Whimsical (foaled 1903 at Catesby Woodford's Raceland Farm near

Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and the county seat. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. It is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2020, it ha ...

) was an American

Thoroughbred racehorse The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for 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 considered " ...

. She is best known as the second filly to ever win the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

Background

Whimsical was sired by Orlando, out of the mare, Kismet, who was sired by United States Racing Hall of Fame

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

Hindoo Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also been u ...

Racing career

As a two-year-old Whimsical won the

Belles Stakes The Belles Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually for two-year-old fillies from 1886 through 1908 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, New York. The race was run on dirt and for its final seven editions at a dista ...

and

Golden Rod Stakes The Golden Rod Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. A Grade II event open to two-year-old fillies, it is currently contested on dirt over a distance of miles (8.5 ...

Sheepshead Bay Sheepshead, Sheephead, or Sheep's Head, may refer to: Fish * '' Archosargus probatocephalus'', a medium-sized saltwater fish of the Atlantic Ocean * Freshwater drum, ''Aplodinotus grunniens'', a medium-sized freshwater fish of North and Central ...

and finished second when racing against colts in the Champagne Stakes. At age three she won the Standard Stakes at

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...

in which she defeated 1905 Preakness Stakes winner Cairngorm and 1905 Futurity Stakes winner Ormondale. In the Preakness Stakes she led from the start and won easily in a time of 1:45 by 4 lengths over Content and Larabie. In this period, the race was held at

Gravesend Race Track Gravesend Race Track was a Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing facility in the Gravesend, Brooklyn, Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, that opened in 1886 and closed in 1910. The track was built by the Brooklyn Jockey C ...

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Owner Tim Gaynor sold Whimsical to the partnership of Matthew Looram and a Mr. Biddle. The new owners maintained Gaynor as Whimsical's trainer until late August 1907 when they replaced him with Frank Weir.

Retirement

Whimsical was retired to Brookdale Farm to become a broodmare in 1908.

Progeny

* Unnamed, foaled in 1909- black filly sired by

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. * Tears and Smiles, foaled in 1911- chestnut colt sired by

Broomstick A broom (also known as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool, consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a ...

. Exported to race in England in 1913. * Whimsy, foaled 1913- brown gelding sired by Burgomaster. Won four races in 20 starts. * Kultur, foaled in 1914- brown gelding sired by Burgomaster. Kultur raced for

Harry Payne Whitney Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeding, horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family. Early years Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as ...

and was euthanised 8 January 1922 after breaking a leg.

Honours

The

Whimsical Stakes The Whimsical Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid April at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Grade III race since 2006, it is open to fillies and mares aged four and older. It is raced over a distance of 6 furl ...

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of O ...

is a 6 furlong race named for her and is raced on Preakness weekend.

Pedigree

References

1903 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Preakness Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 2-n {{Racehorse-stub