Friar Rock
Friar Rock | |
---|---|
Sire | Rock Sand |
Grandsire | Sainfoin |
Dam | Fairy Gold |
Damsire | Bend Or |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | 1913 |
Country | United States |
Colour | Chestnut |
Breeder | August Belmont Jr. |
Owner | August Belmont Jr. |
Trainer | Sam Hildreth |
Record | 21: 9-?-? |
Earnings | $20,365 |
Major wins | |
Adirondack Stakes (1915) Whirl Stakes (1915) Brooklyn Handicap (1916) Suburban Handicap (1916) Saratoga Cup (1916) American Classics wins: | |
Awards | |
American Horse of the Year (1916) | |
Last updated on August 25, 2007 |
Friar Rock (1913 – January 8, 1928) was a Champion American Thoroughbred racehorse. His most important win came in the 1916 Belmont Stakes.
Background
Owned and raced by the prominent New York City businessman August Belmont Jr., he was foaled at Belmont's Nursery Stud near Lexington, Kentucky. A chestnut colt with inherited Bend-Or spotting, he was out of Belmont's imported English dam Fairy Gold, who also produced Fair Play, the sire of Man o' War. Friar Rock was sired by Rock Sand, the 1903 English Triple Crown champion purchased by August Belmont Jr. from Sir James Miller and brought to the United States. Friar Rock was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Sam Hildreth.
Racing career
Friar Rock was sent to the track at age two, earning wins in the 1915 Adirondack and Whirl Stakes. That year, he won five of his twelve races.[1] At age three, he was the dominant horse in American racing. After winning the important Brooklyn Handicap, Suburban Handicap, Saratoga Cup, and Belmont Stakes, he would be selected United States' Horse of the Year.[2] In the Suburban, Friar Rock was considered a longshot in the field of six. Carrying 99 pounds, he stalked the leaders before taking over in the stretch to win by two lengths over the imported Short Grass, who carried 117 pounds. Friar Rock became the third three-year-old ever to win the Suburban. (The first two were Africander in 1903 and Fitz Herbert in 1909.)[1]
Retirement and stud
August Belmont Jr. sold Friar Rock shortly after winning the 13⁄4 miles Saratoga Cup. New owner John E. Madden brought him to stand at stud at his Hamburg Place farm in Kentucky. Only a minor success as a sire of racers, Friar Rock did produce the noteworthy runner Pilate, who in turn was the sire of Eight Thirty. Pilate himself won 24 of his 44 starts. Friar Rock's other progeny included Rockminster (winner of the Pimlico Cup Handicap), Flat Iron (raced 107 times and won the Hawthorne Handicap), and Polydorus (won the Tremont Stakes).[3] Friar Rock proved to be a good broodmare sire and on five occasions was in the top ten on the annual broodmare sires' list. One of his best-known daughters was Friar's Carse, the United States' Champion Two-Year-Old Filly and dam of War Relic.
In 1918, Friar Rock was sold again and his new owners brought him to Santa Rosa, California, to stand at Rancho Wickiup, where he remained for the rest of his life. Diagnosed as suffering from peritonitis, Friar Rock died at age fifteen on January 8, 1928.
In 1918, Madden had sold a half interest in Friar Rock to John Rosseter. The deal included sending the horse to Rosseter in California until the end of the breeding season 1920. Then Madden was to keep Friar Rock in Kentucky for the seasons of 1921 and 1922. When the end of the season of 1920 came, Rosseter refused to send Friar Rock back to Kentucky. After Madden sued Rosseter, the horse was eventually delivered to him on May 23, 1921, in good condition.
References
- ^ a b https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/05/31/119031605.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ The Bloodhorse.com Champion's history charts Archived September 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Rock Sand".
- Friar Rock's pedigree and partial racing stats
- v
- t
- e
- 1867 Ruthless ♥
- 1868 General Duke
- 1869 Fenian
- 1870 Kingfisher
- 1871 Harry Bassett
- 1872 Joe Daniels
- 1873 Springbok
- 1874 Saxon
- 1875 Calvin
- 1876 Algerine
- 1877 Cloverbrook
- 1878 Duke Of Magenta
- 1879 Spendthrift
- 1880 Grenada
- 1881 Saunterer
- 1882 Forester
- 1883 George Kinney
- 1884 Panique
- 1885 Tyrant
- 1886 Inspector B
- 1887 Hanover
- 1888 Sir Dixon
- 1889 Eric
- 1890 Burlington
- 1891 Foxford
- 1892 Patron
- 1893 Commanche
- 1894 Henry of Navarre
- 1895 Belmar
- 1896 Hastings
- 1897 Scottish Chieftain
- 1898 Bowling Brook
- 1899 Jean Bereaud
- 1900 Ildrim
- 1901 Commando
- 1902 Masterman
- 1903 Africander
- 1904 Delhi
- 1905 Tanya ♥
- 1906 Burgomaster
- 1907 Peter Pan
- 1908 Colin
- 1909 Joe Madden
- 1910 Sweep
- 1913 Prince Eugene
- 1914 Luke McLuke
- 1915 The Finn
- 1916 Friar Rock
- 1917 Hourless
- 1918 Johren
- 1919 Sir Barton ₩
- 1920 Man o' War
- 1921 Grey Lag
- 1922 Pillory
- 1923 Zev
- 1924 Mad Play
- 1925 American Flag
- 1926 Crusader
- 1927 Chance Shot
- 1928 Vito
- 1929 Blue Larkspur
- 1930 Gallant Fox ₩
- 1931 Twenty Grand
- 1932 Faireno
- 1933 Hurryoff
- 1934 Peace Chance
- 1935 Omaha ₩
- 1936 Granville
- 1937 War Admiral ₩
- 1938 Pasteurized
- 1939 Johnstown
- 1940 Bimelech
- 1941 Whirlaway ₩
- 1942 Shut Out
- 1943 Count Fleet ₩
- 1944 Bounding Home
- 1945 Pavot
- 1946 Assault ₩
- 1947 Phalanx
- 1948 Citation ₩
- 1949 Capot
- 1950 Middleground
- 1951 Counterpoint
- 1952 One Count
- 1953 Native Dancer
- 1954 High Gun
- 1955 Nashua
- 1956 Needles
- 1957 Gallant Man
- 1958 Cavan
- 1959 Sword Dancer
- 1960 Celtic Ash
- 1961 Sherluck
- 1962 Jaipur
- 1963 Chateaugay
- 1964 Quadrangle
- 1965 Hail To All
- 1966 Amberoid
- 1967 Damascus
- 1968 Stage Door Johnny
- 1969 Arts and Letters
- 1970 High Echelon
- 1971 Pass Catcher
- 1972 Riva Ridge
- 1973 Secretariat ₩
- 1974 Little Current
- 1975 Avatar
- 1976 Bold Forbes
- 1977 Seattle Slew ₩
- 1978 Affirmed ₩
- 1979 Coastal
- 1980 Temperence Hill
- 1981 Summing
- 1982 Conquistador Cielo
- 1983 Caveat
- 1984 Swale
- 1985 Creme Fraiche
- 1986 Danzig Connection
- 1987 Bet Twice
- 1988 Risen Star
- 1989 Easy Goer
- 1990 Go and Go
- 1991 Hansel
- 1992 A.P. Indy
- 1993 Colonial Affair
- 1994 Tabasco Cat
- 1995 Thunder Gulch
- 1996 Editor's Note
- 1997 Touch Gold
- 1998 Victory Gallop
- 1999 Lemon Drop Kid
- 2000 Commendable
- 2001 Point Given
- 2002 Sarava
- 2003 Empire Maker
- 2004 Birdstone
- 2005 Afleet Alex
- 2006 Jazil
- 2007 Rags to Riches ♥
- 2008 Da' Tara
- 2009 Summer Bird
- 2010 Drosselmeyer
- 2011 Ruler on Ice
- 2012 Union Rags
- 2013 Palace Malice
- 2014 Tonalist
- 2015 American Pharoah ₩
- 2016 Creator
- 2017 Tapwrit
- 2018 Justify ₩
- 2019 Sir Winston
- 2020 Tiz the Law
- 2021 Essential Quality
- 2022 Mo Donegal
- 2023 Arcangelo
- 2024 Dornoch
Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly