Friar Rock (1913 – January 8, 1928) was a Champion
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
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
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...
. His most important win came in the 1916 Belmont Stakes.
Background
Owned and raced by the prominent
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...
. A
chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Description
...
Man o' War Man o' War was a thoroughbred racehorse considered an all-time great.
Man o' War (or capitalization variations thereof) may also refer to:
Animals
* Portuguese man o' war, a floating marine animal found in the Atlantic that resembles a jellyfish ...
. Friar Rock was sired by
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 an ...
, the 1903 English Triple Crown champion purchased by August Belmont Jr. from Sir James Miller and brought to the United States. Friar Rock was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee
Sam Hildreth
Samuel Clay Hildreth (May 16, 1866 – September 24, 1929) was an American Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame horse trainer, trainer and owner.Adirondack and Whirl Stakes. That year, he won five of his twelve races.https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/05/31/119031605.pdf At age three, he was the dominant horse in American racing. After winning the important
Brooklyn Handicap
The Brooklyn Stakes (formerly known as the Brooklyn Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to four-year-olds and up willing to race one and ...
,
Suburban Handicap
The Suburban Stakes (also known Suburban Handicap) 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 $350,000 pu ...
,
Saratoga Cup
The Saratoga Cup was an American Thoroughbred horse race open to horses of either sex age three and older although geldings were not eligible from 1865 through 1918. Between 1865 and 1955 it was hosted by Saratoga Race Course, in Saratoga Springs, ...
, and
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...
, he would be selected United States' Horse of the Year. In the Suburban, Friar Rock was considered a longshot in the field of six. Carrying 99 pounds, he stalked the leaders before taking over in the stretch to win by two lengths over the imported Short Grass, who carried 117 pounds. Friar Rock became the third three-year-old ever to win the Suburban. (The first two were Africander in 1903 and Fitz Herbert in 1909.)
Retirement and stud
August Belmont Jr. sold Friar Rock shortly after winning the 1 miles Saratoga Cup. New owner
John E. Madden
John Edward Madden (December 28, 1856 – November 3, 1929) was a prominent United States, American Thoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexin ...
brought him to stand at stud at his Hamburg Place farm in Kentucky. Only a minor success as a sire of racers, Friar Rock did produce the noteworthy runner Pilate, who in turn was the sire of Eight Thirty. Pilate himself won 24 of his 44 starts. Friar Rock's other progeny included Rockminster (winner of the Pimlico Cup Handicap), Flat Iron (raced 107 times and won the Hawthorne Handicap), and Polydorus (won the Tremont Stakes). Friar Rock proved to be a good
broodmare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...
sire and on five occasions was in the top ten on the annual broodmare sires' list. One of his best-known daughters was
Friar's Carse
Friars' Carse is a mansion house and estate situated (NX 926 850) southeast of Auldgirth on the main road (A76) to Dumfries, Parish of Dunscore, Scotland. The property is located on the west bank of the River Nith and is known for its strong as ...
War Relic
War Relic (1938–1963) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse.
Background
A homebred of Samuel D. Riddle, his sire was Man o' War who was ranked #1 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. His dam ...
.
In 1918, Friar Rock was sold again and his new owners brought him to
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay A ...
, to stand at Rancho Wickiup, where he remained for the rest of his life. Diagnosed as suffering from
peritonitis
Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...
, Friar Rock died at age fifteen on January 8, 1928.
In 1918, Madden had sold a half interest in Friar Rock to John Rosseter. The deal included sending the horse to Rosseter in California until the end of the breeding season 1920. Then Madden was to keep Friar Rock in Kentucky for the seasons of 1921 and 1922. When the end of the season of 1920 came, Rosseter refused to send Friar Rock back to Kentucky. After Madden sued Rosseter, the horse was eventually delivered to him on May 23, 1921, in good condition.