{{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Big Pebble , image = , caption = , sire = Black Servant , grandsire = Black Toney , dam = Beach Talk , damsire = Sundridge , sex =

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" nec ...

, foaled = 1936 , 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 (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

, breeder = Idle Hour Stock Farm , owner = Edward R. Bradley
Circle M. Ranch (1940) , trainer =

William B. Finnegan William B. Finnegan (September 19, 1890 - October 18, 1970) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. A native of New York City, Finnegan spent more than fifty years as a trainer primarily on the West Coast of the United States. Dur ...

, record = 41: 8-8-9 , earnings = US$172,917 , race = McLennan Handicap (1941)
Widener Challenge Cup (1941)
Washington Park Handicap (1941)
Hollywood Gold Cup (1941) , awards = TSD American Champion Older Male Horse (1941) , honours = , updated= Big Pebble (foaled 1936 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred Champion

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 pr ...

Background

Big Pebble was a bay horse bred by Edward R. Bradley at his Idle Hour Stock Farm near

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. His dam was Beach Talk and his sire was Black Servant who would also sire Blue Larkspur. Black Servant, a son of Black Toney, won the 1921 Blue Grass Stakes and was second to stablemate Behave Yourself in the 1921

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

Racing career

Raced by Bradley at age two and three, Big Pebble showed little and was even used as a lead pony for Bradley's rising star,

Bimelech Bimelech (February 27, 1937 – 1966) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won two Triple Crown races and was a Champion at both age two and three. He was ranked #84 among U.S. racehorses of the 20th century. After retiring to stud, he sired ...

. As such, the colt was sold in late 1939 for a mere $5,000 to

Edward S. Moore Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

of Sheridan, Wyoming. Raced in 1940 under the colors of Moore's Circle M Ranch, Big Pebble's race conditioning was taken over by

William Finnegan William Finnegan is a staff writer at ''The New Yorker'' and author of works of international journalism. He has specially addressed issues of racism and conflict in Southern Africa and politics in Mexico and South America, as well as poverty ...

. For his new handlers, Big Pebble developed rapidly into a contender, running a strong second to Many Stings in the March 1940 Widener Challenge Cup at Florida's Hialeah Park Race Track. In 1941, Big Pebble was one of the top horses racing in the United States. Back at Hialeah Park for winter racing, he won a division of February's McLennan Handicap and then the prestigious Widener Challenge Cup in March. Sent to Hollywood Park Racetrack in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, future

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 ...

jockey Jack Westrope rode Big Pebble to the most important win of his career in July when he defeated heavily favored

Mioland Mioland (1937–1951) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Oregon by H. W. Ray, he was out of the mare Iolanda. His German-born sire was Mio D'Arezzo, a winner of the Deutsches St. Leger who had been imported to stand at ...

in the Hollywood Gold Cup. In early September, at Washington Park Race Track near Chicago, with Jack Westrope aboard again, Big Pebble won the Washington Park Handicap. In addition to his 1941 wins, Big Pebble earned second-place finishes in the Saratoga and Whitney Handicaps. Big Pebble's 1941 performances earned him

American Champion Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of ...

honors from ''Turf & Sports Digest'' magazine. The rival '' Daily Racing Form'' award was won by

Retirement and stud career

On November 26, 1941, owner Edward S. Moore announced that Big Pebble was being retired to stand at stud due to a bowed tendon. He was not successful as a sir

References

Big Pebble's pedigree and partial racing statsJuly 20, 1941 ''St. Petersburg Times'' article on Big Pebble's win in the Hollywood Gold Cup
1936 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 5-g Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses