Fitz Herbert (1906 – after 1919) 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 ...

. Bred by

Perry Belmont Perry Belmont (December 28, 1851 – May 25, 1947) was an American politician and diplomat. He served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1881 to 1888. Early life and education Belmont was born on December 28, 1851, in New York C ...

, he was owned by trainer A. J. Joyner, who sold him in early 1908 to Herman Brandt for $3,500. Later that year, Brandt sold the colt to trainer

Sam Hildreth Samuel Clay Hildreth (May 16, 1866 – September 24, 1929) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Cal Shilling and earned back-to-back United States Horse of the Year awards. His major victories came in long races, something his trainer specialized in. In the 1909 Lawrence Realization Handicap, the horse set a world record for a 1-5/8 mile race. His race record in 1909 was fifteen starts with fourteen wins and one second. His only loss came to a filly named Affliction. Lightly raced in 1910, he won two races and finished second in his other two starts. In a deal described by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as the "biggest sale in years," in February 1910 Hildreth sold Fitz Herbert for $40,000 to Charles Kohler, owner of Ramapo Stock Farm in

Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey Ho-Ho-Kus () is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,258, an increase of 180 (+4.4%) from the 2010 census count of 4,078, which in turn reflected an increas ...

. Due to the legislated ban on parimutuel betting by the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, a few weeks later Fitz Herbert and other horses owned by Kohler were shipped to stables at

Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse The Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte at 1 avenue de la Pelouse in the northwestern Parisian suburb of Maisons-Laffitte in France was a grass, turf horse racing facility and Hippodrome, track for Thoroughbred flat racing. Opened in 1878 by Joseph Olle ...

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 ...

where he was conditioned to compete in

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

racing. Fitz Herbert later stood at stud at

Clarence Mackay Clarence Hungerford Mackay (; April 17, 1874 – November 12, 1938) was an American financier. He was chairman of the board of the Postal Telegraph and Cable Corporation and president of the Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company. Early life He ...

Haras de Fresnay farm in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, where he had some success.

References

{{Reflist 1906 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United States Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 4-r