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Best Turn (May 7, 1966–February 10, 1984) was an American-bred
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 ...
and Classic Chef-de-race sire.


Background

Best Turn was a dark bay or brown stallion bred and owned by the famous
Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegrass ...
. Best Turn's sire, Turn-to, was a high-class racehorse, despite an abbreviated career on the track in which he won the Garden State Stakes, Saratoga Special, and Flamingo Stakes. He became a noted sire. Best Turn was the first of his dam Sweet Clementine's four foals, and the most successful on the racetrack. Sweet Clementine had won one of her six starts for Calumet. Her dam and Best Turn's second dam was Miz Clementine, who won multiple stakes races and was a full sister to champion racer Two Lea. Best Turn was very large (up to 17.3 hands). He was sickle-hocked behind and pigeon-toed in front. Due to his large size, he had difficulty in close quarters and ran best when able to get an open track on the outside.


Racing career

Best Turn was a decent racehorse, although he wasn't of the highest class. As a three-year-old, he won the Saranac Handicap at
Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...
and ran second in the Patriot Stakes. Best Turn's best year was a four-year-old, during which he turned in a campaign that included wins in the John B. Campbell Handicap, Vosburgh Handicap, Paumonok Handicap, and
Queens County Handicap The Queens County Handicap is an American Ungraded Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of December at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Open to horses age three years and older, it is contested on dirt at a distance o ...
as well as a second-place finish in the
Carter Handicap The Carter Handicap is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of seven furlongs run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack. Race history First run in 1895, the race was named fo ...
. Best Turn's four-year-old season concluded with three consecutive wins, in which he won the Vosburgh Handicap on October 24 and Queens County Handicap on November 14, with an additional
allowance 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 ...
win in between. He came from behind in the Queens County Handicap, running in tenth place a half-mile into the race and moving up to third at the head of the stretch. In winning the Queens County Handicap, Best Turn injured a foot, leading to his retirement from racing.


Stud career

Best Turn retired to stand stud at Calumet Farm, where he enjoyed considerable success as a sire, peaking at ninth on the American sire list in 1979. He sired 346 foals, including 35 black-type winners (10.1%). His AEI was 2.81. As a broodmare sire, he sired 136 dams of 890 foals, including 33 black-type winners (3.7%), with an AEI of 1.28. Best Turn also was a successful sport horse sire. Best Turn died in February, 1984. He was euthanized due to complications from foot surgery. Best Turn was buried at Calumet Farm, along with his dam, Sweet Clementine. By 2015, Best Turn's sire line was effectively extinct. Best Turn was named a Classic Chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system.


Notable progeny

*
Cox's Ridge Cox's Ridge (1974–1998) was an American Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse. He bypassed the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, U.S. Triple Crown series and had considerable success in 1977 and 1978 with his most important win co ...
, winner of 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 ...
,
Suburban Handicap The Suburban Stakes (also known Suburban Handicap) is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is now run at the mile distance on dirt for a $350,000 pu ...
, and Excelsior Handicap; noted sire * Davona Dale, winner of the New York Triple Tiara,
Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Frida ...
, Fantasy Stakes, etc.;
Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
member


Pedigree

Best Turn is inbred 4S × 4D to
Pharos The Lighthouse of Alexandria, sometimes called the Pharos of Alexandria, was a lighthouse built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (280–247 BC). It has been estimated to have been at least ...
, meaning Pharos appears in the fourth generation on both the sire and dam's side of the pedigree. Gun Runner is also inbred to Plucky Liege 4S × 5D and
Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, Saskatchewan, Ca ...
5S × 5D.


References

{{Reflist 1966 racehorse births 1984 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United States Racehorses trained in the United States Chefs-de-Race Thoroughbred family 23-b