Eight Thirty (March 27, 1936 – April 7, 1965) was an American Hall of Fame

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 ...

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 ...

. He was owned by

George D. Widener, Jr. George Dunton Widener Jr. (March 11, 1889 - December 8, 1971) was an American businessman and thoroughbred racehorse owner; one of only five people ever designated "Exemplars of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Early l ...

and bred by his Erdenheim Farm. Widener is one of only five people ever named an Exemplar of Racing. Eight Thirty was a descendant of Fair Play, who had been purchased from the estate of August Belmont, Jr. by Widener's uncle, Joseph E. Widener. Racing at age two in 1938, Eight Thirty won two important

graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is the ...

s but was overshadowed by William Ziegler Jr.'s Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt El Chico. In 1939, Eight Thirty started his three-year-old racing season slowly and did not enter any of the

American Classic Races In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three ...

. However, competing in the East Coast racing scene along with greats such as Johnstown and

Challedon Challedon (1936–1958) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Maryland by William L. Brann and Robert S. Castle, he raced under the colors of their Branncastle Farm. Two-year-old-season Racing at age two, Challe ...

, in one month alone, Eight Thirty won four straight important stakes races. He ended his season with seven wins out of his ten starts. Racing at age four and five, he won six of ten starts while setting a track record in his win in the 1940

Massachusetts Handicap The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", was a flat thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was an ungraded stakes race run o ...

. Retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...

duty at his owner's breeding farm, Eight Thirty proved to be a successful

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 ...

. He sired 44 stakes winners and was the damsire of 1962 Belmont Stakes winner

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known as ...

. Eight Thirty died on April 7, 1965. Eight Thirty was inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

in 1994.

Pedigree

{{Pedigree , name = Eight Thirty, chestnut colt, 1936 , f = Pilate , m = Dinner Time , ff = Friar Rock , fm = Herodias , mf = High Time , mm = Seaplane , fff =

Rock Sand Rock Sand (1900–1914) was a British Thoroughbred race horse and sire. In a career which lasted from the spring of 1902 until October 1904 he ran twenty times and won sixteen races. He was a leading British two-year-old of his generation, ...

, ffm = Fairy Gold , fmf =

The Tetrarch The Tetrarch (1911–1935) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was undefeated in a racing career of seven starts and was voted the best British-trained two-year-old of the 20th century according to the National Horse ...

, fmm = Honora , mff = Ultimus , mfm = Noonday , mmf =

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and t ...

, mmm = Bathing Girl , ffff = Sainfoin , fffm = Roquebrune , ffmf =

Bend Or Bend Or (1877–1903) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1880 Epsom Derby. His regular jockey Fred Archer, winner of thirteen consecutive British jockey titles, said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden. N ...

, ffmm = Dame Masham , fmff = Roi Herode , fmfm = Vahren , fmmf = Gallinule , fmmm = Word of Honour , mfff =

Commando 40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations forc ...

, mffm = Running Stream , mfmf =

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...

, mfmm = Sundown , mmff = Fair Play , mmfm =

Mahubah Mahubah (1910–1931) was an American bred Thoroughbred racemare that was noted for producing the outstanding racehorse, Man o' War. Pedigree She was a bay mare that was foaled in Kentucky and was owned and bred by August Belmont, Jr. Mahub ...

, mmmf =

Spearmint Spearmint, also known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint and mackerel mint, is a species of mint, ''Mentha spicata'' (, native to Europe and southern temperate Asia, extending from Ireland in the west to southern China in the east. It is nat ...

, mmmm = Summer Girl (family: 11-g)

References

Eight Thirty's pedigree and racing stats

Fair Play at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
1936 racehorse births 1965 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Widener family Thoroughbred family 11-g Chefs-de-Race