Coventry (foaled 1922 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 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 ...

best known for winning the 1925 edition of the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

Background

Coventry was bred by

Edward Simms Edward Simms (10 February 1800 - 15 January 1893) was an English organist and composer. Background He was the son of Edward Simms and born at Oldswinford, Worcestershire. He studied organ from an early age with his uncles at Stourbridge, and wh ...

, the owner of

Xalapa Farm Xalapa Farm is an American thoroughbred horse breeding stable near Paris, Kentucky. History Xalapa was founded by William Thomas Buckner of Virginia in 1827 and passed on to a son Henry who in 1897 sold it to Confederate Col. William Erskine Simms ...

Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. Paris is the seat of its county and forms part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As ...

, who had purchased a half interest in his sire Negofol from Louis Jean Decazes. Consigned to the 1923 yearling auction, Coventry was sold for $25,000 to New York

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...

manufacturer Gifford A. Cochran. In 1925, Coventry's training was handled by future U.S. Hall of Fame member

Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor and film director. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. Frequently ...

, who knew the colt's breeding, having returned from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

that year where he had been training Thoroughbreds since 1888. Duke had trained Coventry's sire, Negofol, for Willie Vanderbilt's racing stable and had won important races with him, including the

French Derby The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

. Back home in the United States, in 1925 Duke also trained Coventry's stable mate, a colt owned by Gifford Cochran named

Flying Ebony Flying Ebony (1922–1943) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1925 Kentucky Derby. Background Flying Ebony was a dark bay or brown horse bred by John E. Madden, who had already bred four Kentucky Derby winne ...

whose ability to run extremely well on muddy racetracks resulted in his winning of the May 16 rain-soaked

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 ...

Racing career

Coventry made just five lifetime starts, winning once. The one win came in the 1925 Preakness Stakes. Ridden by

Clarence Kummer Clarence Joseph Kummer (August 8, 1899 – December 18, 1930) was a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey who won four American Classic Races. In early 1920, Kummer rode the 1919 Triple Crown Champion Sir Barton to a new Saratoga track record in win ...

, the colt went off at the longest odds of any Preakness winner in history, paying backers $45.60 for a $2 wager. That record stood for exactly fifty years until

Master Derby Master Derby (April 24, 1972 – January 22, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1975 Preakness Stakes. Background He was bred by Robert E. Lehmann at his Golden Chance Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Master Derby wa ...

in 1975 paid $48.80. In his next race, the

Withers Stakes The Withers Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York (state), New York. T ...

at New York's

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 ...

, Coventry broke down and was retired to stud.

Stud record

He had very limited success as a sire. Hand To Hand and Durango were his best runners, each winning a number of minor races.

Breeding

References

{{Preakness Stakes Winners 1922 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Preakness Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 12-b