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Gallorette (1942–1959) was a
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
-bred
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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 ...
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 ...
who became a
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race horse ''Race Horse'' was an 1850 clipper barque. She set a record of 109 days from New York to San Francisco during the first Clipper Race around the Horn. Construction ''Race Horse'' was similar to a barque built by Samuel Hall a few years earlier, ...
. Sired by Challenger II, out of Gallette, Gallorette's damsire was Sir Gallahad III.


Breeding

Trainer
Preston M. Burch Preston Morris Burch (August 25, 1884 – April 8, 1978) was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer, racehorse trainer, horse breeding, breeder, and owner Biography Family background Born ...
bought Gallette because of her highly successful sire, Sir Gallahad III. Because of her sire, the advertising executive William L. Brann, who co-owned a stallion called Challenger II, entered into an agreement with Burch that they would send Gallette to his stallion (who had sired Preakness winner
Challedon Challedon (1936–1958) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Maryland by William L. Brann and Robert S. Castle, he raced under the colors of their Branncastle Farm. Two-year-old-season Racing at age two, Chall ...
) and then each would own her foals, first one for Brann and then one for Burch and so on. Gallette's first foal, Gallorette, went to Brann.


Two-year-old season

Brann sent the young horse to the trainer
Edward A. Christmas Edward Addicks Christmas (October 10, 1903 - October 17, 1969) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. Born in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, he is best known for training U. S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Challedon in 1942, and Galloret ...
, a member of a noted family of
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
horsemen. Gallorette grew into a big, rangy filly. Too gawky to start too young, she didn't make her first start until late in her second year. For her two-year-old season, beginning in September, she started in 8 races and won three. She was never out of the money.


Three-year-old season

As a three-year-old in 1945, she stood 16 hands 1 inch. Her first race was a victory over
Hoop Jr. Hoop Jr. (March 15, 1942 – November 19, 1964) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1945 Kentucky Derby. Background Hoop Jr. was a bay horse sired by the French-bred stallion Sir Gallahad, a full brother to Bul ...
, the colt that went on to win that year's
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 ...
. She then took on the colts again 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 ...
, coming in second to Jeep. "The Great Ones," a
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 ...
book, says of her: "She was a big mare; as big as most of the colts she raced against, tougher than some of them, faster than almost all of them." Gallorette was running when races for fillies beyond the age of three were limited, and as a result, most of her important races were against male horses. In truth, there were races to run in, but being for females, they carried much smaller purses. (The first $100,000 race for fillies and mares only was the New Castle Handicap (the forerunner of the
Delaware Handicap The Delaware Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Delaware Park Racetrack in Wilmington, Delaware. The Grade III race is open to fillies and mares, age three and up, willing to race one mile and one eighth on the dirt. ...
), inaugurated long after Gallorette had retired.) Against females, she took the
Acorn Stakes The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile and a sixteenth with a current purse of $500,000. It is the first leg of the ...
, the
Pimlico Oaks {{Short description, Former horse race held at Pimlico Race Course in Maryland, US The Pimlico Oaks was a listed Thoroughbred horse race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most po ...
, and the
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 ...
. Back to racing colts, she carried the same weight and competed in the
Dwyer Stakes The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade III stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over ...
, losing by a nose to Wildlife. She won the
Empire City Handicap The Empire City Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race inaugurated on October 22, 1900, as part of the opening day racecard at Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, New York. Sometimes referred in newspaper reports as the Empire City Stakes ...
, beating 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 ...
winner, Pavot. Gallorette then lost six races in a row.


Four-year-old season

In her four-year-old season, she started out slowly before turning in improved performances. She took the
Metropolitan Handicap The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile", is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile (8 furl ...
from Sirde and First Fiddle, won the Nimba Handicap, but was then assigned very high weights. In the
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 ...
, she was up against the brilliant Stymie. Both of them followed the pace for an entire mile and made their moves at the same time, Stymie coming from a bit further back. At one point Stymie got his head in front, but Gallorette fought back and won. The rest of the year, she won or was in the money in the Bay Shore Handicap, the
Beldame Stakes The Beldame Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960. The race is held annually near the beginning of October at Belmont Park and curr ...
, the Butler Stakes, the Wilson Stakes, the Edgemere Handicap, the
Sysonby Sysonby (1902–1906) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won every start easily, except one, at distances from one mile to two and a quarter miles. His superiority as a two and three-year-old was unchallenged during his short career of 1 ...
Purse, and the Mass Cap. She won the
Queens County Handicap The Queens County Handicap is an American Ungraded Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of December at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Open to horses age three years and older, it is contested on dirt at a distance o ...
when she was five in 1947.


Later years

In 1948, six-year-old Gallorette won 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 ...
, the
Whitney Stakes The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses four years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...
and the
Wilson Stakes The Wilson Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run from 1930 through 1958. Inaugurated as the Wilson Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, it was named in honor of the late Richard Thornton Wilson Jr., a pr ...
. She had already won the Wilson Stakes in 1947 but came back to win the August 3, 1948 race in a track record time of 1:35 2/5. On September 1, 1948, Gallorette was sold to Mrs. Marie A. Moore of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. The selling price was variously reported between $125,000 and $150,000. During her five years of racing—between 1944 and 1948— Gallorette won or placed in 54 of her 72 starts. She competed against future Hall of Famers
Armed Armed (May, 1941–1964) was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse who was the American Horse of the Year in 1947 and Champion Older Male Horse in both 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in ...
and Stymie, as well as U.S. Triple Crown champion
Assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...
.
Blood-Horse magazine ''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 ...
describes the years during which Gallorette ran as one of the deepest handicap divisions ever seen in
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thoroughbred racing


Honors

Gallorette was voted Eclipse Award, Champion female horse for 1946. In a poll among members of the American Trainers Association, conducted in 1955 by
Delaware Park Racetrack Delaware Park (also known as ''DelPark'') is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track, casino, and golf course in Stanton, Delaware. It is located just outside the city of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington, and about 30 miles from Philadelphia ...
, she was voted the greatest filly in American racing history. In 1962, she 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 ...
, where her portrait by
Richard Stone Reeves Richard Stone Reeves (November 6, 1919 – October 7, 2005) was an American equine painter whom ''Blood-Horse magazine'' described as perhaps the greatest modern-day horse painter. Born in New York City, Reeves grew up in Garden City on Long Isl ...
is part of the museum's collection. In ''
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 ...
'' ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Gallorette is ranked #45. She is ranked as the third highest female horse in the century. The highest ranked female, at #35, is Ruffian.
Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of O ...
named a
Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...
in her honor. The
Gallorette Handicap The Gallorette Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older over a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on the turf, run annually on Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The ...
is run annually on the same card as 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 ...
.


The Complete ATA Poll

* 1. Gallorette -- (1942) -- 72:21-20-13 --- $445,000 * 2.
Twilight Tear Twilight Tear (1941–1954) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. At age two, she won four of her six starts, finishing second and third in her other two starts. Her performances earned her the title of 2-year-old filly honors in ...
-- (1941) -- 24:18-2-2 --- $202,165 * 3.
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-- (1912) -- 11:9-1-0 --- $35,093 * 4. Top Flight -- (1929) -- 16:12-0-0 --- $275,900 * 5.
Miss Woodford Miss Woodford (1880–1899) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was one of the top American fillies of all time, winning 16 consecutive races. Background Miss Woodford was bred in Kentucky by the Runnymede Farm#Ezekie ...
-- (1880) -- 48:37-7-2 --- $118,270 * 6. Busher -- (1942) -- 21:15-3-1 --- $334,035 * 7.
Beldame Beldame (1901–1924) was an American racehorse and broodmare. Background The chestnut filly was foaled near Lexington, Kentucky, in 1901. She was by Octagon, out of the English-bred Bella Donna (by The Derby winner Hermit). Named Beldame, sh ...
-- (1901) -- 31:17-6-4 --- $102,570 * 8.
Princess Doreen Princess Doreen (1921–1952) was a Thoroughbred racehorse best known for being the top American female money-winner. After showing promising form as a two-year-old she improved to be the best female racehorse of her generation for the next three ...
-- (1921) -- 94:34-15-17 --- $174,745 * 9.
Bewitch Bewitch (1945–1959) was a Thoroughbred race horse born in 1945 at Calumet Farm, Kentucky, United States in the same crop in which the stallion Bull Lea produced Citation and Coaltown. Each of them was eventually inaugurated into the Thoroughb ...
- - (1945) -- 55:20-10-11 --- $462,605* * 10.
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-- (1894) -- 171:62-35-29 --- $70,119 *surpassed Gallorette's earnings


Broodmare

Gallorette retired after the 1948 season as the all-time leading money winner among females. Although not one of the great broodmares, she did produce two stakes-winning
fillies 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, th ...
, and among her descendants are the U.S. Horses of the Year
Saint Liam Saint Liam (April 13, 2000 – August 22, 2006) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who was voted 2005 Eclipse Award Horse of the Year honors after winning the Donn Handicap, Stephen Foster, Woodward Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic. He died ...
and
Gun Runner (horse) Gun Runner (foaled March 8, 2013) is a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, US Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2017 American Horse of the Year after winning four Graded stakes race, Grade I races at age four. He retired wi ...
. Gallorette died at the age of 17 at Moore's Virginia farm in 1959. In her career, she earned $445,535. Eddie "Cocky" Simms, who broke Gallorette and worked with her for her trainer Ed Christmas, told Blood-Horse, "She's not only the greatest mare, but the greatest Maryland-bred of any sex...She had a long, tough, career as a race mare, but if the jocks would have ridden her as instructed, she would have won a million instead of half a million."


References

{{Reflist
Gallorette's pedigree, with photo

Gallorette in the Hall of Fame


1942 racehorse births 1959 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Maryland Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 17-b