Fit to Fight (April 5, 1979 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 ...
– May 30, 2008) 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 won the
Handicap Triple Crown (also called the
New York Handicap Triple The Handicap Triple Crown or New York Handicap Triple are the names used to refer to three American handicap races for older Thoroughbred racehorses run by the New York Racing Association at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The three races are ...
) in 1984.
Background
Sired by Chieftain, a son of
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler (April 6, 1954 – July 11, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame racehorse who was the 1957 American Horse of the Year, Horse of the Year. This following a three-year-old campaign t ...
, in turn a grandson of
Nearco
Nearco (January 24, 1935 – June 27, 1957) was an Italian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by ''Thoroughbred Heritage'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He ...
, Fit to Fight was out of the mare Hasty Queen II, the 1983
Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
The Kentucky Broodmare of the Year is selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The title is considered the highest honor an American thoroughbred broodmare can receive, as the majority of American breeding s ...
. His damsire,
One Count
One Count (1949–1966) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned and bred by Walter M. Jeffords, Sr., and raced by his wife, Sarah, he was a son of the 1943 U.S. Triple Crown Champion, Count Fleet.
Racing career
One Count d ...
, won the 1952
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...
and shared
U.S. Horse of the Year honors. One Count was a son of the 1943
U.S. triple Crown champion,
Count Fleet.
Racing career
Racing at age three, Fit to Fight won his first major
graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is then ...
, the 1982
Jerome Handicap. The following year he was second to A Phenomenon in the
Vosburgh Stakes
The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender. A Grade II sprint race, it is ra ...
but ahead of third-place finisher,
Deputy Minister. In the
Tom Fool Stakes, Fit to Fight took another second but this time to winner Deputy Minister then the two horses reversed their finishes with Fit to Fight capturing the
Stuyvesant Handicap.
In 1984, Fit to Fight had his best year. Ridden by
Jerry Bailey
Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an Thoroughbred Racing on NBC, NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame jockey.
Early years
Bailey was born ...
, the five-year-old became only the fourth horse in history to win the
Handicap Triple Crown (also called the
New York Handicap Triple The Handicap Triple Crown or New York Handicap Triple are the names used to refer to three American handicap races for older Thoroughbred racehorses run by the New York Racing Association at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The three races are ...
), joining
U.S. Racing Hall of Famers,
Whisk Broom II
Whisk Broom II (1907–1928) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in the United Kingdom (under the name Whisk Broom) and in the United States. Whisk Broom showed high class form during four seasons of racing in Europe, but ...
(1913), Tom Fool (1953), and
Kelso (1961). Fit to Fight finished behind winner
Slew o' Gold
Slew o' Gold (April 19, 1980 – October 14, 2007) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who was voted the 1983 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse and the 1984 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse.
Background ...
in the voting for 1984's
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse.
Stud career
Retired from racing, in 1985 Fit to Fight became one of the original stallions to stand at
stud at
Lane's End Farm
Lane's End Farm is a Thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Versailles, Kentucky established in 1979. The original land was part of Bosque Bonita Farm and was originally owned by Abraham Buford, a Confederate Army General. The land was later bought ...
in
Versailles, Kentucky
Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...
. The sire of 39 Stake race winners, he was pensioned in 2005 and sent to retirement at
Blue Ridge Farm in
Middleburg, Virginia. On May 30, 2008, at the age of 29, he was euthanized due to the infirmities of old age.
References
{{Reflist
Fit to Fight's pedigree and partial racing statsBloodhorse.com October 5, 2005 article on Fit to Fight
1979 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in the United States
Thoroughbred family 1-o