The Bard (horse)
Encyclopedia
The Bard was an American Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. He was the most popular horse of his day and one who raced and beat all the top horses. Bred by Charles Reed, owner of the Fairview Stud Farm in Gallatin, Tennessee
, his dam was Bradamante and his sire was the U.S. Racing Hall of Famne
inductee, Longfellow
, who was the Leading sire in North America
sixteen times between 1861 and 1878. The Bard was purchased and raced by Alexander Cassatt
, President of the Pennsylvania Railroad
, and, in racing, the owner of Chesterbrook Farm in Berwyn, Pennsylvania and President of Monmouth Park Racetrack
.
Trained by John Huggins, The Bard raced at age two in 1885, notably winning the Red Bank Stakes
at Monmouth Park http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9406E7DF1139E533A25752C3A9619C94649FD7CF, the Bouquet Stakes at Sheepshead Bay Race Track
, and the Capital Stakes at the Ivy City Racetrack in Washington, D.C.
As a three-year-old, The Bard developed into a top competitor. In the pre U.S. Triple Crown
era, he won the 1886 Preakness Stakes
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D0DEEDA1E3EEF33A25751C2A9639C94679FD7CF and finished second in the Belmont Stakes
en route to earning American Co-Champion Three-Year-Old Colt honors. The following year The Bard's performances earned him 1887 American Co-Champion Older Male Horse honors despite missing much of the second half of the year with a life-threatening illness. His popularity at the time was such that regular bulletins of his condition were released and published by major newspaper
s across the country. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00E1D61430E633A2575AC1A96E9C94669FD7CF
Recovered from his illness, The Bard returned to dominate American racing in the first half of 1888. In a much anticipated event, on May 15th he defeated Hanover
to win the 1888 Brooklyn Handicap
. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=950DE3DE1E38E533A25755C1A9639C94699FD7CF Eleven days later on May 26th, The Bard met Hanover again in the 1½ mile Brooklyn Cup at Gravesend Race Track
on Coney Island
.The field also included Lucky Baldwin's
highly regarded California colt, Volante. The following day's New York Times headline blared: The Bard Wins The Cup; He Is America's Greatest Race Horse. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9502E4D9173AEF33A25754C2A9639C94699FD7CF The Bard lost his only race of 1888 when he injured a hind leg in the August 2, 1888 Freehold Stakes
won by Firenze
at Long Branch Racetrack. The injury was serious enough that he would never race again. Nonetheless, his performances had been such that he earned his second straight American Co-Champion Older Male Horse honor.
From 1885 through 1888, The Bard won 27 races and earned $84,990. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9506E5DB1F3EEF33A2575BC1A9659C94689FD7CF On April 4, 1889, the New York Times reported that: "The Bard may not be seen on the turf again this year, owing to the trouble with his leg, which caused him to stop racing suddenly last year." Although his owner hoped he might recover in time to compete in the Brooklyn Derby and Suburban Handicap, he did not. On May 16, 1889 the Times again wrote that The Bard had still not raced and later reports show him standing at stud
at his owner's Pennsylvania breeding farm.
The mainstay of Alexander Cassat's horse breeding
operation, and after his death in 1906, for his son Edward
, The Bard sired a number of successful runners including Gold Heels
, the 1902 American Champion Older Male Horse, and the filly, Poetess, winner of the 1897 Alabama Stakes
.
The Bard died in 1907.
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...
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...
. He was the most popular horse of his day and one who raced and beat all the top horses. Bred by Charles Reed, owner of the Fairview Stud Farm in Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
, his dam was Bradamante and his sire was the U.S. Racing Hall of Famne
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, Longfellow
Longfellow (horse)
Longfellow was one of America's first great Thoroughbred racehorses and the sire of great racehorses. A legend in his own time, he was out of the first crop of the outstanding imported English stallion Leamington....
, who was the 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...
sixteen times between 1861 and 1878. The Bard was purchased and raced by Alexander Cassatt
Alexander Cassatt
Alexander Johnston Cassatt was the 7th president of the Pennsylvania Railroad , serving from June 9, 1899 to December 28, 1906. Frequently referred to as A. J. Cassatt, the great accomplishment under his stewardship was the planning and construction of tunnels under the Hudson River to finally...
, President of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, and, in racing, the owner of Chesterbrook Farm in Berwyn, Pennsylvania and President of Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.Monmouth Park's marquee event...
.
Trained by John Huggins, The Bard raced at age two in 1885, notably winning the Red Bank Stakes
Red Bank Stakes
The Red Bank Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1974 at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. A Grade III event raced in late August/early September, it is open to horses age three and older and is contested at a distance of one mile on turfInaugurated in...
at Monmouth Park http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9406E7DF1139E533A25752C3A9619C94649FD7CF, the Bouquet Stakes at Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York...
, and the Capital Stakes at the Ivy City Racetrack in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
As a three-year-old, The Bard developed into a top competitor. In the pre 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...
era, he won the 1886 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...
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D0DEEDA1E3EEF33A25751C2A9639C94679FD7CF and finished second in the Belmont Stakes
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...
en route to earning American Co-Champion Three-Year-Old Colt honors. The following year The Bard's performances earned him 1887 American Co-Champion Older Male Horse honors despite missing much of the second half of the year with a life-threatening illness. His popularity at the time was such that regular bulletins of his condition were released and published by major newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s across the country. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00E1D61430E633A2575AC1A96E9C94669FD7CF
Recovered from his illness, The Bard returned to dominate American racing in the first half of 1888. In a much anticipated event, on May 15th he defeated Hanover
Hanover (thoroughbred horse)
Hanover was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse that won his first 17 race starts. He was the only American stallion to head the Leading sire in North America list for four consecutive years until Bold Ruler did so in 1965.-Background:...
to win the 1888 Brooklyn Handicap
Brooklyn Handicap
The Brooklyn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to three-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-half miles on dirt....
. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=950DE3DE1E38E533A25755C1A9639C94699FD7CF Eleven days later on May 26th, The Bard met Hanover again in the 1½ mile Brooklyn Cup at Gravesend Race Track
Gravesend Race Track
Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend on Coney Island, New York was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility built by the Brooklyn Jockey Club as a result of the backing of the wealthy racing stable owners, the Dwyer Brothers. Philip J...
on Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
.The field also included Lucky Baldwin's
Lucky Baldwin
Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin was a prominent California businessman and investor of the second half of the 19th century.-Biography:...
highly regarded California colt, Volante. The following day's New York Times headline blared: The Bard Wins The Cup; He Is America's Greatest Race Horse. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9502E4D9173AEF33A25754C2A9639C94699FD7CF The Bard lost his only race of 1888 when he injured a hind leg in the August 2, 1888 Freehold Stakes
Freehold Stakes
The Freehold Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early August at the Monmouth Park Association's racetrack in Long Branch, New Jersey...
won by Firenze
Firenze (horse)
Firenze , also recorded as "Firenzi,", was an American Thoroughbred Champion and Hall of Fame filly racehorse. The New York Times called Firenze: "...one of the greatest distaffers of the 19th Century."...
at Long Branch Racetrack. The injury was serious enough that he would never race again. Nonetheless, his performances had been such that he earned his second straight American Co-Champion Older Male Horse honor.
From 1885 through 1888, The Bard won 27 races and earned $84,990. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9506E5DB1F3EEF33A2575BC1A9659C94689FD7CF On April 4, 1889, the New York Times reported that: "The Bard may not be seen on the turf again this year, owing to the trouble with his leg, which caused him to stop racing suddenly last year." Although his owner hoped he might recover in time to compete in the Brooklyn Derby and Suburban Handicap, he did not. On May 16, 1889 the Times again wrote that The Bard had still not raced and later reports show him standing at stud
Stud (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...
at his owner's Pennsylvania breeding farm.
The mainstay of Alexander Cassat's horse breeding
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...
operation, and after his death in 1906, for his son Edward
Edward B. Cassatt
Colonel Edward Buchanan Cassatt was an American soldier and an owner/breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. He was the son of Alexander Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and his wife, Lois Buchanan, a niece of James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States.Cassatt studied at...
, The Bard sired a number of successful runners including Gold Heels
Gold Heels
Gold Heels was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who, in a two-year period, set one new stakers record and four track records, including a world record.-Background:...
, the 1902 American Champion Older Male Horse, and the filly, Poetess, winner of the 1897 Alabama Stakes
Alabama Stakes
The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, it currently offers a purse of $500,000...
.
The Bard died in 1907.