Ruken
Encyclopedia
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 Handicap
s. His dam was Thank You Ma'm, a daughter of the multiple stakes winner Your Host
who sired the five-time American Horse of the Year, Kelso
.
Ridden by Fernando Alvarez
and trained by Clyde Turk
, Ruken won the 1967 Santa Anita Derby
, the most important event for three-year-olds in California. At Churchill Downs
he won the Stepping Stone Purse
which prompted bettors to make Ruken their third choice for the Kentucky Derby
in which he would finish eighth.
When his racing career was over, Ruken served as a breeding stallion. He sired several stakes winners including Vic's Magic (f. 1973) who earned more than US$237,000.
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 who competed at the highest levels in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and was the bettors third choice to win 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...
. Bred and raced by Louis R. Rowan
Louis R. Rowan
Louis R. Rowan was an American businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder.A native of California, Rowan was educated in England. In 1968, along with Clement L. Hirsch and Dr. Jack Robbins, he co-founded the Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
, Ruken was sired by Nasrullah's son Nashville who won the 1957 Lakes And Flowers and Palos Verdes Handicap
Palos Verdes Handicap
The Palos Verdes Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade II event, it is open to horses age four and up, willing to race six furlongs on dirt. It carries a purse of $150,000.In 1971, the Palos Verdes...
s. His dam was Thank You Ma'm, a daughter of the multiple stakes winner Your Host
Your Host (horse)
Your Host was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Foaled in California, he was by the imported British stallion Alibhai out of the Irish mare Boudoir by the French stallion Mahmoud. Bred in the stables of Louis B. Mayer , Your Host was owned by Mayer's son-in-law and trained by Harry L. Daniels...
who sired the five-time American Horse of the Year, 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...
.
Ridden by Fernando Alvarez
Fernando Alvarez
Fernando Enrique Alvarez is an Argentine macroeconomist. He is a professor of economics at the University of Chicago. He received his B.A. in Economics at Universidad Nacional de La Plata in 1989 and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1994...
and trained by Clyde Turk
Clyde Turk
Clyde Turk was an American jockey and trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. He began riding horses in the 1920s and in 1929 was riding at the new Agua Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico...
, Ruken won the 1967 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...
, the most important event for three-year-olds in California. 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...
he won 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...
which prompted bettors to make Ruken their third choice for 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...
in which he would finish eighth.
When his racing career was over, Ruken served as a breeding stallion. He sired several stakes winners including Vic's Magic (f. 1973) who earned more than US$237,000.