Cleopatra (foaled 1917 in Kentucky) was an American Champion Thoroughbred

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 ...

. The

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

's sire was Corcyra, a son of three-time the Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland Polymelus. Her dam was Gallice, a daughter of Gallinule. Cleopatra is probably best remembered for her easy victory in the second running of the Pimlico Oaks on May 17, 1920.

Racing career

Two-year-old season

Cleopatra broke her maiden race in her first outing. In her second race, she raced against males in the

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically ...

. In that race at Saratoga Race Course, she placed second to Man o' War in the six furlong sprint. Cleopatra's next start came in the prestigious Champagne Stakes. She won the mile race on dirt going away over males, including the colt Upset.

Three-year-old season

At age three, Cleopatra strung together six stakes wins and finished in the money in 13 of 15 starts. In April, she finished second in the Ladies Handicap to inaugural Pimlico Oaks winner Milkmaid at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

. On the first Saturday of May, Cleopatra ran 15th as the only filly in the 1920

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. In mid-May, trainer William Karrick and owner William R. Coe decided to wheel Cleopatra back 13 days after the Derby and run in the $6,000 the Pimlico Oaks. In only the second running of that race, she was sent off as the morning line favorite and won the mile and a sixteenth race in 1:53.00 flat against a field of nine stakes-winning fillies, including runner-up Arethusa and Rubidium. While not a top level race, nonetheless Cleopatra's performance in winning the Sun Bonnet Handicap over older mares in June 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 ...

was described by the '' Daily Racing Form'' as sensational. In July, Cleopatra won the Coaching Club American Oaks, setting a new track record at

for the 11-furlong race in 2:18.80. Early in the Saratoga meet, she won the Huron Handicap. In late August, she won the prestigious Alabama Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. In the late autumn, Cleopatra came back to win the

Latonia Championship Stakes The Fall Championship Stakes was an American Graded stakes race, Grade III Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky. Open to horses age three and older, it was contested on Synthetic racetrack surfaces for horse r ...

(in what is now Turfway Park), setting a new track record for the marathon 1 3/4 mile race in 2:56.80. It would turn out to be her last race and she was retired to stand for her owner as a

broodmare 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 ...

. Cleopatra's record in 1920 was 6-5-3 in 15 starts. That year, she accumulated the fourth highest annual earnings for a racehorse ever. She was retrospectively named American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly for 1920 by The Blood-Horse magazine.

References

{{Reflist 1917 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses Thoroughbred family 3-j