Charon (May 10, 1987 – April 12, 2009) 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 Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who defeated both male and female competitors. She was bred at Triple E Farm in Ocala,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

by owner Stanley M. Ersoff. She was a chestnut filly, a daughter of Mo Exception out of the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

Double Wiggle. She is best remembered for her seven and a half length romp in the

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

$250,000

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes The George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of miles on the dirt annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The event currently offers a ...

and her win in 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 2 ...

two months later.

Early racing career

In 1990, Stanley M. Ersoff's homebred Charon proved to be the second best three-year-old in the country behind

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

Go For Wand during her three-year-old season. The year began with a big win in January in the

Forward Gal Stakes The Forward Gal Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies, over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt held annually in late January or early February at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The ...

at seven furlongs at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

. In March, she won the grade two

Bonnie Miss Stakes The Gulfstream Park Oaks is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies, over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt held annually in March at Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida. The event currently ...

(now called the Gulfstream Oaks) at a mile and one sixteenth in 1:44.60. In a short turnaround of two weeks, Charon was entered in the

Ashland Stakes The Ashland Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early April at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It and the Ashland Oaks, the Kentucky Association racetrack's predecessor race, were named for ...

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for its ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. In that mile and one sixteenth race, she placed second to Go for Wand.

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

On the third Friday of May, the connections of Charon ran her in the de facto second jewel of the national "Filly Triple Crown," the

$250,000

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 Ol ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. In that 66th running of the Black-Eyed Susan, Charon went off as the second favorite in a field of nine fillies. She took an awkward step at the break and started slowly under jockey

Craig Perret Craig Perret (born February 2, 1951, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races. At age fifteen he began his career in thorou ...

. The Florida bred picked it up a bit down the backstretch but was still running in mid-pack. Around the final turn, Charon made a sweeping move wide around the field and within a sixteenth of a mile passed every one of her competitors. Down the lane, she continued to widen her stride and won going away by seven and a half lengths over Valay Maid and Bright Candles, who was trained by

D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is an American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He has won twenty Breeders' Cup races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his horses ha ...

. She won the race in 1:48.40 and the winner's share of 60% of the purse, equaling $150,000. That win pushed her streak up to five wins in the last six races.

Later racing career

In June 1990, Charon was entered in the

Mother Goose Stakes The Mother Goose Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt in late June or early July, the race currently offers a purse of $300,000. Inaugurated in 1957 at a mi ...

at a mile and one sixteenth at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

. She lost to her arch-rival and soon to be named

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

, Go For Wand. Near the end of her three year-old season in late July, Charon won the grade one

. She finished the mile and one quarter in 2:02-3/5 under jockey Craig Perret. In January 1991, the

Eclipse Awards The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century Great Britain, British racehorse and Father, sire, Eclipse (horse), Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is ...

were held, and Charon came in second in the voting to Go For Wand. In the middle of March of her four-year-old season, Charon won the Johnny Walker Black Classic which is now the Rampart Handicap at a mile and one eighth at

Hallandale Beach, Florida Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 20 ...

Broodmare record

Charon produced no major winners, but her Japanese-bred daughter Sibyl was the dam of

Just A Way Just A Way (Japanese ジャスタウェイ, foaled 8 March 2009) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. After showing useful, but unexceptional form in his early career he emerged as a major talent with a win in the 2013 Autumn edition of the Te ...

. Charon died on April 12, 2009, after delivering a stillborn foal by Heart's Cry.

References

{{reflist 1987 racehorse births 2009 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 2-n