Dearly Precious (1973–1992) was an American

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

Background

Bred in Florida by Mrs. Jean R. Pancoast, she was out of the mare Imsodear and sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Fager. Richard E. Bailey, a

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

executive, purchased her as a yearling for $22,000 and entrusted her race conditioning to Stephen A. DiMauro.

Racing career

On the way to being voted the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected A ...

as 1975's

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving ...

, Dearly Precious won eight of her nine starts. Her wins included important races for her age group under regular jockey Michael Hole, such the

Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes The Arlington-Washington Breeders' Cup Lassie Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid September at Arlington Park Racetrack in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Raced on Polytrack synthetic dirt over a distance of seven furl ...

Astoria Stakes The Astoria Stakes is a long-lived race for two-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run at Belmont Park in early June during the Belmont Stakes carnival. Originally set at a distance of five furlongs, beginning in the year 1940, the event was increase ...

, and the

Spinaway Stakes The Spinaway Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old fillies, it is a Grade I event contested at a distance of seven furlongs (1,408 metres) on dirt. Th ...

. As a three-year-old, Dearly Precious won her April 4, 1976 debut in the Flirtation Stakes at Baltimore's

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of O ...

. On April 25, she won her tenth straight race, capturing the

Prioress Stakes The Prioress Stakes is an American Grade III Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the eight-week meet at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Inaugurated in 1948 at Jamaica Racetrack, it was raced there through 1959 afte ...

at Aqueduct Racetrack. On May 5, Dearly Precious lost by half a length to Tell Me All in the Comely Handicap, then on May 14 she was beaten by a nose in the

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes The George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (known as the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes from 1952 through 2019 and first run as the Pimlico Oaks) is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of mile ...

, handicapped by ten more pounds than the winner, What A Summer. On May 22, she came back to win the first leg of the

Filly Triple Crown The Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, formerly known as the Filly Triple Crown, is a set of three horse races in the United States which is open to three-year-old fillies. Presently the only official Triple Tiara is the three race series in N ...

, the

Acorn Stakes The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile and a sixteenth with a current purse of $500,000. It is the first leg of the ...

Injury and retirement

Rested after her tough win over Optimistic Gal in the Acorn Stakes, Dearly Precious was in the hunt for another annual Championship when she suffered a bowed

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...

in her left foreleg on July 11, 1976 while winning the Dark Mirage Stakes at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...

. Her racing career over, Dearly Precious retired having won twelve of her sixteen starts, and eventually served as a broodmare. Her offspring met with limited success in racing, the best of which was a mating to Nijinsky that produced stakes winner Mister Modesty.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist
Dearly Precious' pedigree and partial racing stats

* [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8-QRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=me0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1633,4689438&dq=dearly+precious+bailey+stakes July 12, 1976 ''New York Times'' article titled ''Star Filly Is Injured At Aqueduct; Dearly Precious Injured''] 1973 racehorse births 1992 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 11 Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners