{{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Gallant Bloom , image = , caption = , sire =

Gallant Man Gallant Man (March 20, 1954 – September 7, 1988) was a thoroughbred racehorse, named for a horse in a Don Ameche movie. His exact foaling date was unknown or at best debated over the years of his life and many years after. The supporting e ...

, grandsire =

Migoli Migoli (May 8, 1944 – July 11, 1963) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse bred and raced by the Aga Khan III. Trained in England by Frank Butters, Migoli's win in the 1948 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France was the first ...

, dam = Multiflora , damsire = Beau Max , sex =

Filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

, foaled = May 22, 1966 , country = United States , colour =

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

, breeder =

King Ranch King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some it is larger than the area of the European country Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the racehorse Assault (horse), Assault, who won the United States Tri ...

, owner = Robert J. Kleberg Jr. , trainer =

Max Hirsch Maximilian Justice "Max" Hirsch (July 12, 1880 - April 3, 1969) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born in Fredericksburg, Texas, and raised Roman Catholic, Hirsch became one of the most successful trainers in Thorough ...

Buddy Hirsch (1969, 1970) , record = 22 Starts: 16-1-1 , earnings= $535,739 , race = Gardenia Stakes (1968)
Matron Stakes (1968)

National Stallion Stakes (filly division) The National Stallion Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies held annually for the twenty-four years between 1948 through 1971. It was created as a counterpart to the National Stallion Stakes which was first run i ...

(1968)

Matchmaker Stakes The Matchmaker Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older run over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. History The inau ...

(1969)

Delaware Oaks The Delaware Oaks Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid July at Delaware Park Racetrack in Stanton near Wilmington, Delaware. Part of the Del Cap Festival Weekend that features other races over the two days including ...

(1969)

Gazelle Stakes The Gazelle Stakes (formerly Gazelle Handicap until 2004) is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It is a Graded stakes race, Grade III event run over a distance of miles on dirt that is ...

(1969)

Spinster Stakes The Spinster Stakes (also known as the "Juddmonte Spinster" with Juddmonte Farms sponsorship) is an American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three or up run annually in early October at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentuc ...

(1969)

Monmouth Oaks The Monmouth Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey for three-year-old fillies. Named for England's Epsom Oaks, first run in 1779, the inaugural American edition took place in 1 ...

(1969)
Post-Deb Stakes (1969)
Liberty Belle Handicap (1969)

Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap The Santa Margarita Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California for fillies and mares age four and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one and one-eighths mil ...

(1970)

Santa Maria Handicap The Santa Maria Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late May at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A race for fillies and mares age four and older, it is contested on Pro-Ride synthetic dirt over a di ...

(1970) , awards = DRF American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly (1968)

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

(1969)
DRF American Champion Female Handicap Horse (1969) , honours = U.S. Racing Hall of Fame (1977)
#79 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
Gallant Bloom Handicap at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

, updated= Gallant Bloom (foaled May 22, 1966 – June 7, 1991) was a plain brown

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

sired by the great

, also a plain brown horse. She was small and possessed a gentle temperament. And yet she regularly beat the best fillies and mares in

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. She defeated both

Shuvee Shuvee (January 22, 1966 – April 1, 1986) was an American Thoroughbred Champion Hall of Fame racehorse. Background Shuvee was a chestnut mare bred in Virginia by Whitney A. Stone. She was sired by 1955 Horse of the Year Nashua out of the 1956 ...

and

Gamely Gamely (February 10, 1964 – 1975) was an American Thoroughbred race horse who was voted the champion filly of her age group on three occasions. Background Gamely was bred and born at Claiborne Farm outside Paris, Kentucky. Her dam was the sta ...

Racing career

In her two-year-old season, Gallant Bloom won her first two starts but then lost the next three by large margins. She seemed to find her footing in an

allowance 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 ...

and followed that by taking the Matron Stakes by a romp. In her first meeting with Shuvee, Gallant Bloom blew a three-length lead and was caught at the wire.

believed Gallant Bloom hadn't really lost to Shuvee; she beat herself. He put her into rigorous training. After that, Gallant Bloom won twelve stakes races in a row, beginning in 1968 at age two and ending in 1970. She beat Shuvee in the Gardenia and was voted two-year-old champion filly by ''

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 rac ...

''. The rival Thoroughbred Racing Association and ''Turf & Sports Digest'' awards were won by

Process Shot Process Shot (foaled 1966 in Florida) was an American Eclipse Award, Champion horse racing, racemare. Owned and bred by Elberon Farm, she descended from her sire Restless Wind out of a Determine mare named Possessed. Process Shot is probably best ...

. In 1969, Shuvee seemed likely to win Three-Year-Old-Filly honors. She had won everything from the

Alabama Stakes The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, i ...

to the

Ladies Handicap The Ladies Stakes is a historic American Thoroughbred horse race for Fillies and Mares four years of age and older held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Inaugurated at the Jerome Park Racetrack in 1868, it is the oldest stakes ...

, defeating top older mares. She became the second winner of the Triple Crown for Fillies. But at the same time, Gallant Bloom won every race she ran, at any distance, on any surface at eight race tracks, in the process defeating Shuvee three times (the Gardenia, the

, and the

Gazelle Handicap The Gazelle Stakes (formerly Gazelle Handicap until 2004) is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It is a Grade III event run over a distance of miles on dirt that is open to three-year ...

), and Gamely once in the

. For this, Gallant Bloom was awarded the top Three-Year-Old Filly even though Shuvee had seemed the out-and-out winner early in the season. That year, Shuvee did not receive a single vote; it was a Gallant Bloom rout. Gallant Bloom also won the ''Daily Racing Form'' award for Champion Female Handicap Horse. Max Hirsch died on April 3, 1969, at the age of 88. His son, Buddy Hirsch, took over the stable. Buddy sent Gallant Bloom to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where she won top stakes at the age of four. But returning to race at tracks in the U.S. Northeast, she finally lost in the

Nassau County Handicap The Nassau County Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, Nassau County, New York. A Grade III event, it is open to three-year-old fillies willing to run the distance of seven furlongs on dirt. The ...

. It was discovered she was developing a chip in her ankle, which put an end to her racing career.

Breeding record

As a brood mare, Gallant Bloom puzzled veterinarians. She produced four foals, aborted one, and then became barren no matter what was tried. She had one last foal late in her life but nothing that came close to her. Gallant Bloom lay down in her paddock at King Ranch,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, and died in 1991. She was twenty five years old. She is buried at Old Frankfort Place in

Midway, Kentucky Midway is a Home rule, home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, Woodford County, Kentucky, in the United States. Its population was 1,741 at the time of the year 2020 U.S. census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan St ...

External links

Gallant Bloom’s pedigree

Gallant Bloom in the Hall of Fame
1966 racehorse births 1991 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 4-d American Champion racehorses United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees