Homer Chesley Pardue (March 5, 1910 – January 5, 1979) was an American
trainer and owner of
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 ...
racehorses.
Born in
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 ...
, across the street from
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 ...
, Pardue began working in the racing industry as an exercise rider at the famous track while a fourteen-year-old schoolboy. Twenty years later he had his first Kentucky Derby runner when Red Hannigan finished twelfth in the 1954 running. In the 1940s, under his wife Katy's name, he owned and raced several horses such as Rodger Joe and Doubt Not. 1972 saw Pardue return to the
Triple Crown series with his
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
and
Arkansas Derby
The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt.
In 2004, t ...
winner,
No Le Hace
No Le Hace was an American Thoroughbred racehorse foaled on March 18, 1969, No Le Hace is best remembered for his runner-up performances in the $200,000 grade 1 Preakness Stakes to Bee Bee Bee and the Kentucky Derby behind Riva Ridge.
Backgroun ...
. The colt finished second in both the Derby and 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 ...
and then sixth in 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 ...
.
Among Pardue's other important wins, in 1975 he trained two-year-old Soy Numero Uno to a win in the then-most important U.S. race for juveniles, the
Futurity Stakes 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 ...
. With Clev Er Tell, in 1977 Pardue again won the Louisiana and Arkansas Derbys in the same year but did not make it to the Triple Crown events when the horse suffered a fractured knee during training.
On January 5, 1979, Pardue died at age 68 at his home in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2000, he was posthumously inducted into the
Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame
The Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame was created in 1971 by the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to t ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pardue, Homer C.
1910 births
1979 deaths
Horse trainers from Louisville, Kentucky