A Gleam (foaled 1949 in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in 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 c ...

racehorse who set a

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to t ...

record with five straight stakes races in 1952.

Breeding

A Gleam was bred and raced by Calumet Farm. Her sire was

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

born Blenheim, the winner of the 1930 Epsom Derby who, after being sold to an American breeding syndicate, became the Leading sire in North America in 1941. A Gleam's dam was Calumet's U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee,

Twilight Tear Twilight Tear (1941–1954) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. At age two, she won four of her six starts, finishing second and third in her other two starts. Her performances earned her the title of 2-year-old filly honors i ...

Racing career

A Gleam was conditioned for racing by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmy Jones. In 1951 at Chicago's

Washington Park Racetrack Washington Park Race Track was a popular horse racing venue in the Chicago metropolitan area from 1884 until 1977. It had two locations during its existence. It was first situated in what is the current location of the Washington Park Subdiv ...

, she won the Princess Pat Stakes, a top race for two-year-old fillies. It was as a three-year-old that she developed into one of the top fillies in the United States. Included in her five wins at Hollywood Park was

Milady Handicap The Adoration Stakes (formerly known as the Milady Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during May at Santa Anita Park. The event is open to fillies and mares, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles ...

which she won in a track record time of 1:21 3/5 for seven furlongs on dirt. In her last year of racing at age four, A Gleam won the Malibu Sequet Stakes at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

and her second straight edition of the Milady Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Broodmare

A Gleam served as a broodmare for Calumet Farm. Of her foals, the filly A Glitter (b. 1955), sired by Khaled, was a successful runner who won major races such as the

Coaching Club American Oaks The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in ...

Monmouth Oaks The Monmouth Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey for three-year-old fillies. Named for England's Epsom Oaks, first run in 1779, the inaugural American edition took place in 1 ...

, and the

Modesty Handicap The Modesty Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. A Grade III race contested over a distance of miles on turf, it is open to fillies and mares aged four and older. Run ...

. A Gleam's most successful earner in racing was sired by

Herbager Herbager (1956 – 25 March 1976) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire in both France and the United States. Background Herbager was sired by Vandale, a stayer who won the 1946 Prix du Conseil Municipal and whom Herbag ...

. Their multiple stakes winning colt Gleaming (b. 1968) earned $469,245.A Gleam's progeny
/ref>

Honors

In 1979,

renamed the Sequoia Handicap in A Gleam's honor.

Pedigree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:A Gleam 1949 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 23-b