General Quarters (foaled March 7, 2006 in

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 ...

) is an 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 was a contender for the 2009 U.S. Triple Crown. He was sired by Sky Mesa, winner of the 2002 Grade I

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...

, a son of the 1997

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is ru ...

winner,

Pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

. His dam is Ecology, a daughter of the 1995

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...

winner,

Unbridled's Song Unbridled's Song (February 18, 1993 – July 26, 2013) was an American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Florida Derby and Wood Memorial. He was the favorite for the 1996 Kentucky Derby but suffered a cr ...

. He was owned and trained by 75-year-old Tom McCarthy, a retired

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and

principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the head of a school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...

. On May 30, 2008, McCarthy claimed General Quarters, his only horse, for $20,000 out of a maiden race at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

Racing career

Two year old season:
General Quarters made seven starts as a two-year-old. He won a

maiden Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

claiming race In Thoroughbred racing, a claiming race is a type of horse race in which the horses are all for sale at a specified claiming price until shortly before the race. They were known as selling races until 1924 after which they were relabeled claiming ...

his first time out and was claimed by 75-year-old owner-trainer Tom McCarthy, a retired high school teacher and principal from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. After that, the colt showed limited promise until his last race of 2008 when he earned his best

stakes 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 ...

result with a second-place finish in the Inaugural Stakes at

Tampa Bay Downs Tampa Bay Downs is an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility located in Westchase in Hillsborough County in the U.S. state of Florida, just outside Tampa. It opened in 1926 under the name Tampa Downs, and has also been known as Sunshine ...

.
Three year old season:
On February 14, 2009, General Quarters won the

Sam F. Davis Stakes The Sam F. Davis 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 Tampa Bay Downs racetrack in Oldsmar, Florida. The event currently carries a ...

. At

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...

on April 11, the colt won the most important race of his career: the Grade I

. His win qualified him for the May 2

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 ...

, the first leg of the U.S. Triple Crown. Ridden by French jockey,

Julien Leparoux Julien R. Leparoux (born July 15, 1983 in Senlis, Oise, France) is a French Eclipse Award winning jockey currently racing in the United States. He has won seven Breeders' Cup races, including the 2015 Breeders' Cup Mile with Champion Turf Mare T ...

, he finished tenth. He was then entered into 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 ...

at Pimlico Downs, again with Leparoux aboard, and finished ninth. Following the race General Quarters underwent surgery to remove a bone chip, and returned to the races seven months later to finish second in an allowance race.
Four year old season:
On May 1, 2010, General Quarters won the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, beating Court Vision, before running third in the Stephen Foster Handicap and then unplaced in two starts at Arlington Park.

Five year old season

General Quarters started six times in 2011 without a win, though he did place second in the Grade II Kentucky Cup Stakes at Turfway. He was retired at the end of the year with a total record of 27 starts, four wins, nine seconds, and two thirds, and total winnings of $1,226,655.

Retirement

General Quarters began his stud career at HallMarc Stallions in Florida in 2012 before moving to Crestwood farm in Kentucky in 2014. He is the sire of blacktype earner Mia Torri, who ran second in the 2016 Grade III Charles Town Oaks, as well as General McGooby, who won the Not Surprising Stakes at Gulfstream in 2017. In November 2016, General Quarters was sold to Omer Aydin to continue his stud career in Turkey. Speaking of his purchase, Aydin said:

“I think this horse will work in Turkey because he won races both on the dirt and the turf, so we are hoping to benefit from him. The American horse has a big influence on the improvement of racehorses. I like European racing, actually, but I believe U.S. Thoroughbreds are the best.”

Of General Quarters' foals born before his relocation, the most successful is Signalman, winner of the 2018 GII

Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes The Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the last week of November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. A Grade II event, the race is open to two-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixtee ...

. Signalman, trained by Kenny McPeek, also ran second in the GI Breeder's Futurity and third in the GI Breeder's Cup Juvenile in 2018. As of June 2019, Signalman has added a third in the Blue Grass Stakes and second in the Matt Winn Stakes to his record.

References

{{Reflist
General Quarters's pedigree and partial racing stats

General Quarters at the NTRA

Video at YouTube of General Quarters winning the 2009 Blue Grass Stakes
2006 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 16-g