Ta Wee (1966–1980) 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 ...

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 ...

race horse ''Race Horse'' was an 1850 clipper barque. She set a record of 109 days from New York to San Francisco during the first Clipper Race around the Horn. Construction ''Race Horse'' was similar to a barque built by Samuel Hall a few years earlier, ...

Background

Ta Wee was bred at the Tartan Stable of William L. McKnight (chairman of the board of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.). (The W. L. McKnight Handicap is raced in his honor at

Calder Race Course Calder Casino is a casino located in Miami Gardens, Florida. It includes slots, electronic table games, and bingo. The casino opened in 2010 and features a gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic rou ...

.) Foaled on March 26, 1966, she was sired by Intentionally, the

American Champion Sprint Horse The American Champion Sprint Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a ...

of 1959.

Man o' War Man o' War was a thoroughbred racehorse considered an all-time great. Man o' War (or capitalization variations thereof) may also refer to: Animals * Portuguese man o' war, a floating marine animal found in the Atlantic that resembles a jellyfish ...

appears on both sides of Ta Wee's pedigree, but Ta Wee's dam was the great

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other 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 than four ...

Aspidistra by Better Self by Bimelech by

Black Toney Black Toney (1911–1938) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, owned and raced by Edward R. Bradley Background Black Toney was bred by James R. Keene's Castleton Lyons Farm. Keene, whose health was failing (he died in 1913), s ...

. Aspidistra also goes back to the influential

Ben Brush Ben Brush (1893–1918) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1896 Kentucky Derby. Background Ben Brush was a bay stallion sired by Bramble (the 1879 champion handicap horse) out of Roseville (a sister to Azra, the 1892 ...

. A birthday gift in 1957 to McKnight by his employees, Aspidistra cost a reputed $6,500 and was entered in claiming races. No one claimed her, and at the time she retired, McKnight still owned her. Two years prior to the birth of Ta Wee, the mare gave birth to Dr. Fager. Aside from Dr. Fager and Ta Wee, Aspidistra is the ancestress of

Unbridled Unbridled (March 5, 1987 – October 18, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. He retired with a career record of eight wins, six places, and six shows in 24 starts, ...

. The name Ta Wee comes from the

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

language and means "Beautiful Girl." Ta Wee's initial trainer was

Hall of Famer 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 fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

John A. Nerud. In the Fall of 1969, she was trained by Scotty Schulhofer.

Racing career

Her introduction to racing at the age of two proved a modest success, but in her first year as a three-year-old sprinter, she won eight stakes races, five of them consecutively. In the

Vosburgh Stakes The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender. A Grade III sprint race, it is ...

she beat older males. Because of her triumphs in her third year, her fourth year saw her heavily weighted. Even so, she won five of her seven races. In her last two races, her second

Fall Highweight Handicap The Fall Highweight Stakes (formerly the Fall Highweight Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Currently run at a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 m), it i ...

and her second Interborough Handicap, she ran under 140 and 142 pounds, giving away 19 pounds to the runner up in the Fall Highweight and 29 pounds in the Interborough. For this she won her second consecutive

award.

Breeding record

Retired to

duties, Ta Wee had five foals, all of them winners, and four stakes winners. Her first foal was the sprint stakes winner, Great Above, who sired

Holy Bull Holy Bull (January 24, 1991 – June 7, 2017) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Although he finished a disappointing twelfth in the 1994 Kentucky Derby, his major wins that year in the Florida Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, Metropolitan Handicap ...

. Ta Wee died in 1980.

References

{{reflist 1966 racehorse births 1980 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 1-r Godolphin Arabian sire line

Background

Racing career

Breeding record

See also

References