Proud Clarion
Encyclopedia
Proud Clarion was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
best known for winning the 1967 Kentucky Derby
. Owned and bred by John W. Galbreath, he was foaled at his Darby Dan Farm
in Lexington, Kentucky
. His sire
was Hail To Reason
, the U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt
for 1960, and his grandsire was Royal Charger
, a son of the great Nearco
. Out of the mare
Breath O'Morn, Proud Clarion's damsire was Djeddah, a major stakes winner in England who in turn was a son of the French champion and 1942 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
winner, Djebel
.
Racing at age two for trainer
Loyd Gentry, Jr.
, Proud Clarion showed little of what his pedigree promised. Out of three starts, his best result was a third in a minor race. He finished his two-year-old season with earnings of just $805. As a three-year-old, he won a few sprint races then in the immediate lead-up to the 1967 Kentucky Derby, he ran second to Diplomat Way in the Blue Grass Stakes
.
in the Derby, Proud Clarion was given little consideration and was sent of by bettors
at more than 30:1 odds. The fourteen-horse field included Diplomat Way, Ruken
, who had won California's Santa Anita Derby
and was the bettors second choice, plus the overwhelming favorite, Wood Memorial Stakes
winner Damascus
.
Leaving the starting gate from post position seven, Proud Clarion raced ninth near the back in a pack of horses until close to the ¾ mile pole when jockey Bobby Ussery
made a move. By the mile pole he was sitting fifth then in the homestretch accelerated through an opening between Damascus and Diplomat Way. He caught front-runner Barbs Delight then raced on to win by a length in the third-fastest time in the Derby's history to that point.
Proud Clarion finished third in the Preakness Stakes
and then fourth in the Belmont
to winner Damascus. Proud Clarion won six of his thirteen starts in 1967, with his only other significant stakes win coming in the Roamer Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack
. He returned to race at age four in 1968, starting nine times out of which his best was two second place finishes.
Retired to stud
duty at his owners Darby Dan Farm, Proud Clarion met with some success, siring at least 30 winners of stakes races including Marlboro Cup
winner, Proud Birdie
. He died in 1981 at age seventeen at Spendthrift Farm
in Lexington, Kentucky and is buried in their equine cemetery.
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...
best known for winning the 1967 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...
. Owned and bred by John W. Galbreath, he was foaled at his Darby Dan Farm
Darby Dan Farm
Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath , it was expanded from an original farm into a 4,000...
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...
. His 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...
was Hail To Reason
Hail To Reason
Hail To Reason was an American thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire. He was bred in Kentucky by the Bieber-Jacobs Stable, a partnership of prominent horsemen, Isadore Bieber and Hirsch Jacobs. He was sired by the English stakes winner Turn-To, a grandson of the very influential sire Nearco...
, the U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt
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....
for 1960, and his grandsire was Royal Charger
Royal Charger
Royal Charger was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who was successful in racing but even more so as a sire. He was the son of the very important sire Nearco.-Racing career:As a three-year-old, Royal Charger finished third in the 2000 Guineas...
, a son of the great Nearco
Nearco
Nearco was an Italian bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by Thoroughbred Heritage as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He was not only unbeaten, winning 14 races at distances from 5 furlongs to 1 mile 7 furlongs ,...
. 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...
Breath O'Morn, Proud Clarion's damsire was Djeddah, a major stakes winner in England who in turn was a son of the French champion and 1942 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...
winner, Djebel
Djebel
Djebel was a French Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 15 of 22 races during 1939-1942 and was later a leading sire.-Breeding:Djebel was sired by Tourbillon, a stallion owned by Marcel Boussac, who had won the French Derby and the Prix Lupin, and went on to become a notable sire. Toubillon's dam-sire...
.
Racing at age two for 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...
Loyd Gentry, Jr.
Loyd Gentry, Jr.
Loyd "Boo" Gentry, Jr. is an American horse trainer.He was the son of jockey and trainer, Loyd Gentry, Sr., who trained for the prominent Canadian horseman Harry C. Hatch and for whom he conditioned the winner of the 1941 King's Plate, Canada's most prestigious race. Loyd Jr. was also the nephew...
, Proud Clarion showed little of what his pedigree promised. Out of three starts, his best result was a third in a minor race. He finished his two-year-old season with earnings of just $805. As a three-year-old, he won a few sprint races then in the immediate lead-up to the 1967 Kentucky Derby, he ran second to Diplomat Way in the Blue Grass Stakes
Blue Grass Stakes
The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky....
.
1967 Kentucky Derby
Ridden by Bobby UsseryBobby Ussery
Robert Nelson "Bobby" Ussery is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. His first race as a professional jockey came at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on November 22, 1951 where he rode Reticule to victory in the Thanksgiving Handicap. By the end of the decade...
in the Derby, Proud Clarion was given little consideration and was sent of by bettors
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
at more than 30:1 odds. The fourteen-horse field included Diplomat Way, Ruken
Ruken
Ruken was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who competed at the highest levels in California and was the bettors third choice to win the 1967 Kentucky Derby. Bred and raced by Louis R. Rowan, Ruken was sired by Nasrullah's son Nashville who won the 1957 Lakes And Flowers and Palos Verdes Handicaps...
, who had won California's 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...
and was the bettors second choice, plus the overwhelming favorite, 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....
winner Damascus
Damascus (horse)
Damascus was a thoroughbred race horse sired by Sword Dancer out of Kerala foaled at the Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky...
.
Leaving the starting gate from post position seven, Proud Clarion raced ninth near the back in a pack of horses until close to the ¾ mile pole when jockey Bobby Ussery
Bobby Ussery
Robert Nelson "Bobby" Ussery is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. His first race as a professional jockey came at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on November 22, 1951 where he rode Reticule to victory in the Thanksgiving Handicap. By the end of the decade...
made a move. By the mile pole he was sitting fifth then in the homestretch accelerated through an opening between Damascus and Diplomat Way. He caught front-runner Barbs Delight then raced on to win by a length in the third-fastest time in the Derby's history to that point.
Proud Clarion finished third 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...
and then fourth in the Belmont
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...
to winner Damascus. Proud Clarion won six of his thirteen starts in 1967, with his only other significant stakes win coming in the Roamer Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
. He returned to race at age four in 1968, starting nine times out of which his best was two second place finishes.
Retired to stud
Horse 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...
duty at his owners Darby Dan Farm, Proud Clarion met with some success, siring at least 30 winners of stakes races including Marlboro Cup
Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap
The 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....
winner, Proud Birdie
Proud Birdie
Proud Birdie was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his upset win in the G1 Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap. Bred in Florida, he was sired by 1967 Kentucky Derby winner Proud Clarion and out of the mare Bernie Bird, a daughter of the speedy Del Mar Derby winner, Bolero.-Racing...
. He died in 1981 at age seventeen at Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift 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 and is buried in their equine cemetery.