Menow (1935–1964) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic ...

. He won several important races in 1937, when he was voted

American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the ''Daily Racing F ...

Background

Bred and raced by Hal Price Headley, Menow was foaled on May 19, late in the year for a Thoroughbred racehorse. His dam was Headley's

Alcibiades Alcibiades ( ; grc-gre, Ἀλκιβιάδης; 450 – 404 BC) was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general. He was the last of the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War. He played a major role in ...

, who was the U.S. Champion two-year-old filly of 1929 and the Champion three-year-old filly of 1930. Menow's English-born sire, Pharamond, was owned and raced by

Lord Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869, known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley) was a British statesman, three-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ...

, who sold him in 1928 to an American syndicate led by Hal Price Headley. He was registered in the United States as Pharamond II. Headley brought him to stand at

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...

at his Beaumont Farm in Lexington Kentucky. He was trained by Hal Price Headley's nephew, Duval.

Racing career

As a two-year-old, Menow won the 1937 Champagne Stakes in September, although most attention was given to the fatal injury sustained by the favorite Skylarking. In October, Menow set a world record for six-and-one-half

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use i ...

s on a straight dirt course in winning the

Belmont Futurity Stakes The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-September or October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, United States. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on turf ...

by four lengths. His 1937 performances earned him

honors. In 1938, Menow finished third in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...

to Lawrin and third to Dauber in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs ...

. His handlers then skipped the much longer Belmont Stakes. In July, Menow won the mile-and-an-eighth

Massachusetts Handicap The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", was a flat thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was an ungraded stakes race run o ...

by nine lengths, defeating 1937 Triple Crown champion

War Admiral War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the 'Matc ...

.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OWRhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dbYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1352,70048&dq=menow+massachusetts&hl=en His other wins included the one mile

Withers Stakes The Withers Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The event currently carries a purse o ...

at New York's

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park and Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack located within New York City limits. Its racing ...

and the mile-and-a-sixteenth Potomac Handicap at

Havre de Grace Racetrack The Havre de Grace Racetrack was an American horse racing track on Post Road in Havre de Grace, Harford County, Maryland. Nicknamed "The Graw," it operated from August 24, 1912, to 1950. For a time, it was owned by the Harford Agricultural and B ...

Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which in full was once ''Le Havr ...

. Menow ended his career having bowed in both forelegs while finishing third to

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-horse ...

in the Havre de Grace Handicap.

Stud record

Retired to stand at stud for the 1939 season at his owner's Beaumont Farm in Kentucky, Menow proved a successful sire, getting thirty-two stakes winners including: * Capot (b. 1946) - won 1949 Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Co-American Horse of the Year (1949) * Ruhe (b. 1948) - won

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, ...

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 run ...

Equipoise Mile Handicap The Hanshin Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in July at Churchill Downs. The event open to horses three years of age and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of 8 furlongs and currently offers a purse o ...

, Forerunner Stakes, Hawthorne Juvenile Stakes *

Tom Fool Tom Fool (March 31, 1949 – August 20, 1976) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1953 American Horse of the Year and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. He sired the champion racehorses Buckpasser and Tim Tam. Bac ...

(b. 1949) -

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Hor ...

(1953), U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee * Askmenow (b. 1940) -

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

(1942). Won Selima Stakes, Pimlico Oaks, Arlington Matron Handicap and defeated colts in the 1943

American Derby The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at Chicago's old Washington Park Race Track on the city's South Side and rac ...

Menow was also the damsire of

High Voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant spe ...

, the 1954 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. Menow died at age twenty-nine in 1964 and is buried at

Mill Ridge Farm Alice Headley Chandler (January 15, 1926 — April 6, 2021) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse breeder and racing stable owner. Chandler is known for establishing Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. In 2020, the National Museum of Rac ...

in Lexington. Built on a parcel from Beaumont Farm, Mill Ridge was owned by Hal Price Headley's daughter Alice Headley Chandler and her husband, John.

References

{{reflist
Menow at Thoroughbred Heritage
1935 racehorse births 1964 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters American Champion racehorses Thoroughbred family 8-g