Chief's Crown (April 7, 1982 – April 29, 1997) was an American-bred

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 ...

race horse who won the 1984 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse. He later became a successful sire.

Background

Chief's Crown was a son of leading sire Danzig and Six Crowns, who was by Secretariat and out of the 1974 U.S. Filly Triple Crown winner

Chris Evert Christine Marie Evert (born December 21, 1954), known as Chris Evert Lloyd from 1979 to 1987, is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. Evert won 18 major singles titles, including a record seven French Open titles and a joint-record s ...

.TesioPower 2000, Stallions of the World He was owned by the Star Crown Stable of the family of the late Carl Rosen, who had owned Chris Evert. They syndicated a half-interest in Chief's Crown to Three Chimneys Farm prior to his

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

victory plus another quarter-interest to

Claiborne Farm Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred horse breeding operation near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Stud in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since. ...

on his retirement.

Racing career

Chief's Crown is the only horse in history to lose all three U.S. Triple Crown races while being the betting favorite for each race. He finished 3rd to Spend A Buck in the

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-yea ...

, then in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs ...

set a record for the fastest first mile but finished a head behind

Tank's Prospect Tank's Prospect (May 2, 1982 – March 2, 1995) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the Preakness Stakes. Background Bred by Edward A. Seltzer, he was purchased for $625, ...

. In the Belmont Stakes, Chief's Crown finished 3rd to Creme Fraiche. He came back later that year to win the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds acco ...

and the Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap.

Stud career

At the end of the 1985 racing season, Chief's Crown was retired to stand at stud at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, where he died in 1997. He served two seasons in Australia in the 1990s, where he sired 93 foals, including 11 stakes winners with 20 stakes wins. Among his progeny were the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The ...

colt,

Chief Bearhart Chief Bearhart (February 1, 1993 – September 18, 2012) was a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A turf specialist, he won six Sovereign Awards and was voted American Champion Male Turf Horse for 1997. Background Chief Bearheart was b ...

and the 1994

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey ...

winner

Erhaab Erhaab (24 May 1991 – 22 November 2021) was a Thoroughbred race horse and sire, bred in the United States but trained in the United Kingdom. He is best known as the winner of the 1994 Epsom Derby. In 2011 he was moved from the Wood Farm St ...

. He is also the grandsire of Sinndar, who in 2000 became the only horse to ever win The Derby, Irish Derby Stakes, and

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racec ...

in the same year.

Pedigree

References

{{Authority control 1982 racehorse births 1997 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Breeders' Cup Juvenile winners Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 23-b Chefs-de-Race