Run the Gantlet
Encyclopedia
Run the Gantlet was an American
Champion Thoroughbred
racehorse
and noted sire
. He was out of the mare First Feather, whom owner Paul Mellon
had purchased as a yearling at a then record price of $90,000 for a filly
. He was sired by the 1965 Preakness Stakes
winner, Tom Rolfe
, a son of the undefeated Europe
an superstar, Ribot
. Run the Gantlet is a descendant of the great Nearco
through his damsire First Landing
who won the 1959 Kentucky Derby
.
Raced under Mellon's Rokeby Stables
colors, Run the Gantlet was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee, Elliott Burch
. Sent to the track at age two, Run the Gantlet's most important win in 1970 came in the Garden State Futurity
. As a three-year-old, Run the Gantlet excelled in races on turf
. The colt won six of his ten starts in 1971, including five stakes in a row, capping off the year with a six-length win on a soggy Laurel Park Racecourse in the Washington, D.C. International Stakes. Run the Gantlet's 1971 performances earned him American Champion Male Turf Horse honors.
Run the Gantlet returned to race at age four in 1972, notably winning the Bowling Green Handicap
at Belmont Park
.
in County Kildare, Ireland, Run the Gantlet was the sire of 39 stakes race winners, including outstanding runners such as:
As well, Run the Gantlet was the damsire of Risk Me, winner of the 1987 Group One Grand Prix de Paris
and Prix Jean Prat
.
Run the Gantlet died at age 18 on February 28, 1986 at Jerry Hoffberger's
breeding farm in Woodbine, Maryland
. http://www.sunsethilleventing.net/about.html
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Champion 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 noted 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...
. He was out of the mare First Feather, whom owner Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon KBE was an American philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
had purchased as a yearling at a then record price of $90,000 for a filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
. He was sired by the 1965 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...
winner, Tom Rolfe
Tom Rolfe
The racehorse Tom Rolfe was one of the best American sons of the great racehorse and sire Ribot. His dam was Pocahontas, from whom he takes his name...
, a son of the undefeated Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an superstar, Ribot
Ribot (horse)
Ribot was an Italian bay Thoroughbred racehorse, considered the strongest horse of all time.Undefeated in 16 races, he won over distances ranging from 5 furlongs to 1m 7f , in three different countries and in all types of track conditions...
. Run the Gantlet is a descendant 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 ,...
through his damsire First Landing
First Landing (horse)
First Landing was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by Turn-To, a grandson of the great Nearco, he was out of the mare Hildene, whose sire was the 1926 Kentucky Derby winner, Bubbling Over...
who won the 1959 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...
.
Raced under Mellon's Rokeby Stables
Rokeby Stables
Rokeby Stables was an American thoroughbred racehorse breeding farm in Upperville, Virginia involved with both steeplechase and flat racing. The operation was established in the late 1940s by Paul Mellon who won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder in 1971 and again in 1986...
colors, Run the Gantlet was trained by future U.S. Racing 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, Elliott Burch
J. Elliott Burch
John Elliott Burch was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Four of his horses were inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
. Sent to the track at age two, Run the Gantlet's most important win in 1970 came in the Garden State Futurity
Garden State Futurity
The Garden State Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid November at the now defunct Garden State Park Racetrack in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. A futurity event for two-year-olds, it is sometimes referred to as the Garden State Futurity...
. As a three-year-old, Run the Gantlet excelled in races on turf
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
. The colt won six of his ten starts in 1971, including five stakes in a row, capping off the year with a six-length win on a soggy Laurel Park Racecourse in the Washington, D.C. International Stakes. Run the Gantlet's 1971 performances earned him American Champion Male Turf Horse honors.
Run the Gantlet returned to race at age four in 1972, notably winning the Bowling Green Handicap
Bowling Green Handicap
The Bowling Green Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annualkly at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on turf, the Grade II event is open to three-year-olds and up who are willing to race the one and three-eighths miles distance...
at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
.
As a sire
Retired to the Gilltown StudStud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
in County Kildare, Ireland, Run the Gantlet was the sire of 39 stakes race winners, including outstanding runners such as:
- ArdrossArdross (horse)Ardross was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was a co-holder of the record for consecutive wins in European racing. Ardross was bred by trainer Paddy Prendergast for his American owner Elisabeth Ireland Poe who was also the breeder of Meadow Court. His sire was Run the Gantlet, a son of U.S. Racing...
(born 1976), multiple Group One winner in EnglandEnglandEngland 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...
and FranceFranceThe 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...
, including back-to-back wins of the Ascot Gold CupAscot Gold CupThe Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.... - ProvidentialProvidentialProvidential was an Irish-born Thoroughbred racehorse who competed successfully in France and won the most important race on turf in the United States. Bred and raced by Bertram R...
(born 1977), won in France and the United States including the 1979 Criterium de Saint-CloudCritérium de Saint-CloudThe Critérium de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in November....
and the 1981 Washington, D.C. International Stakes - April RunApril RunApril Run was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed internationally and who in 1982 was voted a Champion both in France and the United States....
(born 1978), multiple Group One winner in France and the United States, two-time Champion in France (1981 & 1982) and American Champion Female Turf Horse (1982) - Commanche RunCommanche RunCommanche Run was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in England, he was out of the mare, Volley. His sire was Run the Gantlet, an American multiple Grade I winner and successful sire...
(born 1981), multiple stakes winner in England and IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
including the Group One Benson & Hedges Gold CupInternational StakesThe International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 88 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....
, Irish Champion StakesIrish Champion StakesThe Irish Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.-History:The event was established in 1976, and...
and the Classic St. Leger StakesSt. Leger StakesThe St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
. - Panamint (SAJC Adelaide CupAdelaide CupThe Adelaide Cup is a SAJC Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race held in South Australia. It is handicap race run over 3,200 metres at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide Australia. Total prize money for the race is A$400,000....
).
As well, Run the Gantlet was the damsire of Risk Me, winner of the 1987 Group One Grand Prix de Paris
Grand Prix de Paris
The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:...
and Prix Jean Prat
Prix Jean Prat
The Prix Jean Prat is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,600 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.-History:...
.
Run the Gantlet died at age 18 on February 28, 1986 at Jerry Hoffberger's
Jerold Hoffberger
Jerold Charles 'Jerry' Hoffberger was an American businessman. He was president of the National Brewing Company from 1946 to 1973. He was also part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles of the American League from 1954 to 1965, and majority owner from 1965 to 1979.-Biography:Hoffberger was a lifelong...
breeding farm in Woodbine, Maryland
Woodbine, Maryland
Woodbine is located in Howard and Carroll counties, in the Baltimore, Maryland, metropolitan area. The community was named for the plant, which grew in this town in fields and along riverbanks.-Background:...
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