Peter Pan I
Encyclopedia
Peter Pan was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
and sire
, bred and raced by prominent horseman, James R. Keene
. As winner of the Belmont Stakes
, the Brooklyn Derby
and the Brighton Handicap
, he was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
. His progeny included many famous American racehorses, including several winners of the Kentucky Derby
and the Preakness Stakes
.
, Peter Pan was out of the mare
Cinderella whose sire was Hermit
, the 1867 winner of England's
most important race, the Epsom Derby
. Peter Pan was sired by Commando
, a 1901 American Classic Race winner who in turn was a son of Domino
, the American Horse of the Year of 1893.
Conditioned by future Hall of Fame trainer
James G. Rowe, Sr., at age two Peter Pan won four of his eight starts including the prestigious 1906 Hopeful Stakes.
In 1907, Peter Pan won six of his nine starts with two seconds, one of which was in the spring in the Withers Stakes
. As the prestigious U.S. Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing had not at that time been established, the three-year-old Peter Pan was not entered in the Kentucky Derby
or the Preakness Stakes
. However, he won the then 1⅜ miles Belmont Stakes
, a race that is now the third leg of the Triple Crown series. In winning the Belmont, he defeated Frank Gill who had beaten him in the Withers Stakes. In 1907, Peter Pan also won the important Brooklyn Derby
, the Standard Stakes at Gravesend Race Track
, as well as the Advance and the Tidal Stakes at Sheepshead Bay Race Track
. Shortly after winning the Brighton Handicap
he suffered a tendon
injury and was retired to stallion
duty at his owner's Castelton Stud
. In a review of Peter Pan's win in the 1907 Brighton Handicap in front of 40,000 fans, the New York Telegraph was quoted as saying the horse "accomplished a task that completely overshadowed any previous 3-year-old performance in turf history."
Peter Pan stood at his owner's Castleton Stud
in Lexington, Kentucky
then was sold for US$100,000 in 1912 to a breeding farm in France
. Brought back to the United States, he was sold to Harry Payne Whitney
and stood at Brookdale Farm in New Jersey
until 1915 when he became the foundation sire for the new Whitney Farm in Lexington, Kentucky
.
Peter Pan died in December 1933 at the age of twenty-nine and was buried at the Whitney Farm in Lexington (now part of the Gainesway Farm
).
in 1956, as were his sire Commando and grandsire Domino, as well as his daughter Top Flight
.
Damsire of notable horses such as:
Grandsire
of notable horses such as:
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...
and sire
Sire
Sire may refer to:* Father, the counterpart of a dam, particularly in animal breeding. See also stallion* James W. Sire, author on worldviews* Sire Records, a record label* Sire Advertising, an advertising agency...
, bred and raced by prominent horseman, James R. Keene
James R. Keene
James Robert Keene was a Wall Street stock broker and a major thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder.-Biography:He was born in London, England in 1838. He was fourteen years of age when his family emigrated to the United States in 1852...
. As winner of 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...
, 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...
and the Brighton Handicap
Brighton Handicap
The Brighton Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1895 through 1907 at the Brighton Beach Race Course in Brighton Beach, Coney Island, New York and in 1910 at Empire City Race Track...
, he was later inducted into the 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...
. His progeny included many famous American racehorses, including several winners of 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 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...
.
History
Bred and raced by prominent horseman, James R. KeeneJames R. Keene
James Robert Keene was a Wall Street stock broker and a major thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder.-Biography:He was born in London, England in 1838. He was fourteen years of age when his family emigrated to the United States in 1852...
, Peter Pan was out of the mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
Cinderella whose sire was Hermit
Hermit (horse)
Hermit was a 19th-century British Thoroughbred racehorse that was a direct descendant of Eclipse. He won the 1867 Epsom Derby, despite running in a snowstorm at 1000:15 odds with 10 false starts.-Breeding:...
, the 1867 winner of England's
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
most important race, 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...
. Peter Pan was sired by Commando
Commando (horse)
Commando was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred at Castleton Stud by owner James R. Keene, Commando raced at age two, winning five of his six starts and finishing second in the other as a result of jockey error. At age three, Commando raced only three times, winning the...
, a 1901 American Classic Race winner who in turn was a son of Domino
Domino (horse)
Domino was a 19th-century American thoroughbred race horse.-Background:A dark brown, almost black*, colt, Domino was sired by Himyar out of the mare Mannie Gray.Sam Hildreth writes in his book, "The Spell of the Turf" that he looked black was actually a deep chestnut. Himyar was out of speed...
, the American Horse of the Year of 1893.
Conditioned by future Hall of Fame 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...
James G. Rowe, Sr., at age two Peter Pan won four of his eight starts including the prestigious 1906 Hopeful Stakes.
In 1907, Peter Pan won six of his nine starts with two seconds, one of which was in the spring in the 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...
. As the prestigious U.S. Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing had not at that time been established, the three-year-old Peter Pan was not entered 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...
. However, he won the then 1⅜ miles 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...
, a race that is now the third leg of the Triple Crown series. In winning the Belmont, he defeated Frank Gill who had beaten him in the Withers Stakes. In 1907, Peter Pan also won the important 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...
, the Standard Stakes at Gravesend Race Track
Gravesend Race Track
Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend on Coney Island, New York was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility built by the Brooklyn Jockey Club as a result of the backing of the wealthy racing stable owners, the Dwyer Brothers. Philip J...
, as well as the Advance and the Tidal Stakes at Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York...
. Shortly after winning the Brighton Handicap
Brighton Handicap
The Brighton Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1895 through 1907 at the Brighton Beach Race Course in Brighton Beach, Coney Island, New York and in 1910 at Empire City Race Track...
he suffered a tendon
Tendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
injury and was retired to stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
duty at his owner's Castelton Stud
Castleton Lyons
Castleton Lyons near Lexington, Kentucky, is an American horse racing stable and breeding business best known by the name Castleton Farm....
. In a review of Peter Pan's win in the 1907 Brighton Handicap in front of 40,000 fans, the New York Telegraph was quoted as saying the horse "accomplished a task that completely overshadowed any previous 3-year-old performance in turf history."
Peter Pan stood at his owner's Castleton Stud
Castleton Lyons
Castleton Lyons near Lexington, Kentucky, is an American horse racing stable and breeding business best known by the name Castleton Farm....
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
then was sold for US$100,000 in 1912 to a breeding farm 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...
. Brought back to the United States, he was sold to Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney was an American businessman, thoroughbred horsebreeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.- Early years :...
and stood at Brookdale Farm in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
until 1915 when he became the foundation sire for the new Whitney Farm in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
Peter Pan died in December 1933 at the age of twenty-nine and was buried at the Whitney Farm in Lexington (now part of the Gainesway Farm
Gainesway Farm
Gainesway Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding business in Lexington, Kentucky. It was originally called Greentree Farms.The 1,500 acre property has been home to sires such as Youth and Exceller and numerous others who are buried on the property...
).
Hall of Fame
Following its creation, Peter Pan was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and 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...
in 1956, as were his sire Commando and grandsire Domino, as well as his daughter Top Flight
Top Flight
Top Flight was an American U.S. Hall of Fame Thoroughbred filly racehorse. Bred in Kentucky by the very prominent horseman Harry Payne Whitney, she was a daughter of the French stakes winner Dis Donc, a son of the French Champion Sire Sardanapale. She was out of the mare Flyatit, a daughter of U.S...
.
Progeny
Peter Pan's progeny includes:- Black ToneyBlack ToneyBlack Toney was bred by James R. Keene's Castleton Farm. Keene, whose health was failing , sold all his holdings in 1912 to Colonel Edward R. Bradley's Idle Hour Stock Farm in Lexington, Kentucky...
(1911) - Foundation sire for Idle Hour Stock FarmIdle Hour Stock FarmIdle Hour Stock Farm was a 400 acre thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm near Lexington, Kentucky, United States established in 1906 by Colonel Edward R...
, among the U.S. top twenty sires on ten occasions - Puss In Boots (1913) - 1915 U.S. Champion Two Year Old Filly
- Vexatious (1916) - 1919 Champion Three Year Old Filly
- Prudery (1918) - 1920 U.S. Champion Two Year Old Filly & 1921 Champion Three Year Old Filly
- Tryster (1918) - U.S. Champion Two Year Old Colt
Damsire of notable horses such as:
- BostonianBostonian (horse)Bostonian was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. The son of Broomstick out of a Peter Pan mare Yankee Maid Bostonian will best be remembered for posting a 1-1/2 length win over his own stablemate and Kentucky Derby Champion Whiskery in the mile and three sixteenth $65,000 Preakness Stakes at...
(1924) - won 1927 Preakness StakesPreakness StakesThe 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... - Whiskery (1924) - won 1927 Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe 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...
, Champion Three Year Old Colt - VictorianVictorian (horse)Victorian was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was bred in Kentucky. He was bred and raced by Harry P. Whitney and is best known as the winner of the 1928 American Classic, the Preakness Stakes in which he was ridden by future Hall of Fame jockey Sonny Workman.When his racing career ended,...
(1925) - won 1928 Preakness Stakes - Top FlightTop FlightTop Flight was an American U.S. Hall of Fame Thoroughbred filly racehorse. Bred in Kentucky by the very prominent horseman Harry Payne Whitney, she was a daughter of the French stakes winner Dis Donc, a son of the French Champion Sire Sardanapale. She was out of the mare Flyatit, a daughter of U.S...
(1929) - U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, 1931 U.S. Champion Two Year Old Filly & 1932 Champion Three Year Old Filly
Grandsire
Sire
Sire may refer to:* Father, the counterpart of a dam, particularly in animal breeding. See also stallion* James W. Sire, author on worldviews* Sire Records, a record label* Sire Advertising, an advertising agency...
of notable horses such as:
- Black GoldBlack Gold (horse)Black Gold was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 50th running of the Kentucky Derby in 1924....
(1921) - Hall of Fame inductee, 1924 Kentucky Derby winner - EquiposeEquipoise (horse)Equipoise was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse, a chestnut bred in the United States by Harry Payne Whitney and owned by his son, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney...
(1928-1938) - National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee, Two Time Horse of the Year (1932,1933) - Brokers TipBrokers TipBrokers Tip , by Black Toney out of the French mare Forteresse, was a Thoroughbred racehorse and the only horse in history whose sole win was in the Kentucky Derby...
(1930) - 1933 Kentucky Derby winner - BimelechBimelechBimelech was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won two Triple Crown races, was twice named American horse of the year, and is ranked #84 among U.S. racehorses of the 20th century. After retiring to stud, he sired 30 stakes winners and his daughters produced 50 stakes winners.-Early...
(1937) - Hall of Fame inductee, 1940 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner