First Flight (foaled 1944 in Kentucky) 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 was voted the

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Two-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 t ...

of 1946

Background

First Flight was bred and raced by

Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Cornelius "Sonny" Vanderbilt Whitney (February 20, 1899 – December 13, 1992) was an American businessman, film producer, government official, writer and philanthropist. He was also a polo player and the owner of a significant stable of Thorough ...

and conditioned for racing by

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

inductee,

Sylvester Veitch Sylvester E. "Syl" Veitch (February 24, 1910 – February 14, 1996) was a Hall of Fame thoroughbred horse trainer. He was the son of Silas Veitch, a jockey and trainer who began his career as an exercise boy with the powerful Joseph E. Se ...

Racing career

Her first season started in May 1946 where she equaled a

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 ...

track record in winning her racing debut with

Arnold Kirkland Arnold Kirkland (November 11, 1921 – March 15, 1969) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He was from Petersburg, Virginia and became one of the nation's top jockeys in the 1940s and 1950s. Riding career Arnold Kirkland rode i ...

aboard in the

Fashion Stakes The Fashion Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies. Raced on dirt over a distance of five furlongs, it was run annually from 1889 through 2005. Inaugurated at Morris Park Racecourse in Westchester County, New York, ...

. After a "going away" victory in the

Astoria Stakes The Astoria Stakes is a long-lived race for two-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run at Belmont Park in early June during the Belmont Stakes carnival. Originally set at a distance of five furlongs, beginning in the year 1940, the event was increased ...

during June, the filly received some time off. She went on to win the Matron Stakes on September 28. 7 days later the filly defeated colts in winning (the then) most prestigious race for juveniles, the Futurity Stakes in October. Ridden by

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Tripl ...

, First Flight beat I Will by one and a half lengths with the future

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 ...

winner Jet Pilot in third. In doing so, she became the first filly to win the Futurity since the Whitney-owned

Top Flight Top Flight (April 15, 1929 – 1949) was an American U.S. Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. She was the leading American filly of her generation at two and three years of age. Background Bred in Kentucky by the very prominent horseman Harry ...

in 1931. Her 5 for 6 season gained her the Two-Year-Old Filly Championship At age three, she won two races with her main victory coming in the

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 ...

. At age four, her major win came against males when she captured the 1948

Fall Highweight Handicap The Fall Highweight Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Currently run at a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 m), it is open to horses three years of age and o ...

. She won three other races that year to compile a record of 11 wins in 24 lifetime starts.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1944 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 8-c Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses Whitney racehorses