Sun Beau
Encyclopedia
Sun Beau was an American
Thoroughbred
Champion
Hall of Fame
racehorse
. Sired by Sun Briar
, his damsire was Fair Play
who sired Man o' War
. Sun Beau accomplished a great deal in five years of racing despite having eight different trainers.
Racing as a two-year-old in 1927, Sun Beau developed slowly, winning only once in four starts. Trained by Charles W. Carroll, at age three, jockey John Craigmyle rode him to an 11th place finish in the 1928 Kentucky Derby
and to a 5th place finish in the Preakness Stakes
. However, Sun Beau began to show improvement and wound up the season with eight wins. At age four, the colt set a record for a 1¼ mile race while winning the first of three consecutive Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap
s at Hawthorne Race Course
near Chicago
. Several more important victories earned him the first of three straight U.S. Champion Older Male Horse
titles. At the end of his racing career Sun Beau's total winnings were $376,744.
Sun Beau continued to race at ages five and six, winning nine races in each year, the most of any year he had raced. Retired as the all-time leader in race earnings, he was sent to stud
duty at his owner's Remlik Farm near Urbanna, Virginia
. He sired only six Graded stakes race
winners, none of which achieved his level of success. The last of his progeny was born in 1944.
In 1996, Sun Beau was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
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...
Champion
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
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...
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...
. Sired by Sun Briar
Sun Briar
Sun Briar was a Thoroughbred racehorse voted the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1917 and the American Champion Older Male Horse of 1919. He was a son of Sundridge, the 1911 Champion sire in Great Britain who also sired Epsom Derby winner, Sunstar. Sun Briar was out of the mare Sweet...
, his damsire was Fair Play
Fair Play (horse)
Fair Play was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was successful on the track, but even more so as a sire.His grandsire was Spendthrift, whose grandsire was the English Triple Crown champion West Australian....
who sired Man o' War
Man O' War (horse)
Man o' War, is considered one of the greatest Thoroughbred racehorses of all time. During his career just after World War I, he won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 in purses....
. Sun Beau accomplished a great deal in five years of racing despite having eight different trainers.
Racing as a two-year-old in 1927, Sun Beau developed slowly, winning only once in four starts. Trained by Charles W. Carroll, at age three, jockey John Craigmyle rode him to an 11th place finish in the 1928 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 to a 5th place finish 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...
. However, Sun Beau began to show improvement and wound up the season with eight wins. At age four, the colt set a record for a 1¼ mile race while winning the first of three consecutive Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap
Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap
The Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap is a Grade II race for thoroughbred horses run at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Illinois each year. The Hawthorne Gold Cup trophy has always been made of solid gold....
s at Hawthorne Race Course
Hawthorne Race Course
Hawthorne Race Course is a race track for horse racing in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, near Chicago.The oldest continually-run family-owned racetrack in North America, in 2009 the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America...
near Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Several more important victories earned him the first of three straight U.S. Champion Older Male Horse
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse
The title of American Champion Older Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up. Prior to 1971, this award was referred to as "Champion Handicap Male Horse", and was open to any horse, three years old and up...
titles. At the end of his racing career Sun Beau's total winnings were $376,744.
Sun Beau continued to race at ages five and six, winning nine races in each year, the most of any year he had raced. Retired as the all-time leader in race earnings, he was sent 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 owner's Remlik Farm near Urbanna, Virginia
Urbanna, Virginia
Urbanna is a town in Middlesex County, Virginia, United States. Urbanna means “City of Anne” and was named in honor of England’s Queen Anne. The population was 543 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Urbanna is located at ....
. He sired only six Graded stakes race
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
winners, none of which achieved his level of success. The last of his progeny was born in 1944.
In 1996, Sun Beau was inducted in 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...
.