Ruken (foaled in 1964 in California) 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 who competed at the highest levels in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and was the bettors third choice to win the 1967

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 ...

. Bred and raced by Louis R. Rowan, Ruken was sired by Nasrullah's son Nashville who won the 1957 Lakes And Flowers and

Palos Verdes Handicap The Palos Verdes Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for four-year-olds and older over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt track held annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, ...

s. His dam was Thank You Ma'm, a daughter of the multiple stakes winner Your Host who sired the five-time

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 ...

, Kelso. Ridden by Fernando Alvarez and trained by

Clyde Turk Clyde Turk (November 15, 1907 – April 24, 1995) was an American jockey and trainer of thoroughbred racehorses. He began riding horses in the 1920s and in 1929 was riding at the new Agua Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico. He competed at tra ...

, Ruken won the 1967

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is one ...

, the most important event for three-year-olds in California. At

Keeneland 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 i ...

he beat the 2 year-old champion

Successor Successor may refer to: * An entity that comes after another (see Succession (disambiguation)) Film and TV * ''The Successor'' (film), a 1996 film including Laura Girling * ''The Successor'' (TV program), a 2007 Israeli television program Mus ...

in the Spendthrift Purse. At

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

he won the

Stepping Stone Purse The Stepping Stone Purse was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the latter part of April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, it was, along with the Derby Trial Stakes, one of two final prep r ...

which prompted bettors to make Ruken their third choice for the

in which he would finish eighth.Churchill Downs, 1967 Kentucky Derby
/ref> When his racing career was over, Ruken served as a breeding stallion. He sired several stakes winners including Vic's Magic (f. 1973) who earned more than US$237,000.

References

{{reflist 1964 racehorse births Racehorses bred in California Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 23-b