The Finn (1912–1925) was an American

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. Thoroughbreds are co ...

racehorse that is best remembered as the winner of the 1915

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed ...

. He won six other stakes races that year and was retroactively recognized as the American Champion three-year-old colt. He was later the sire of Zev and Flying Ebony, the respective winners of the 1923 and 1925 Kentucky Derbies. The Finn was the leading sire in North America of 1923.

Background

The Finn was foaled in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

at Hamburg Place, the stud farm of John E. Madden. The Finn was sired by the imported

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" n ...

Ogden, who was the 1896

Belmont Futurity Stakes The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-September or October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, United States. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on turf ...

winner, out of the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...

Livonia by Star Shoot. The Finn originally ran for Madden as a homebred. He was sold in May 1915 to Harry C. Hallenbeck in a package deal with another horse for $35,000. He was trained by Edward Heffner.

Racing career

The Finn won three of nine starts at age two. His stand-out performance came in a maiden race at Aqueduct when he set a track record of :59 for five furlongs. He also won two handicaps that year. However, he did not finish in the

Belmont Futurity The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-September or October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, United States. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on turf ...

because he threw his rider.

1915: three-year-old season

At age three, The Finn won nine of twenty starts, and also finished second four times. In addition to winning the 1915

, he won the

Withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ar ...

, Southampton Handicap, Hamilton Derby, Huron Handicap, Baltimore Handicap, Ellicott City Handicap,

Dixie Handicap The Dinner Party Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the eighth-oldest graded stakes race in the United States and the oldest stakes race in Maryland and all ...

and Manhattan Handicap. The Finn was not ready to run in the 1915 Kentucky Derby in early May, but on May 29 was the second betting choice in the fortieth running of the Withers Stakes, then one of the most important races of the American racing calendar. He went to the lead and won "in a great, big gallop" by two lengths. In the Belmont Stakes on June 4, only three horses ran after Derby winner

Regret Regret is the emotion of wishing one had made a different decision in the past, because the consequences of the decision were unfavorable. Regret is related to perceived opportunity. Its intensity varies over time after the decision, in regard ...

bypassed the race. The Finn led from the start and was never seriously challenged. On June 15, he established himself as the best three-year-old of the crop, with the possible exception of Regret, by winning the Southampton Handicap while conceding from four to 28 pounds to his rivals. This time he trailed the early pace set by Garbage, then started his move on the backstretch and took command turning for home. Over the summer and autumn, The Finn won several more times. However, he was unexpectedly beaten in the Knickerbocker Handicap, a defeat that led to the temporary suspension of Heffner's training license.

1916: four-year-old season

The Finn earned his first win as a four-year-old on May 26 in the

Metropolitan Handicap The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile", is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile (8 furl ...

. He rated behind the fast early pace set by High Noon and Stromboli, then closed in the final furlong to win by half a length to the cheers of the crowd. The Finn was so full of run that he could not be pulled up for half a mile. The Finn won five more stakes races that year, including his second win in the Manhattan Handicap. Despite carrying top weight of 130 pounds, he won easily by lengths. In late September, he finished his campaign with two wins at Havre de Grace in one week. After he beat Roamer in the

Havre de Grace Handicap The Havre de Grace Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run on the August 26, 1912 opening day of the new Havre de Grace Racetrack in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Although most of its runnings would take place in early fall, its fi ...

, ''The New York Times'' called him the best four-year-old in the country. He won six of twelve that starts that year, conceding weight in all of them. At age five, The Finn's only win came in the Long Beach Handicap at

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispanio ...

, where he equaled the track record for 9 furlongs of 1:52.

Stud career

The Finn was the sire of either 16 or 17 stakes winners from 130 or 134 named foals, depending on the source. This included two

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a '' ...

winning sons, Zev and Flying Ebony. He also sired Kai-Sang (Jerome Handicap, Lawrence Realization), Bud Lerner ( Youthful Stakes) and Finite. Though not generally successful as a broodmare sire, his daughter Khara established a successful family that included important sire

Habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

. The Finn died in September 1925 at the age of thirteen, siring 143 foals. Although several of his sons were useful sires, his last successful tail-male descendant was the short-lived Puerto Rican racehorse Camarero, who set the record for the most consecutive victories (56) for a

racehorse in 1955.

Pedigree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finn 1912 racehorse births 1925 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Belmont Stakes winners Racehorses trained in the United States United States Champion Thoroughbred Sires Thoroughbred family 4 Godolphin Arabian sire line