Horse Racing: Black Gold, the American Thoroughbred racehorse
Sired by Black Toney out of the dansire Useeit, the American Thoroughbred racehorse was foaled on the 17th of February. The great racehorse is the winner of the 1924 Kentucky Derby, the most significant race of the American Horse Racing industry.
Trained by Hanley Webb, the champion has a career earning of $111,553.
Black Gold’s dame was owned by Al Hoots. Although, the mare was not trained as a professional racehorse, she was a very fast runner. She has the record of holding off some of the pace setters of the industry. The mare won 34 of her career starts.
The racehorse started his athletic career as a two year old stallion. He began at the New Orleans Fair Grounds on the 19th of January 1923. The talented racehorse contended 18 starts as a two year old competitor, out of which he took over the
field in just 9. One of the major wins of his career was the one that he contended in 1923 called the Bashford Manor Stakes.
However, as a three year old competitor, six of these races were won by him in a row, an achievement that established him as one of the most competitive thoroughbreds of his time. He was then moved up to the Stakes Company in the Louisiana Derby. He took
over the field at the dirt track and won this race by six lengths. After this win, Black Gold’s owner, Mrs Hoots was offered $ 50,000 for the champion stallion, but she turned down the offer. At the end of the racing season 1924, the great racehorse had a
list of major wins which included the Kentucky Derby (1924), Louisiana Derby (1924), Derby Trial (1924), Ohio State Derby (1924) and the Chicago Derby (1924).
The derby is the most prestigious race of American horse racing. Since most of the races that Black Gold won were the Derby starts, he came to be known as a very talented racehorse in the American horse racing industry. Also, Black Gold set a record for
becoming the first racehorse to have won the derbies of four different states of the country. The Kentucky Derby that Black Gold contended was the fiftieth running of the event and thus it was celebrated as the “Golden Jubilee Derby” and for the first time
a golden cup was presented to the winner. Black Gold had to face tough competition in this race, his victory was determined in the last seventy yards of the race. He was ridden by the jockey J.D. Mooney in this meet.
Black Gold was then nicknamed “The Indian Horse”. It was expected that the racehorse would be sent out for the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes after the victory at the Kentucky Derby, but instead his owner and trainer made him a part of the Louisiana Derby.
The racehorse was first retired to stud, but later when it was discovered that the stallion was not fertile, he was returned to the track at the age of six. After his initial retirement, Black Gold contended four more events but could not win any of these.
Then on the 18th of January, he was sent to the track at the New Orleans Fair Grounds for the Salome Pursue. This race was finished by Black Gold on three legs and was thus euthanized on the track. The legend was then buried in the infield of the
New Orleans Fair Grounds.
Black Gold was one of the male descendants of the legendary racehorse Eclipse. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in the year 1989. He was also elected into the United States Hall of Fame in 1969.
In order to honour the dead horse, one of the races is named after him. It is called the Black Gold Stakes and is run in the memory of the great horse.
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