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
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
...
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
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
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
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 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.
Regret
Regret is the emotion of wishing one had made a different decision in the past, because the consequences of the decision one did make were unfavorable.
Regret is related to perceived opportunity. Its intensity varies over time after the decisi ...
-- (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.
Imp
IMP or imp may refer to:
* Imp, a fantasy creature
Arts and entertainment
Music
* IMP (band) a Japanese boy band
Fictional characters
* Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power''
* Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The L ...
-- (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 photoGallorette 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