Flying Heels (1927–1940) was an American

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 that won

stakes 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 ...

s at age two through six, including a number which are Grade I events today. Bred and raced by Gifford A. Cochran, he was sired by the 1925

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

winner,

Flying Ebony Flying Ebony (1922–1943) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1925 Kentucky Derby. Background Flying Ebony was a dark bay or brown horse bred by John E. Madden, who had already bred four Kentucky Derby winner ...

and out of the

racemare 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 ...

Heeltaps. Flying Heels was trained for Gifford Cochran by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Henry McDaniel. However, Cochran died on December 5, 1930 and at a May 23, 1931

Fasig-Tipton The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an American auction house for Thoroughbred horses. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Elkton, Maryland, and Saratoga ...

dispersal sale Flying Heels was sold by his Estate to John J. Curtis who turned his training over to the very capable Simon Healy.

At stud

Retired at the end of the 1933 racing season having won seventeen times with earnings of $123,435, Flying Heels was sent to stand at stud at Timberlawn Stock Farm in

Bourbon County, Kentucky Bourbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,252. Its county seat is Paris. Bourbon County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is one of Ken ...

, owned by Edwin K. Thomas. Horses from his first crop foaled in 1935 which began racing in 1937 included nine who were race winners with Spindletop, Shining Heels and Flying Wild winning

stakes races A stake is a large wooden or metal implement designed to be driven into the ground and may refer to: Tools * Archer's stake, a defensive stake carried by medieval longbowmen * Survey stakes, markers used by surveyors * Sudis (stake) (Latin for " ...

. From his second crop in 1936, his daughter Flying Lill would further enhance Flying Heels' reputation as a sire. Racing at age three in 1939 for owners Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Cleary, among her wins that year Flying Lill captured the prestigious

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 ...

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

in May and the Matron Stakes in July at

Arlington Park Arlington Park (formerly known as Arlington International Racecourse) is a former horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Once called the ''Arlington Park Jockey Club'', it was located adjacent to the Illinois Rou ...

. Flying Lill followed that up with another Arlington Park win in the July 19th Springfield Handicap that marked her eighth win out of ten starts for the year. Although Flying Heels was the sire of a number of other winners, none met with his own success or that of Flying Lill. Flying Heels died on May 8, 1940, in a nighttime barn fire at Timberlawn Stock Farm.

Pedigree

Flying Heels is

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders an ...

4S × 4D to the stallion

Watercress Watercress or yellowcress (''Nasturtium officinale'') is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. Watercress is a rapidly growing perennial plant native to Eurasia. It is one of the oldest known leaf vegetabl ...

, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree. Flying Heels is inbred 4D × 4D to the stallion

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. 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 called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...

, meaning that he appears twice fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Flying Heels' pedigree
1927 racehorse births 1940 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United States Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family A4