Never Bend
Encyclopedia
Never Bend was an American
Thoroughbred
Champion
racehorse
and a leading sire
in England
.
for owner/breeder Harry F. Guggenheim, Never Bend was the dominant two-year-old racing in the United States in 1962. His performance that year earned him the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Male Horse
and as such was considered an early favorite for the ensuing 1963 U.S. Triple Crown races.
, the first leg of the Triple Crown series, saw 120,000 patrons gather at Churchill Downs
for a race that featured three Thoroughbred stars. TIME
magazine reported jockey Eddie Arcaro
as saying: "I can't remember a Derby creating so much excitement." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,830301,00.html
Although Never Bend had won the Flamingo Stakes
at Hialeah Park and the Stepping Stone Purse
at Churchill Downs, leading up to May's Kentucky Derby he had been outshone by the undefeated Candy Spots
who had been most impressive in winning the Florida Derby
and the Santa Anita Derby
. At the same time, a Greentree Stable
colt named No Robbery
had won the Wood Memorial Stakes
and also came into the Derby undefeated. By post time, bettors had made Candy Spots the 3-2 favorite, No Robbery the second choice at 5-2, then Never Bend the third choice at odds of 3-1. When the gate opened, Never Bend quickly took the lead and held it until the eighth pole when a colt named Chateaugay
came from sixth place to win by 1¼ lengths.
at Pimlico Race Course
in Baltimore, Maryland, Never Bend again faced both Candy Spots
and Chateaugay
. Bettors still made Candy Spots the favorite. As he had in the Derby, Never Bend charged out to an early lead with Candy Spots comfortably sitting in third. As they turned onto the homestretch Chateaugay came from well back to catch and pass Never Bend who had fallen behind the then front-running Candy Spots. He finished third behind Chateaugay and the race winner, Candy Spots.
in the United Nations Handicap
and second to the Kelso
in the Woodward Stakes
.
for the 1964 season and would become a very important sire, producing 61 stakes winners. His most famous son was Mill Reef
, ranked 4th on the list of the European Top 100 horses of the 20th Century and a leading sire whose race wins include the Epsom Derby
and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
. Never Bend's other progeny included Riverman
, a two-time Leading sire in France
, Triple Bend
, who set a world record time for seven furlongs on dirt, and J.O. Tobin, Champion 2-year-old in England and Eclipse Award sprinter
in the U.S. at age 4 who handed Seattle Slew
his first defeat. Never Bend was also the broodmare sire of 115 stakes winners with two of his mares voted Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricDams/AmBroodmareofYear.html
Never Bend died in 1977 at the age of seventeen.
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...
Champion
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
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...
and a leading 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...
in England
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Two-Year-Old Champion
Foaled at Claiborne FarmClaiborne 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:...
for owner/breeder Harry F. Guggenheim, Never Bend was the dominant two-year-old racing in the United States in 1962. His performance that year earned him the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Male Horse
Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Male Horse
The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971....
and as such was considered an early favorite for the ensuing 1963 U.S. Triple Crown races.
Kentucky Derby
The 1963 edition of 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...
, the first leg of the Triple Crown series, saw 120,000 patrons gather at 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...
for a race that featured three Thoroughbred stars. TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine reported jockey Eddie Arcaro
Eddie Arcaro
George Edward Arcaro , known professionally as Eddie Arcaro, was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice...
as saying: "I can't remember a Derby creating so much excitement." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,830301,00.html
Although Never Bend had won the Flamingo Stakes
Flamingo Stakes
The Flamingo Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in March at the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida. Run over a distance of nine furlongs, the inaugural race took place in 1926 at the Tampa, Florida racetrack...
at Hialeah Park and the Stepping Stone Purse
Stepping Stone Purse
The Stepping Stone Purse was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the latter part of April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky...
at Churchill Downs, leading up to May's Kentucky Derby he had been outshone by the undefeated Candy Spots
Candy Spots
Candy Spots was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that is best known for winning the 1963 Preakness Stakes and for coming in a close second and third, respectively, in the Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby to his rival Chateaugay...
who had been most impressive in winning the Florida Derby
Florida 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...
and 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...
. At the same time, a Greentree Stable
Greentree Stable
Greentree Stable, in Red Bank, New Jersey, was a major American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 by Payne Whitney of the Whitney family of New York City. Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable at Saratoga Springs, New York with his brother Harry Payne...
colt named No Robbery
No Robbery
No Robbery was an American Thoroughbred racehorse owned by the renowned Whitney family's Greentree Stable who won the Wood Memorial Stakes and went into the 1963 Kentucky Derby undefeated but finished fifth....
had won the 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....
and also came into the Derby undefeated. By post time, bettors had made Candy Spots the 3-2 favorite, No Robbery the second choice at 5-2, then Never Bend the third choice at odds of 3-1. When the gate opened, Never Bend quickly took the lead and held it until the eighth pole when a colt named Chateaugay
Chateaugay (horse)
Chateaugay was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who won two of the three U.S. Triple Crown races. Bred at Darby Dan Farm near Lexington, Kentucky by his prominent owner, John W. Galbreath, Chateaugay was a son of Swaps, the 1956 U.S. Horse of the Year and a Racing Hall of Fame...
came from sixth place to win by 1¼ lengths.
1963 Preakness Stakes
In the Preakness StakesPreakness 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...
at Pimlico Race Course
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...
in Baltimore, Maryland, Never Bend again faced both Candy Spots
Candy Spots
Candy Spots was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that is best known for winning the 1963 Preakness Stakes and for coming in a close second and third, respectively, in the Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby to his rival Chateaugay...
and Chateaugay
Chateaugay (horse)
Chateaugay was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who won two of the three U.S. Triple Crown races. Bred at Darby Dan Farm near Lexington, Kentucky by his prominent owner, John W. Galbreath, Chateaugay was a son of Swaps, the 1956 U.S. Horse of the Year and a Racing Hall of Fame...
. Bettors still made Candy Spots the favorite. As he had in the Derby, Never Bend charged out to an early lead with Candy Spots comfortably sitting in third. As they turned onto the homestretch Chateaugay came from well back to catch and pass Never Bend who had fallen behind the then front-running Candy Spots. He finished third behind Chateaugay and the race winner, Candy Spots.
Later Races
Never Bend did not run in the third leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series. Before being retired, in the fall of that year he finished second to MongoMongo (horse)
Mongo was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.-Background:He was bred and raced by Marion duPont Scott, a member of the prominent Du Pont family. His sire was Royal Charger, a son of Nearco whom Thoroughbred Heritage says was "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century". ...
in the United Nations Handicap
United Nations Handicap
The United Nations Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in July at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey. The race is open to horses, age three and up, going one and three-eighths miles on the turf. A Grade I event, it currently offers a purse of $750,000...
and second to the Kelso
Kelso (horse)
Kelso was an American thoroughbred race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War , Secretariat and Citation...
in the Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
.
Stud Career
Never Bend retired to stand at 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...
for the 1964 season and would become a very important sire, producing 61 stakes winners. His most famous son was Mill Reef
Mill Reef
Mill Reef was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was bred in the United States but was trained in the United Kingdom throughout his racing career which lasted from 1970 to 1972. Mill Reef won twelve of his fourteen races and finished second in the other two...
, ranked 4th on the list of the European Top 100 horses of the 20th Century and a leading sire whose race wins include the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
. Never Bend's other progeny included Riverman
Riverman
This article is about the racehorse. For the song by Nick Drake, see Five Leaves Left.Riverman was a French Thoroughbred racehorse. Foaled in Kentucky, he was bred by Harry F. Guggenheim of the prominent American Guggenheim family...
, a two-time Leading sire in France
Leading sire in France
The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of racehorses in France for each year since 1887. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the season .-----References:* -See also:*...
, Triple Bend
Triple Bend
Triple Bend was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who set a world record time of 119.80 for seven furlongs on dirt in winning the 1972 Los Angeles Handicap...
, who set a world record time for seven furlongs on dirt, and J.O. Tobin, Champion 2-year-old in England and Eclipse Award sprinter
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Sprint Horse
The American Champion Sprint Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1947, in 1971 it became part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to the top horse in sprint races usually run at a distance of under one mile)....
in the U.S. at age 4 who handed Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
his first defeat. Never Bend was also the broodmare sire of 115 stakes winners with two of his mares voted Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
The list that follows is of the all the mares that have won the honor of being named Kentucky Broodmare of the Year. Mares are selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. Mares are graded by the success of offspring just like stallions in regards to the Leading...
. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricDams/AmBroodmareofYear.html
Never Bend died in 1977 at the age of seventeen.