Prince John (horse)
Encyclopedia
Prince John was an American Thoroughbred
racehorse
whom Bloodhorse magazine
called "one of the greatest broodmare sires of all time." Bred in Kentucky
, he was sired by Princequillo
, a two-time leading sire in North America
and a nine-time leading broodmare sire. He was out of the mare, Not Afraid, a daughter of 1943 U.S. Triple Crown
winner and Hall of Fame
inductee, Count Fleet
. Prince John was a full brother to Brave Lad.
On behalf of Max Gluck, a New York clothing retailer and owner of Elmendorf Farm
, trainer Walter Kelley bought Prince John for $14,300 at the 1954 Keeneland Summer Sale
from breeder Mrs. Fannie Hertz
.
In his first seven starts at age two, Prince John won two allowance races. However, after his impressive win over Needles
and Career Boy
in the October 29, 1955 Garden State Stakes in which he earned $157,918, the then largest purse in racing history, Prince John was touted as a favorite for the 1956 Kentucky Derby
. In his next start, he finished second on sloppy track to Nail in the November 12 Remsen Stakes
at Jamaica Racetrack
. A few later at Hialeah Park Race Track
in Florida
, the colt broke loose from a stable boy and was running about on the loose when he broke a bone in his foot. His handlers announced that Prince John would be out of racing for at least three months as a result of a broken bone in his foot.
In January of 1956, Prince John was given 124 pounds in the Experimental Free Handicap ratings, third to Career Boy's 126 and second to the 125 assigned to Nail and Needles. However, he never recovered sufficiently enough from his injury and did not race again.
in Lexington, Kentucky. Prince John became the leading broodmare sire in North America
four years and was second in another two.
Among those Prince John sired were:
Prince John was the grandsire of Lonesome Glory, a five-time steeplechase champion. He was also the damsire of:
Prince John died at age twenty-six in 1979 and was buried at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. His influence can be seen in the pedigree of racing greats such as Cigar
, Makybe Diva
, Rock of Gibraltar
, Secreto
, Dream Well, Six Perfections
, A P Valentine
, and others.
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...
whom Bloodhorse magazine
The Blood-Horse magazine
The Blood-Horse is an international weekly news magazine about Thoroughbred horses, horse breeding, and horseracing. It was founded in 1916, the oldest continually published North American Thoroughbred magazine. The magazine is based in Lexington, Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World...
called "one of the greatest broodmare sires of all time." Bred in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, he was sired by Princequillo
Princequillo
Princequillo was a Thoroughbred racehorse conceived in France and born in Ireland. He is known for his performances in long-distance races and his successes as a sire.-Background:...
, a two-time leading sire in North America
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
and a nine-time leading broodmare sire. He was out of the mare, Not Afraid, a daughter of 1943 U.S. 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...
winner 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...
inductee, Count Fleet
Count Fleet
Count Fleet was born and died at Stoner Creek Stud farm in Paris, Kentucky, United States. He was a Thoroughbred racehorse and Triple Crown champion in 1943....
. Prince John was a full brother to Brave Lad.
On behalf of Max Gluck, a New York clothing retailer and owner of Elmendorf Farm
Elmendorf Farm
Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, and has been involved with horse racing since the early 19th century...
, trainer Walter Kelley bought Prince John for $14,300 at the 1954 Keeneland Summer Sale
Keeneland Sales
The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...
from breeder Mrs. Fannie Hertz
John D. Hertz
John Daniel Hertz, Sr. was an American businessman, thoroughbred racehorse owner, and philanthropist.-Biography:...
.
In his first seven starts at age two, Prince John won two allowance races. However, after his impressive win over Needles
Needles (horse)
Needles was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced in Florida, the descendant of Blenheim II and a son and grandson of Kentucky Derby winners Ponder and Pensive, Needles was a sickly foal who was given his name because of the numerous veterinary injections he was...
and Career Boy
Career Boy
Career Boy was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred and raced by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, a member of the prominent horse-racing Whitney family...
in the October 29, 1955 Garden State Stakes in which he earned $157,918, the then largest purse in racing history, Prince John was touted as a favorite for the 1956 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...
. In his next start, he finished second on sloppy track to Nail in the November 12 Remsen Stakes
Remsen Stakes
The Remsen Stakes is an American Grade II race for Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York...
at Jamaica Racetrack
Jamaica Racetrack
Jamaica Race Course was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, New York. The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featured the inaugural running of the Excelsior Handicap. Eugene D. Wood, one of the founders and largest...
. A few later at Hialeah Park Race Track
Hialeah Park Race Track
The Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic site in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the colt broke loose from a stable boy and was running about on the loose when he broke a bone in his foot. His handlers announced that Prince John would be out of racing for at least three months as a result of a broken bone in his foot.
In January of 1956, Prince John was given 124 pounds in the Experimental Free Handicap ratings, third to Career Boy's 126 and second to the 125 assigned to Nail and Needles. However, he never recovered sufficiently enough from his injury and did not race again.
A Champion at stud
Prince John became a very important sire for Maxwell Gluck's Elmendorf Farm and in 1961 Leslie Combs II purchased an interest in him and he was sent to stand at Comb's Spendthrift FarmSpendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion, Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor, Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather of Man o' War.- Famous...
in Lexington, Kentucky. Prince John became the leading broodmare sire in North America
Leading broodmare sire in North America
The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of broodmares in North America for each year since 1924. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won during the year by racehorses which were foaled by a daughter of the sire.-----References:* *...
four years and was second in another two.
Among those Prince John sired were:
- Speak JohnSpeak JohnSpeak John was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1985 earned Champion broodmare sire in North America.Bred and raced by Max Gluck's Elmendorf Farm, racing in California under trainer Farrell Jones, Speak John notably won the Del Mar Derby at Del Mar Racetrack in California and the...
(b. 1958) - the leading broodmare sire in North America (1985) - Stage Door JohnnyStage Door JohnnyStage Door Johnny was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his win in the third leg of the 1968 U.S. Triple Crown series, the Belmont Stakes. -Bred for racing a distance:...
(b. 1965) - won 1968 Belmont StakesBelmont StakesThe 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...
. American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse (1968) - TypecastTypecast (horse)Typecast was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse noted for her ability to win races at both short and very long distances. Bred by Nuckols Bros. of Midway, Kentucky, she was out of the mare Journalette and sired by Prince John, a son of the very important sire Princequillo...
(b. 1966) - American Champion Older Female Horse (1972) - Silent ScreenSilent ScreenSilent Screen was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was trained by J. Bowes Bond for owners Sonny and Leah Ray Werbin who raced under the nom de course, Elberon Farm....
(b. 1967) - 1969 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt - Deceit (b. 1968) - multiple stakes winner including the 1971 Acorn StakesAcorn StakesThe Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile with a current purse of $250,000. It is the first leg of the US Triple Tiara and is followed by the Coaching Club American Oaks...
and Mother Goose StakesMother Goose StakesThe Mother Goose Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt, the Grade I race offers a purse of $250,000. Inaugurated in 1957 at a mile and a sixteenth, it was lengthened to a mile and an eighth in 1959... - Magazine (b. 1970) - won 1973 Coaching Club American OaksCoaching Club American OaksThe Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $250,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in 2010....
Prince John was the grandsire of Lonesome Glory, a five-time steeplechase champion. He was also the damsire of:
- RivermanRivermanThis 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...
(b. 1969) - won Poule d'Essai des PoulainsPoule d'Essai des PoulainsThe Poule d'Essai des Poulains, sometimes referred to as the French 2,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts...
, Leading sire in FranceLeading sire in FranceThe 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:*...
(1980, 1981) - Big SpruceBig SpruceBig Spruce was an American Thoroughbred racehorseHe was bred by Maxwell H. Gluck at his famous Elmendorf Farm in Kentucky, and trained for Gluck by Lefty Nickerson....
(b. 1969) - multiple stakes winner including the 1974 Marlboro Cup Invitational HandicapMarlboro Cup Invitational HandicapThe Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on a dirt track.... - Royal ChocolateRoyal ChocolateRoyal Chocolate was a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Jack Stafford's Stafford Farms of King City, Ontario, he was out of the mare Rocket Shot, a granddaughter of the influential sire, Princequillo who was a seven-time Leading broodmare sire in North America...
(b. 1970) - won 1973 Queen's PlateQueen's PlateThe 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... - AllegedAlleged (horse)Alleged was a champion American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse best remembered as winning back-to-back Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes in 1977 and 1978. Trained by Vincent O'Brien in Ireland and ridden by Lester Piggott, this front-running horse was undefeated in all but one of his appearances, that being...
(b. 1974) - 1977 European Horse of the YearEuropean Horse of the YearEuropean Horse of the Year is an award in European Thoroughbred horse racing. Since 1991 the honor has been part of the Cartier Racing Awards. It is presented annually by Cartier SA to a horse of any age racing in Europe.-Honorees:...
, two-time winner of the Prix de l'Arc de TriomphePrix de l'Arc de TriompheThe 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... - SummingSummingSumming was an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by stakes winner Verbatim out of the Never Say Die mare, Well Kept....
(b. 1978) - won 1981 Belmont StakesBelmont StakesThe 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... - CozzeneCozzeneCozzene is an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and outstanding sire. He was bred and raced by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee John A. Nerud and trained by his son, Jan....
(b. 1980) - 1985 American Champion Male Turf Horse, won 1985 Breeders' Cup MileBreeders' Cup MileThe Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's inception in 1984... - Palace Music (b. 1981) - Group One winner in England, 1995 Leading sire in North AmericaLeading sire in North AmericaThe list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
, sire of CigarCigar (horse)Cigar , is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse, who in 1995 and 1996 became the first American racehorse racing against top-class competition to win 16 consecutive races since the Triple Crown winner, Citation did so in 1948 and 1950...
, NaturalismNaturalism (horse)Naturalism Naturalism Naturalism (foaled 1988 in New Zealand was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse whose wins included three Group One races. Out of the mare Zephyr Souba, he was sired by the Kentucky-born Palace Music who also sired the great United States Hall Racing of Fame inductee, Cigar... - Blushing JohnBlushing JohnBlushing John is a millionaire Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in France and in the United States. He was bred by Frank Groves' North Ridge Farm near Lexington, Kentucky and ran under the banner of Allen E. Paulson as his owner...
(b. 1985) - won multiple stakes races including the Group/Grade 1s Poule d'Essai des PoulainsPoule d'Essai des PoulainsThe Poule d'Essai des Poulains, sometimes referred to as the French 2,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts...
(1988) in France and Hollywood Gold CupHollywood Gold CupThe Hollywood Gold Cup is an American Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions...
(1989) in the United States. Voted the 1989 American Champion Older Male Horse - Northern TrickNorthern TrickNorthern Trick was a Thoroughbred racehorse , by Northern Dancer out of Trick Chick , bred by Warner L. Jones at Hermitage Farm, Kentucky, USA,...
(ch. 1981) - winner of 1984 Prix de DianePrix de DianeThe Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies...
and Prix VermeillePrix VermeilleThe Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbred fillies and mares 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 in September.-History:The event was established in 1897, and it...
, second in Prix de l'Arc de TriomphePrix de l'Arc de TriompheThe 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...
Prince John died at age twenty-six in 1979 and was buried at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. His influence can be seen in the pedigree of racing greats such as Cigar
Cigar (horse)
Cigar , is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse, who in 1995 and 1996 became the first American racehorse racing against top-class competition to win 16 consecutive races since the Triple Crown winner, Citation did so in 1948 and 1950...
, Makybe Diva
Makybe Diva
Makybe Diva is a British-bred, Australian-trained Thoroughbred who became the first racehorse to win the famed Melbourne Cup on three occasions: 2003, 2004, and 2005. In 2005, she also won the Cox Plate. Makybe Diva is the highest stakes-earner in Australasian horse racing history, with winnings...
, Rock of Gibraltar
Rock of Gibraltar (horse)
Rock of Gibraltar is a Champion racehorse and stallion owned by Coolmore, for whom he currently stands in Ireland and Australia .He is named after the Rock of Gibraltar, a monolithic limestone promontory located in Gibraltar on...
, Secreto
Secreto
Secreto was a Maryland bred Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in the United Kingdom and Ireland.A son of Northern Dancer, Secretro's damsire was the U.S. Triple Crown champion, Secretariat. He was bred by E. P. Taylor at the Maryland branch of his Windfields Farm...
, Dream Well, Six Perfections
Six Perfections (horse)
Six Perfections is a champion Thoroughbred race horse, bred by the Niarchos family. She is best known for her 2003 win in the Breeders' Cup Mile....
, A P Valentine
A P Valentine
A P Valentine is a retired Grade I-winning Thoroughbred racehorse sired by A.P. Indy out of an Alydar mare, Twenty Eight Carat...
, and others.