Gallant Fox
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Gallant Fox (March 23, 1927 – November 13, 1954) was a champion 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 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 ...
who is the second winner of the American Triple Crown. In a racing career which lasted from 1929 to 1930, Gallant Fox won 11 of his 17 races including the three Triple Crown races. The term "Triple Crown" was not commonly used at the time but was employed by ''
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'' to describe the colt's achievements.


Background

Gallant Fox was a bay colt with a white blaze, was 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. ...
in
Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and the county seat. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. It is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2020, it ha ...
, and was one of many leading American racehorses sired by the French-bred stallion Sir Gallahad III. His dam was the mare Marguerite, who also produced Gallant Fox's full brother Fighting Fox, whose wins included the Grand Union Hotel Stakes, the
Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memor ...
, and the
Carter Handicap The Carter Handicap is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of seven furlongs run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack. Race history First run in 1895, the race was named fo ...
. Owned by the Belair Stud of Collington, Maryland, Gallant Fox was trained by "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons and ridden in his major victories by Earl Sande. Early in his career, Gallant Fox was known for being distracted at times, supposedly being late out of the gate in his maiden race due to an airplane flying overhead. Gallant Fox also would become reluctant to run unless there was at least one other horse accompanying him. To help work him out, Fitzsimmons would have other horses placed around the track ahead of Gallant Fox, so he would chase after them.


Racing career

In 1929, Gallant Fox won twice, taking the Flash Stakes and the Cowdin Stakes, but in his biggest test he finished third to
Harry Payne Whitney Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeding, horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family. Early years Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as ...
's Whichone in the
Belmont Futurity Stakes The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-September or October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, United States. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on turf ...
. The colt was regarded as a major contender for 1930's major three-year-old races and confirmed his status with a win in the
Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memor ...
, beating Crack Brigade by four lengths at Jamaica Race Course in April. In May, Gallant Fox started as the favorite for the
Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...
, that year the first of the "Triple Crown" races. Ridden by Earl Sande, he took the lead early in the straight and held the late challenge of Crack Brigade by three quarters of a length. The win was enthusiastically received with the popular Sande smiling and raising his whip to the crowd. The
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 ...
, two weeks later, attracted a crowd of 50,000 despite heavy rain at Louisville, and Gallant Fox started favorite. He broke slowly but took the lead on the backstretch from the
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 ...
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before winning by two lengths from Gallant Knight, completing the course in 2:07 3/5 on a muddy track. Sande won the race for a record third time, following victories on Zev and Flying Ebony. By this time, Gallant Fox was becoming known as "the red-headed-horse" because of the bright red hood he wore in his races, and was also called "The Fox of Belair" or simply "The Fox." At Belmont Park three weeks later, he won the
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 ...
from Whichone, who had missed the Derby but won the
Withers Stakes The Withers Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The event currently carries a purse of $2 ...
and had been favored to win by many "experts". Before the end of June, Gallant Fox added a win in the Dwyer Stakes at odds of 1/10, although the lack of effective opposition (Whichone missed the race through injury) made the victory a "hollow" one. By July, Gallant Fox was being described as a "super horse" and about 60,000 were in attendance 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 ...
near
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when he won the Arlington Classic by a neck from Gallant Knight with the top weight of 126 pounds. Gallant Fox and Whichone met again in August in the
Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Midsummer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds accor ...
at Saratoga, but in a huge upset, they finished second and third to 100/1 outsider Jim Dandy, who appeared ideally suited for the muddy track and won by three lengths. Fitzsimmons blamed the state of the ground for the colt's defeat and claimed that he had only run on the insistence of his owner. In the Lawrence Realization Stakes at Belmont Park in September, Gallant Fox, by then generally acknowledged as the champion of the year, defeated
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by a nose. His win took his earnings to $317,865, surpassing the world record held since 1923 by Zev. By the end of a season, Gallant Fox had increased his earnings to $328,165, although the record lasted only a year before it was beaten by Sun Beau. In October, after wins against older horses in the Saratoga Cup and the
Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race, held at the Saratoga Race Course in the United States, that is open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fal ...
, it was announced that Gallant Fox would be retired to stud. At the end of the year, he was described as "easily the outstanding Thoroughbred" of 1930. Although at the time there was no organized "Horse of the Year" award, ''
The Blood-Horse ''The Blood-Horse'' (also referred to simply as ''Blood-Horse'' and displayed on its nameplate in upright all-capital letters without hyphenation as BLOODHORSE) is a news magazine that originated in 1916 as a monthly bulletin of the Thoroughbred ...
'' retrospective named Gallant Fox as the 1930 American Horse of the Year. The most respected Thoroughbred racing magazine in North America and now owned by The Jockey Club, ''The Blood-Horse'' commissioned an exhaustive review covering the period 1887 through 1935 to provide their list of national Champions that is used by 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 horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...
and Churchill Downs, Inc., among others.''The Bloodhorse.com'' Champion's history charts


Race record


Stud career

Gallant Fox was retired to stud after the 1930 racing season and had a twenty-two year breeding career. Among his progeny were 1935 Triple Crown winner
Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
and Granville, the 1936 Horse of the Year. He also sired Omaha's full brother
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, who in 1938 became only the second American-bred to ever win England's
Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4 ...
. Gallant Fox was the first US Triple Crown winner to sire a second-generation Triple Crown champion when his son Omaha won the U.S. Triple Crown in 1935. Fifty-eight years later, in 1993,
Affirmed Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known ...
became the second when his son, Peteski, won the Canadian Triple Crown. Gallant Fox died on November 13, 1954, and was buried at Claiborne Farm. His epitaph famously reads, "He swept like a meteor across the racing sky of 1930." In 1957, 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 horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...
.
Blood-Horse ''The Blood-Horse'' (also referred to simply as ''Blood-Horse'' and displayed on its nameplate (publishing), nameplate in upright all-capital letters without hyphenation as BLOODHORSE) is a news magazine that originated in 1916 as a monthly bulle ...
magazine's ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century listed Gallant Fox at #28.


Pedigree


References

{{American Horse of the Year winners 1927 racehorse births 1954 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Kentucky Derby winners Preakness Stakes winners Belmont Stakes winners American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winners Thoroughbred family 4-n