Pedigree Look: Preakness

Note: Pedigree Look is a new bi-weekly post series that I will be doing. I will be looking at a horse in depth for both the sire and the dam.


Name: Preakness
Year Born: 1867
Sex: Horse
Color: Bay
Sire: Lexington
Dam: Bay Leaf
Broodmare Sire: Yorkshire


Profile: The orgin of the name Preakness is based off land near Wayne, New Jersey that the Native Americans called Pra-qua-les which translates to quail woods. In horse racing, not only is Preakness the name of the second leg of the Triple Crown, but a horse who is the namesake for the race. In 1870, Preakness won a race called the Dinner Stakes at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland at 2 miles. Today, the Dinner Stakes is known as the Dixie and is run on the Preakness undercard. Three years later, the would honor him with the stakes that we now know today as the Preakness. Other then the Dinner, Preakness would go onto win the Baltimore Cup also at Pimlico and Saratoga Cup. He would also finish in front of Survivor who until Smarty Jones in 2004 had the largest winning margin in his namesake race. 


Preakness' sire is Lexington (Boston), who won six of his 7 starts in his career. He defeated Highlander, Lecomte and Arrow in the Great State Post Stakes. Among hte foals he sired include Preakness, Belmont, and Travers winner Duke of Magenta, Belmont winner General Duke, Travers winner Kentucky, and Tom Ochiltree who defeated the first Derby winner Aristides. His dam Alice Carneal (Sarpedon (GB)) won 2 races in her career in 8 starts, both of them over 2 miles. She is also the dam of stakes placed Umpire (Lecomte). 


Preakness' dam is Bay Leaf (Yorkshire (GB)). Other then Preakness, she is the dam of Bay Flower (Lexington) who swept the big races for older horses in St. Louis in 1863 and she was only defeated once that year and Champion Stakes winner Bayonet (Lexington). 


Bibliography:

"Origin of the "Preakness"" Preakness Stakes. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://www.preakness-stakes.info/preakness.php>.
"National Museum of Racing, Hall of Fame, Thoroughbred Horses." National Museum of Racing, Hall of Fame, Thoroughbred Horses. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/horses-view.asp?varID=102>.
Pedigree Query. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://pedigreequery.com>.