Your Host (horse)
Encyclopedia
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
(head of Metro Goldwyn Mayer), Your Host was owned by Mayer's son-in-law (film producer William Goetz
) and trained by Harry L. Daniels. Despite illness and injury he had a successful racing career, and went on to sire the great gelding Kelso
.
and light flanks. It was said his neck was twisted due to a youthful injury, but his groom claimed he held his head oddly in order to see properly. Your Host was nervous, headstrong and often uncontrollable. A chestnut
, he had four white stockings (considered unlucky by some horsemen). At age two Your Host became seriously ill, and only the skill of his veterinarians and his own will to live saved his life.
As a two-year-old, Your Host won the California Breeders' Champion Stakes
, the Del Mar Futurity
, and finished second in the Salinas Handicap and the Homebred Stakes. At three, he won the San Felipe Stakes
and the Santa Anita Derby
; he also won a race at Keeneland Race Course by 6½ lengths in track-record time, beating Flamingo Stakes
winner Oil Capitol
and Blue Grass Stakes
winner Mr. Trouble. The horse the press began to call "The Magnificent Cripple" was favored to win the 76th Kentucky Derby
in 1950.
Your Host arrived at Churchill Downs
with great fanfare. The sign on his Hollywood connections' railroad car read, "1950 Kentucky Derby Winner". Although ridden by Johnny Longden
(who was inducted into both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
), and dueling for a mile with Mr. Trouble, Your Host faded badly. In the second-fastest Derby yet run (timed at 2:01 3/5) he lost to Middleground
, finishing an exhausted ninth. He then returned to California and shorter races, where he won the Thanksgiving Day Handicap, the Golden State Breeders' Handicap, the Kent Stakes, the Dick Welles Stakes, and the Sheridan Handicap. He placed in the Premiere Handicap and finished third in the American Derby
and the Arlington Classic
. As a three-year-old, Your Host defeated eventual Horse of the Year Hill Prince
, who had finished second in the Derby. He also defeated Kentucky Derby winner Ponder
.
Early in 1951, Your Host's four-year-old season, he finished second to Bolero while conceding five pounds in the San Carlos Handicap
and then won the Santa Catalina Stakes under 130 pounds (59 kg). Although during this race Your Host's saddle slipped forward, nearly unseating his rider, he set a new track record of 1:48 1/5 for 1⅛ miles.
On January 13, entered in the San Pasqual Handicap
, Your Host clipped heels with Renown. His jockey, Eric Guerin
(who had been having difficulty rating him), rolled clear but Your Host fell heavily on his right shoulder. His right ulna
bone in his foreleg was fractured in four places, and his right shoulder and upper leg were also fractured. The first to get to him was his exercise rider, Tuffy Morlan. Morlan later said, "There he stood, broken and in horrible pain, but his funny cock-eyed head was up and he whinnied at me, a faint, desperate sound. It was the first time he had ever asked me for help. I knew he needed me then and I could do nothing but take him by the head and weep. I don't think I ever felt so empty and lost as at that moment."
Vanned off the track, Your Host was expected to die; his veterinarians felt there was no point in prolonging his suffering. The horse was insured by Lloyds of London, which purchased and managed to save him. Sent to the Circle S Ranch of George Stratton, he was attended by Dr. John Walker, who tried everything to immobilize the injury. In the end, he packed the horse in sand to keep him steady. Your Host eventually recovered; however, his right foreleg healed shorter than his left. Your Host ran in 23 races, won 13 times, placed 5 times, and came in third twice. In his lifetime, he won $384,795.
and granddaughter of Man o' War
). Kelso was five times American Horse of the Year and was rated #4 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century.
Your Host died in 1961, aged fifteen.
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...
. Foaled in California, he was by the imported British stallion Alibhai
Alibhai (horse)
Alibhai was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who was purchased by Hollywood movie mogul Louis B. Mayer for 3,200 guineas and brought to the United States. He was sired by Epsom Derby winner Hyperion who was a six-time leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland. Grandsire Gainsborough was the 1918...
out of the Irish mare Boudoir by the French stallion Mahmoud. Bred in the stables of Louis B. Mayer
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
(head of Metro Goldwyn Mayer), Your Host was owned by Mayer's son-in-law (film producer William Goetz
William Goetz
William Goetz was an American Hollywood film producer and studio executive. William Goetz died of cancer in 1969 at his home in Los Angeles and was buried in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California....
) and trained by Harry L. Daniels. Despite illness and injury he had a successful racing career, and went on to sire the great gelding 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...
.
Early life and racing career
Your Host was foaled with his right eye and ear set higher than his left, a crooked neck, low withersWithers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
and light flanks. It was said his neck was twisted due to a youthful injury, but his groom claimed he held his head oddly in order to see properly. Your Host was nervous, headstrong and often uncontrollable. A chestnut
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
, he had four white stockings (considered unlucky by some horsemen). At age two Your Host became seriously ill, and only the skill of his veterinarians and his own will to live saved his life.
As a two-year-old, Your Host won the California Breeders' Champion Stakes
California Breeders' Champion Stakes
California Breeders' Champion Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1935 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. In 2011 it will be in its 72nd running....
, the Del Mar Futurity
Del Mar Futurity
The Del Mar Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 2007, the race is open to horses, age two, willing to race seven furlongs on Polytrack synthetic dirt and offers a purse of $250,000.The race is currently...
, and finished second in the Salinas Handicap and the Homebred Stakes. At three, he won the San Felipe Stakes
San Felipe Stakes
The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The San Felipe is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in mid-March, it is raced at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on dirt and currently...
and the 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...
; he also won a race at Keeneland Race Course by 6½ lengths in track-record time, beating Flamingo Stakes
Flamingo Stakes
The Flamingo Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in March at the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida. Run over a distance of nine furlongs, the inaugural race took place in 1926 at the Tampa, Florida racetrack...
winner Oil Capitol
Oil Capitol
Oil Capitol was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Bred by the Widener family's Elmendorf Farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, he was sired by the French-bred runner Mahmoud, the 1936 winner of England's Epsom Derby...
and 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....
winner Mr. Trouble. The horse the press began to call "The Magnificent Cripple" was favored to win the 76th 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 1950.
Your Host arrived 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...
with great fanfare. The sign on his Hollywood connections' railroad car read, "1950 Kentucky Derby Winner". Although ridden by Johnny Longden
Johnny Longden
John Eric Longden was an American Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England but his father wanted to build a better life for his family so in 1909 emigrated to Canada, settling in Taber, Alberta. By 1912 Longden Sr. had saved enough money to send for his wife and young son...
(who was inducted into both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
and 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...
), and dueling for a mile with Mr. Trouble, Your Host faded badly. In the second-fastest Derby yet run (timed at 2:01 3/5) he lost to Middleground
Middleground
Middleground was an American Thoroughbred racehorse.Ridden by 16-year-old apprentice jockey Bill Boland, and trained by Max Hirsch, both future U.S...
, finishing an exhausted ninth. He then returned to California and shorter races, where he won the Thanksgiving Day Handicap, the Golden State Breeders' Handicap, the Kent Stakes, the Dick Welles Stakes, and the Sheridan Handicap. He placed in the Premiere Handicap and finished third in the American Derby
American Derby
The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at the city's old Washington Park race track and raced there until 1905 when the facility was closed and the track demolished....
and the Arlington Classic
Arlington Classic
The Arlington Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-old horses held annually at the end of June at Arlington Park race track near Chicago, Illinois...
. As a three-year-old, Your Host defeated eventual Horse of the Year Hill Prince
Hill Prince
Hill Prince was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who earned Champion honors in his first three years of racing. Trained by Casey Hayes for owner Christopher Chenery, at age two Hill Prince won six of the first seven races he entered and was the American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, sharing the...
, who had finished second in the Derby. He also defeated Kentucky Derby winner Ponder
Ponder (horse)
Ponder , an American Thoroughbred racehorse, was the son of the 1944 Kentucky Derby winner, Pensive and sire of the winner of the 1956 Kentucky Derby, Needles. Ponder, himself, won the Derby in 1949...
.
Early in 1951, Your Host's four-year-old season, he finished second to Bolero while conceding five pounds in the San Carlos Handicap
San Carlos Handicap
The San Carlos Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at during the third week of February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
and then won the Santa Catalina Stakes under 130 pounds (59 kg). Although during this race Your Host's saddle slipped forward, nearly unseating his rider, he set a new track record of 1:48 1/5 for 1⅛ miles.
On January 13, entered in the San Pasqual Handicap
San Pasqual Handicap
The San Pasqual Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the first part of January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
, Your Host clipped heels with Renown. His jockey, Eric Guerin
Eric Guerin
Oliver Eric Guerin is an American Hall of Fame jockey.Eric Guerin was born in Maringouin, Louisiana, in Cajun backwater country, twenty-four miles west of Baton Rouge...
(who had been having difficulty rating him), rolled clear but Your Host fell heavily on his right shoulder. His right ulna
Ulna
The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form and runs parallel to the radius, which is shorter and smaller. In anatomical position The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form...
bone in his foreleg was fractured in four places, and his right shoulder and upper leg were also fractured. The first to get to him was his exercise rider, Tuffy Morlan. Morlan later said, "There he stood, broken and in horrible pain, but his funny cock-eyed head was up and he whinnied at me, a faint, desperate sound. It was the first time he had ever asked me for help. I knew he needed me then and I could do nothing but take him by the head and weep. I don't think I ever felt so empty and lost as at that moment."
Vanned off the track, Your Host was expected to die; his veterinarians felt there was no point in prolonging his suffering. The horse was insured by Lloyds of London, which purchased and managed to save him. Sent to the Circle S Ranch of George Stratton, he was attended by Dr. John Walker, who tried everything to immobilize the injury. In the end, he packed the horse in sand to keep him steady. Your Host eventually recovered; however, his right foreleg healed shorter than his left. Your Host ran in 23 races, won 13 times, placed 5 times, and came in third twice. In his lifetime, he won $384,795.
At stud
Lloyds of London sent Your Host to stud, where he quickly became a successful sire; in his first California crops, he sired stakes winners Miss Todd, Social Climber and Blen Host. He also produced Windy Sands, who in turn sired Crystal Water. Later, he stood at Meadow View Farms in New Jersey where he sired Kelso, out of Maid of Flight (daughter of Count FleetCount Fleet
Count Fleet was born and died at Stoner Creek Stud farm in Paris, Kentucky, United States. He was a Thoroughbred racehorse and Triple Crown champion in 1943....
and granddaughter of 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....
). Kelso was five times American Horse of the Year and was rated #4 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century.
Your Host died in 1961, aged fifteen.