{{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Ancient Title , image = , caption = , sire = Gummo , grandsire = Fleet Nasrullah , dam = Hi Little Gal , damsire = Bar Le Duc , sex =

Gelding A gelding is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven horse behavior, behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer a ...

, foaled = 1970 , country = United States , colour =

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...

, breeder = William & Ethel Kirkland , owner = Kirkland Stable , trainer = Keith L. Stucki, Sr. , record = 57: 24-11-9 , earnings = $1,252,791 , race = California Breeders' Champion Stakes (1972)
Sunny Slope Stakes (1972)
Inglewood Handicap (1973)

San Vicente Stakes The San Vicente Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park. A Grade II event, the race is open to three-year-old horses willing to race seven furlongs on the dirt and currently carries a purse of $200,000. Hi ...

(1973)

Malibu Stakes The Malibu Stakes is a race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses of either gender held each December at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is at a distance of seven furlongs '' and is the first leg of Santa Anita Park's Strub Seri ...

(1974)
Los Angeles Handicap (1974)

Palos Verdes Handicap The Palos Verdes Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for four-year-olds and older over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt track held annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, ...

(1974)
Charles H. Strub Stakes (1974)
San Fernando Stakes (1974)

Californian Stakes The Californian Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California (relocated from the now closed Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California). The Grade II event is open to hor ...

(1975, 1976)

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...

(1975)

San Carlos Handicap The San Carlos Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race once held during the third week of February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, but now run in March. The Grade II stakes race is open to horses, aged three and up, willing to rac ...

(1975)

Whitney Handicap The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...

(1975)
Caballero Handicap (1976)
Del Mar Handicap (1977)
Bel Air Handicap (1977)

San Antonio Handicap The San Antonio Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Raced on the dirt, it is for horses age three and older. In 2017, the distance was shortened from miles to miles. The race was origin ...

(1977)

San Pasqual Handicap The San Pasqual Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The Grade II event is open to horses, age four and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) o ...

(1978) , awards= California Horse of the Year (1974, 1975) , honours = United States Racing Hall of Fame (2008)
Ancient Title Handicap at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

, updated= October 2, 2007 Ancient Title (April 19, 1970 – September 1, 1981) 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 ...

Hall of Fame

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic ...

Background

Foaled in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, he was bred by William and Ethel Kirkland and raced under Ethel Kirkland's name following her husband's death in 1972. She too died in 1976 and the horse then competed under the Kirkland Stable banner. Ancient was gelded before age three because of a very difficult disposition,

Racing career

Ancient Title raced for seven years. He won many of the top

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is the ...

s in California and was twice voted California Horse of the Year. Trained by Keith Stucki, Ancient Title began winning at age two with his most important victory coming in the 1972 California Breeders' Champion Stakes. He continued winning at age three but began to develop into a top level horse in 1974. That year, he became only the third horse to ever win all three races in the Strub Series. In addition to the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and

s, he ran second to Prince Dantan in the

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for old ...

and second to Tree Of Knowledge in the

. His 1974 performances earned him the first of two consecutive California Horse of the Year honors. In 1975, Ancient Title's wins included the

, the

and the

. That year his handlers also brought him to race on the East Coast where he won the

at New York's

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Springs, New York (state), New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting v ...

and ran third to winner Wajima and runner-up

Forego Forego (April 30, 1970 – August 27, 1997) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won eight Eclipse Awards including Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse and Champion Sprinter. Background Foaled at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentuck ...

in the

Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap The Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of miles on a dirt track. The race c ...

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Raci ...

. Ancient Title won more California stakes races in 1977 and after competing and winning in 1978 an injury led to his retirement. With earnings of $1,252,791, he ended his racing career as the richest California-bred horse to that time.

Retirement

For three years, Ancient Title lived in retirement at Rio Vista Farm near

Atascadero, California Atascadero (Spanish for "Mire") is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, about equidistant from Los Angeles and San Francisco on U.S. Route 101. Atascadero is part of the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles metropolitan statistical area, which ...

operated by trainer

Wallace Dollase Wallace Arthur "Wally" Dollase (August 1, 1937 – October 30, 2015) was an American trainer and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses. Among his numerous Graded stakes race wins, Dollase won the 1996 Breeders' Cup Distaff with Jewel Princess who w ...

. He reportedly died following surgery for

colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube (small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content out. ...

problems on September 1, 1981.

Honors

In 1985, the

Oak Tree Racing Association The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American nonprofit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California. Graded Stakes races at the Oak Tree meet Since Oak Tree Racing moved to Hollywood Park in 2010, some ...

honored the horse with the creation of the Ancient Title Handicap at

. On August 4, 2008, Ancient Title was only the fifth California bred inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

References

Ancient Title's pedigree and partial racing stats
1970 racehorse births 1981 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in California Racehorses trained in the United States American Grade 1 Stakes winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 8-f