Regal Classic (March 28, 1985 - April 5, 2012) was a Canadian

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 ...

. In 1987, he earned the Sovereign Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Colt after winning the Summer Stakes, Cup and Saucer,

Grey Stakes The Grey Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. A Grade III, it is open to two-year-old horses and is raced on dirt at a distance of miles. Since 2006, the d ...

and

Coronation Futurity The Coronation Futurity Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old horses foaled in Canada. It is run annually in mid-November at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at a distance of miles. Along with its turf counterpart, the ...

, plus finishing second in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...

. At age three, he started his campaign on the American Triple Crown trail, where he finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby and sixth in the Preakness. He then returned to Canada where he finished second in the Queen's Plate and won the Prince of Wales, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

Background

Bred by Sam-Son Farm, he was by the highly successful sire

Vice Regent Vice Regent (April 29, 1967 – June 18, 1995) was a Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse and Canada's leading sire for thirteen years. Owned and bred by E. P. Taylor, he was from Northern Dancer's second crop and out of the mare Victoria ...

and out of Sam-Son Farm's foundation mare

No Class "No Class" is a song by the British heavy metal band Motörhead. It was released in 1979 in 7" vinyl pressings. The song first appeared on the 1979 album '' Overkill'', and became one of the "cornerstones" of the classic 1981 live album '' No S ...

. In addition to Regal Classic, No Class produced champions Classy 'n' Smart, Grey Classic and Sky Classic. He was raced in partnership with Vice Regent's owner,

Windfields Farm Windfields Farm was a six square kilometre (1,500 acre) Thoroughbred Stud farm, horse breeding farm that was founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Origin The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor o ...

Champion Two-Year-Old season

Regal Classic was trained by

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

Gold Medalist A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

and

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness racing, harness and Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine ...

inductee Jim Day. Racing at age two, he dominated his opponents, winning every major

stakes race The following is a glossary of North American horse racing. Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical term ...

for his age group. Sent to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

for the 1987

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred horse racing, race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to The Forum (Inglewood, California), the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, t ...

, Regal Classic was in 11th place after a quarter mile, then moved up to seventh at the half before getting boxed in on the far turn. Under jockey Dave Penna, the colt made it through on the inside rail and came on with a strong stretch drive to pass race favorite

Tejano Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent. Etymology The word ''Tejano'', with a ''J'' instead ...

and finish second to winner Success Express. His performances in 1987 earned Regal Classic the

Sovereign Award {{refimprove, date=October 2021 The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing. The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Y ...

as Canadian Champion 2-Yr-Old-Colt.

At Three

Regal Classic's arch rival was another Sam-Son Farm colt sired by Vice Regent named Regal Intention. Regal Classic had defeated him at age two in winning the important

Coronation Futurity Stakes The Coronation Futurity Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old horses foaled in Canada. It is run annually in mid-November at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at a distance of miles. Along with its turf counterpart, the ...

and in 1988, the three-year-old Regal Classic beat him again in the

Prince of Wales Stakes The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to only three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of miles (1.9 km; ...

and the

Marine Stakes The Marine Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Held in mid May, it is open to three-year-old horses and is contested over a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on Polytrack synthetic dir ...

. Sent south to compete in the United States Triple Crown series, Regal Classic ran third in the

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is ru ...

prep, fifth in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

, and sixth in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

. He returned to Canada for the Canadian Triple Crown and won the

Plate Trial Stakes The Plate Trial Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred flat horserace for three-Year-Olds, foaled in Canada run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Raced in early June, the -mile race on dirt is considered one of the most important pre ...

prep, then finished second to Regal Intention in Canada's most prestigious race, the

Queen's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate from 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race and the oldest continuously run race in North America, having been founded in 1860. It is run at a distance of for a ma ...

. The two reversed positions in the

with Regal Classic earning the win. In the fall of 1988, Regal Classic finished second to Ballindaggin in the Molson Export Challenge Stakes. Regal Classic returned to racing at age four in 1989. His best results were a win in the Eclipse Handicap at Woodbine in Toronto and a second in the Ben Ali Handicap at

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...

in Kentucky.

Stud Duties

Retired to

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

duty, Regal Classic sired stakes winners Inish Glora, One Way Love, Classic Stamp, and Canadian Classic winners Regal Discovery and

Stephanotis ''Stephanotis'' is a genus of flowering plants first described in 1806. The name derives from the Greek στεφανωτής (''stephanōtís'') meaning, by sense, “fit for a crown”—from στέφανος (''stéphanos''), “crown”. It c ...

, as well as

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n millionaire runner Regal Roller. After standing at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, LLC in

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, for several years, he was pensioned after the 2007 season.

Death

In early April 2012, he began experiencing colic symptoms that led to a vet emergency visit. The exam performed by the veterinarian indicated a large pulsing mass in the rectal area, and the ultrasound revealed bleeding. The determination made was that he could no longer be saved from extreme pain and suffering given his age and the malignant growth so he was humanely euthanized.

Pedigree

An asterisk before a name means the horse was imported into North America

References

{{reflist
Regal Classic's pedigree and partial racing stats
1985 racehorse births 2012 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ontario Racehorses trained in Canada Sovereign Award winners Thoroughbred family 23-b