Forego (April 30, 1970 – August 27, 1997) was an American

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 ...

that won eight Eclipse Awards including Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse and Champion Sprinter.

Background

Foaled at

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. ...

Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. Paris is the seat of its county and forms part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As ...

, he was owned and bred by Mrs. Martha Farish Gerry's Lazy F Ranch. Over the years, Forego had four trainers; Sherrill W. Ward, Eddie Hayward, and eventually Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. and his son David A. Whiteley. He had two main jockeys: Hall of Fame rider Bill Shoemaker and

Heliodoro Gustines Heliodoro Gustines (born 1940 in Panama City, Panama) is a retired Panamanian-born jockey and horse trainer. In 1967, ''Time'' magazine called him "the best grass-course rider in the United States". Gustines is best known as a jockey of U.S. Rac ...

Racing career

In 1973, Forego was fourth behind Secretariat in a

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 ...

that was run in record time (1:59 2/5). Eddie Hayward, assistant trainer to Sherrill Ward, took over when Ward was ill and is officially listed as Forego's trainer in his wins in his final two races of 1973: the Roamer and Discovery Handicaps. During the 1973 season, Forego had 18 starts for 9 wins, 3 seconds and 3 thirds for $188,909 in earnings.National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
Retrieved 2011-1-1 Forego started 1974 in Florida with wins in the Donn Handicap, Gulfstream Park Handicap and Widener Handicap. Moving back to his home base in New York, he next won the Carter Handicap and Brooklyn Handicap, while placing in the Metropolitan Handicap and

Suburban Handicap The Suburban Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is now run at the mile distance on dirt for a $700,000 purse. Named after the City and Su ...

. He started the fall campaign with a loss in the Marlboro Cup, then went on to win the Woodward Stakes,

Vosburgh Handicap The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender. A Grade II sprint race, it is ra ...

and Jockey Club Gold Cup. In the Vosburgh, he carried 131 pounds to victory, the first of 13 races in which he carried 130 pounds or more. He won three Eclipse Awards that year: Champion Sprinter, Champion Older Horse and 1974 Horse of the Year. At the age of five years, he placed in all but one start. He won the Seminole and Widener Handicaps in Florida, took the Carter Handicap carrying , set a track record with in the Brooklyn Handicap, and won the 1½ mile

carrying . As a six-year-old, Forego won the 1976 Marlboro Cup (carrying 137 pounds) at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Raci ...

. After contending for the lead, he faded to eighth of 11 horses on the backstretch, with Honest Pleasure holding the lead most of the way. Entering the stretch, Forego appeared to be too far behind, but he made up ground in the closing strides and just edged out Honest Pleasure. He also won the Brooklyn Handicap, Metropolitan Handicap and Woodward Stakes to become the leader in stakes earnings for a second time. As a seven-year-old, Forego won the Metropolitan Handicap again and his fourth consecutive Woodward Stakes. He also was named Champion Handicapper for the fourth time. He raced twice as an eight-year-old before chronic

fetlock Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ). Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ...

problems finished his racing career.

Summary

His versatility was clearly demonstrated with wins from 7 furlongs (1,400 meters) to the 2 mile (3,200 m.) Jockey Club Gold Cup. Owing to his wins, he was frequently handicapped to carry more than , and even so often won. In 57 starts, Forego had 34 wins, 9 seconds and 7 thirds. He registered 24 stakes victories including 14 Grade 1 wins.Racing future: "Gerry, owner of Forego, dies"
Retrieved 2010-7-21 His lifetime earnings amounted to $1,938,957.

Honours

Forego won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Sprint Horse in 1974, and

Eclipse Award for Outstanding 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 o ...

for four years in a row: 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. He was voted the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year for three years in a row: 1974, 1975 and 1976. He 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 ...

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, in 1979. In the list of the Top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine, Forego ranks 8th.

Retirement

Forego moved to the Kentucky Horse Park in 1979, the year after his last race. He lived there for the rest of his life until his death in 1997. At 27 years of age, Forego broke his near (left) hind leg in a paddock accident and was

euthanized Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditio ...

Pedigree

References

External links

Memorial to Forego from the Kentucky Horse Park

Forego's page in the Hall of Fame, video of his 1974 Vosburgh win

* ''Champions, The Lives and Times and Past Performances of the 20th Century's Greatest Thoroughbreds'', by The

Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of raceho ...

. {{Authority control 1970 racehorse births 1997 racehorse deaths Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Racehorses bred in Kentucky United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 9-f