Bold Ruler, the Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse
Sired by Nasrullah and Miss Disco, the great thoroughbred racehorse was foaled in the year 1954.
Bold Ruler was owned and bred by Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps. Foaled at Claiborne Farm, the brown coloured stallion was trained by Sunni Jim; meanwhile his regular jockey was Eddie Arcaro.
The racehorse started his athletic career at the age of three. The maiden race contended by Bold Ruler was the 1957 Flamingo Stakes that he won. He then went on to break the track record when he won the Wood Memorial Stakes. He was then also sent out to
contend the United States Triple Crown races. Bold Ruler was a heavy favourite for the Kentucky Derby. However, Bold Ruler could just manage to finish the race in the 4th spot. The winner of this race was Iron Leige, followed by Gallant Man and
Round Table in the second and third places. Bold Ruler then contended the Preakness Stakes the same year. He then gave a spectacular performance and was successful to hold off all his competitors in the race. The Preakness Stakes was then followed by the Belmont
Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown. In this event, Bold Ruler settled in the third place. The winner of the event was Gallant Man, who also set a track record during this race. This track record was then broken by Bold Ruler’s son Secretariat in the
year 1973.
In the same racing season, Bold Ruler won five of the major races contended by him in his athletic career. These races included the Bahamas Stakes (1957), the Flamingo Stakes, as already mentioned. He then went out to contend the Wood Memorial in 1957. The
great racehorse then concluded this racing season with two more victories including the Queens County Handicap and the Trenton Handicap. On the basis of these great performances and victories, Bold Ruler was adorned with the Eclipse Award as the 1957 Champion
Three Year Old, Champion Sprinter, and Horse of the Year Awards. The aforementioned honours are the most prestigious awards given to the horses in American Horse Racing Industry.
The racehorse continued to display his talent and potential at its best in the next racing season. In the year 1958, Bold Ruler went on to win another couple of significant races run in the country. These races included the Stymie Handicap (1958), Carter
Handicap (1958), Suburban Handicap (1958) and the Toboggan Handicap (1958). Ruler’s victories were acknowledged by the experts of the sport and the fans and thus he was once again awarded with the United States Sprint Horse of the year 1958.
Apart from his great victories, Bold Ruler is also particularly famous for being a champion sire as all his descendants have proved out to be champions and legends in the sport. Eleven of his offspring are particularly renowned due to their achievements.
Top of the list is Bold Bidder, who was also the American Co-Champion Older Male Horse in the year 1966. Lamb Chop was the American Champion Three Year Old filly, while Bold Lab was the American Champion Two Year Old colt. Others include Queen Empress, the
American Champion Two year old Filly, Gamely, the winner of the American Champion Three Year old Filly, American Champion Older Female Horse and American Hall of Fame (1980). Bold Lad II was awarded the English Champion Two year old colt (1966) and Irish Two
Year Old colt (1966). His other descendants also have the names of Successor (American Champion Two Year Old colt), Vitriolic (American Champion Two Year Old colt), Queen of the Stage (American Champion Two Year old Filly)and Wajima (American Champion Three
Year Old Male Horse). The most famous of Bold Ruler’s descendants is Secretariat who is the 9th United States Triple Crown Champion American Horse of the Year 1972 and 1973 and also voted into the United States Hall of Fame.
The race run at the Aqueduct Racetrack is called the Bold Ruler Handicap in his honour. The champion Thoroughbred died of cancer at Claiborne Farm on 1971.
Tags: