Bolingbroke (foaled 1937 in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

) was an American

Thoroughbred racehorse The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for 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 considered " ...

that won top-level races on

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

tracks including the

Manhattan Handicap The Manhattan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race raced annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is named for Manhattan, the principal borough of the City of New York. Currently offering a purse of $1,000,000, the Grade I Manhatt ...

three times. In his 1942 Manhattan win, under jockey Herb Lindberg, Bolingbroke set a new United States record time of 2:27 3/5 for 1 1/2 miles on dirt while defeating the 1941 U.S. Triple Crown winner,

Whirlaway Whirlaway (April 2, 1938 – April 6, 1953) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fifth winner of the American Triple Crown. He also won the Travers Stakes after his Triple Crown sweep to become the first and only horse to ...

. Bred by major racing stable and racetrack owner Joseph E. Widener at his

Elmendorf Farm Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, involved with horse racing since the 19th century. Once the North Elkhorn Farm, many owners and tenants have occupied the area, even during the American Civil War. M ...

Fayette County, Kentucky Fayette County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky and is consolidated with the city of Lexington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 322,570, making it the second-most populous county in the common ...

, Bolingbroke was a son of Equipoise, a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee and six-time U.S. National Champion, including twice as Horse of the Year. Bolingbroke’s dam was Wayabout, also owned by Joseph Widener. Wayout’s other notable progeny in racing was Whiffenpoof, a gelded foal of 1946. Their

damsire Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...

was

Fair Play Fair play or Fairplay usually refers to sportsmanship. Fair play or Fairplay may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Fair Play'' (1925 film), an American silent film * ''Fair Play'', a 1972 TV movie starring Paul Ford * ''Fair Play'' (20 ...

, another successful runner and outstanding stallion that was a three-time

Leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading Father, sire of Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to Stallio ...

(1920, 1924, 1927) and also as the

Leading broodmare sire in North America The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of broodmares in North America for each year since 1924. This is determined by the amount of prize money won during the year by racehorses which were foaled by a daughter of the sire. The most f ...

(1931, 1934, 1938). Fair Play too was voted a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame member as part of the 1956 class of inductees.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1937 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters Thoroughbred family 1-m