 1992. His portrait by artist Martin Stainforth
can be seen as part of the museum's equine collection.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
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...
who won two out of every three races he competed in. Bred at Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...
, he was purchased by William Woodward, Sr.
William Woodward, Sr.
William Woodward, Sr. was an American banker and major owner and breeder in thoroughbred horse racing.-Background:...
and raced under his Belair Stable
Belair Stud
Belair Stud was an American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm founded by Provincial Governor of Maryland, Samuel Ogle in 1747 in Collington, Prince Georges County, Maryland in Colonial America.-Colonial Period:...
banner.
After a successful season racing at age two when he won seven of his twelve starts, in the spring of 1939 Johnstown gave trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons
Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons
James Edward Fitzsimmons was a thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Born in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York, Fitzsimmons began his career in 1885 working at a racetrack as a stable boy. After nearly ten less-than-successful years as a thoroughbred jockey, he became too heavy for that job and took...
his third straight Wood Memorial Stakes
Wood Memorial Stakes
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
, an important stepping stone to the U.S. Triple Crown races.
U.S. Triple Crown races
The heavy favorite going into the Kentucky DerbyKentucky 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...
, Johnstown did not disappoint. Despite a poor start, under jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
James Stout
James Stout
James Stout was an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred horse racing jockey.Known as "Jimmy," he began working at a racetrack as a stable boy then in 1930 became a professional jockey. Stout became most famous riding for Belair Stud and trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons. He rode Seabiscuit in his first...
he took command by the mile pole and defeated Challedon
Challedon
Challedon was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Maryland by William L. Brann and Robert S. Castle, he raced under the colors of their Branncastle Farm....
by eight lengths. 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...
, it came up muddy(he never raced on an off-track before or after), Johnstown finished a disappointing 5th to winner Challedon. With Challedon not eligible for 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...
, Johnstown easily won the final leg of the U.S. Triple Crown races. From there he went on to win several more important races and wound up his highly successful season with seven wins in nine starts.
At stud
Retired to studHorse 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...
at Claiborne Farm, Johnstown met with modest success as a sire
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
, producing winners of only six Graded stakes race
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
s. However, he was a leading broodmare sire during the 1950s with his most famous offspring being Hall of Famer Nashua
Nashua (horse)
Nashua was an American-born thoroughbred racehorse, perhaps best remembered for a 1955 match race against the horse that had defeated him in the Kentucky Derby.Nashua's sire was the good, but temperamental, European champion Nasrullah...
.
Johnstown died in 1950 at the age of fourteen and was buried in the equine cemetery at Claiborne Farm. He was posthumously inducted into the United States' National Museum of Racing and 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...
in 1992. His portrait by artist Martin Stainforth
Martin Stainforth
Martin Frank Stainforth was a British-born artist best known for his portraits of Thoroughbred racehorses he painted in England and while living in Australia and the United States....
can be seen as part of the museum's equine collection.