Ort Wells (foaled 1901) 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 ...

two-time Champion

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 ...

Background

Ort Wells was bred by Col. Kinzea Stone of

Scott County, Kentucky Scott County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,155. Scott County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat and ...

. He was sired by Withers Stakes winner King Eric and 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 ...

Tea's Over, a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee,

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

Racing career

Trained by Enoch Wishard for owner John Drake, Ort Wells was selected the retrospective American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse of 1904 when his wins included the Brighton Derby. He followed up the next year with performances that saw him named American Champion Older Male Horse of 1905.

Stud record

At stud, Ort Wells met with modest success due in part to the upheaval in the American racing/breeding industry caused by the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...

's passage of the Hart–Agnew anti-betting laws that resulted in the closure of horse racing tracks in the state. American Thoroughbred owners soon began racing in Europe and then sending and/or selling their horses to European breeding farms. After standing 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 ...

, in December 1912 Ort wells was one of a large number of horses sent overseas where he stood at stud in Germany.

References

{{reflist 1901 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United States Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses Thoroughbred family 9