Bally Ache (February 3, 1957 – October 28, 1960) was an American

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 ...

who won 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 ...

in 1960 but died later only five months later from an intestinal ailment. In her book ''American Classic Pedigrees (1914–2002)'', author Avalyn Hunter wrote that Bally Ache was "a crowd favorite" who "won hearts by his sheer determination."

Background

Bally Ache was a bay horse bred by brothers Alan and Marvin Gaines at their Twin Oak Farm in

Walton, Kentucky Walton is a home rule-class city in Boone and Kenton counties in the U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmenta ...

. He was sired the Irish import Ballydam out of Celestial Blue. The colt was sold as a yearling as part of a $5,000 two-horse deal. His purchasers were Leonard D. Fruchtman and Morris Fruchtman, steel company executives from

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, who raced a small string of horses racing under the '' nom de course'' Edgehill Farm. The colt was trained by Homer James "Jimmy" Pitt.

Racing career

As a two-year-old, Bally Ache made sixteen starts. He won five stakes races, set a new track record at

Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...

for five furlongs, and finished out of the money just once. He ended the year ranked second in earnings to Bellehurst Stable's 1959 Champion Two-Year-Old,

Warfare War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...

. At age three, Bally Ache won the Flamingo Stakes and

Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturd ...

on the way to the Triple Crown. 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 ...

, C. V. Whitney's colt

Tompion {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Tompion , image = , caption = , sire = Tom Fool , grandsire = Menow , dam = Sunlight , damsire = Count Fleet , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1957 , country = United States , colour = Brown , breeder = ...

, ridden by

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey, considered one of the greatest. For 29 years he held the world record for the most professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," ...

, was coming off wins in the

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of . It is one of t ...

and 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 ...

and was sent off as the betting favorite. Bally Ache, under jockey

Bobby Ussery Robert Nelson Ussery (September 3, 1935 – November 16, 2023) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, hall of fame jockey. His first race as a professional jockey came at Fair Grounds Race Course in ...

, was the second choice. However, jockey

Bill Hartack William John Hartack Jr. (December 9, 1932 – November 26, 2007) was an American jockey. Early life and career Referred to by the media as both "Bill" and "Willie" (Hartack detested being called "Willie") during his racing career, Hartack gr ...

aboard 6:1 outsider

Venetian Way Venetian Way (March 23, 1957 – October 17, 1964) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1960 Kentucky Derby. Background Venetian Way was a chestnut horse bred in Kentucky by John W. Greathouse. He was purchased by ...

, whom Bally Ache had already beaten four times, won. Despite Bally Ache's second-place finish, it did not deter the Turfland racing syndicate led by Joseph L. Arnold, who bought the colt for what ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' magazine described as the "staggering price of $1,250,000". Bally Ache then won by four lengths in the 84th running of the

. Entered in the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

, the third leg of the Triple Crown, Bally Ache came up lame the day before the race and was withdrawn. After returning to racing, in his fourth outing he suffered a career-ending ankle injury. He was scheduled to stand at stud for his owners but developed an intestinal ailment that led to his death on October 28, 1960. He was buried at Bosque Bonita Farm in

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 10,534 according to 2024 ce ...

Breeding

References

{{Preakness Stakes Winners 1957 racehorse births 1960 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters Preakness Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 12-b