Iron Liege (March 11, 1954 – December 14, 1972) was 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 ...

best known for winning the 1957 Kentucky Derby.

Background

Iron Liege was a bay horse bred and owned by Calumet Farm. He was sired by Calumet's leading sire

Bull Lea Bull Lea (March 11, 1935 – June 16, 1964) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is best known as the foundation sire responsible for making Calumet Farm one of the most successful racing stables in American history. In their ...

, out of the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

Iron Maiden a daughter of the 1937 U.S. Triple Crown champion, War Admiral. Iron Maiden also produced Iron Reward, the dam of Swaps. He was trained throughout his racing career by

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 ...

trainer Jimmy Jones.

Three-year-old season

As a three-year-old colt in 1957 leading up to the Kentucky Derby, Iron Liege and his more highly regarded stablemate Gen. Duke sometimes ran coupled. These races included an allowance win by Iron Liege over Gen. Duke at Hialeah and a third-place finish to victorious Gen. Duke and

Bold Ruler Bold Ruler (April 6, 1954 – July 12, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame racehorse who was the 1957 American Horse of the Year, Horse of the Year. This following a three-year-old campaign t ...

in the Florida Derby. Both colts were entered in the Derby Trial preceding the Kentucky Derby, with Gen. Duke finishing second and Iron Liege fifth. After the race, Jones determined that Gen. Duke was not fit to run in the Derby, which left Iron Liege his sole entrant against perhaps the greatest field ever assembled for the race, including: Bold Ruler,

Round Table The Round Table (; ; ; ) is King Arthur's famed table (furniture), table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike co ...

, and Gallant Man. Future

jockey Bill Hartack, who was Gen. Duke's regular rider, was assigned to ride Iron Liege in the Derby. In the Derby, Iron Liege took the lead over pacesetter Federal Hill but encountered a fast-charging Gallant Man in deep stretch. As the two passed the mile pole, Gallant Man's rider, future

jockey Bill Shoemaker, stood up in his irons long enough for Gallant Man to briefly lose his stride and slowed his rush for the wire. Iron Liege held off Gallant Man and won by a nose in a driving finish, with Round Table third and Bold Ruler fourth. After first blaming his actions on a bad step by Gallant Man, Shoemaker admitted that he misjudged the mile pole as the finish line, and he was suspended for 15 days by the

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 ...

stewards for "gross carelessness". His gaffe has been noted in books, in articles, and on online sites as one of the biggest blunders in racing history. Following his Kentucky Derby win, Iron Liege finished second to Bold Ruler in the Preakness, but did not compete 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 ...

. He also finished second in the

American Derby The American Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race first run at Chicago's old Washington Park Race Track on the city's South Side and raced there until 1905 when the facility was closed following the state's ban on gambling, and horse ra ...

to Round Table. As a three-year-old, Iron Liege also posted stakes wins in the Forerunner Stakes, Sheridan Stakes, Laurance Armour Memorial Handicap, and Jersey Stakes. As a four-year-old, he won the McLennan Handicap.

Stud record

Iron Liege stood as a breeding stallion in Japan and died at the Shizunai stud in

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

in 1972. The best of his offspring included: * Strong Eight (

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Conditions races, Grade I Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds three-years-old and above and the world's largest betting horserace. It is run in late December each year, over ...

, Naruo Kinen, American Jockey Club Cup) * Taiho Hero ( Naruo Kinen, Megro Kinen, Sapporo Kinen) * Adjar ( Prix Perth)

Pedigree

* Iron Liege was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders an ...

3 × 4 to the stallion Teddy and the mare Plucky Liege, meaning that these horses appear in both the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.

References

External links

* {{Kentucky Derby Winners Kentucky Derby winners Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States 1954 racehorse births 1972 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family A4