Forego (April 30, 1970 – August 27, 1997) 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 ...

that won eight

Eclipse Awards The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

including Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse and Champion Sprinter.

Background

Foaled at

Claiborne Farm Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred horse breeding operation near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Stud in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since. ...

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 ...

, he was owned and bred by Mrs. Martha Farish Gerry's Lazy F Ranch. Over the years, Forego had four trainers; Sherrill W. Ward, Eddie Hayward, and eventually

Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. Frank Yewell Whiteley Jr. (January 31, 1915 – May 2, 2008) was a Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born and raised on a farm in Centreville, Maryland, Whiteley grew up around horses and from a very early age was intent on racin ...

and his son David A. Whiteley. He had two main jockeys:

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 ...

rider

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sho ...

and Heliodoro Gustines.

Racing career

In 1973, Forego was fourth behind Secretariat in a

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 ...

that was run in record time (1:59 2/5). Eddie Hayward, assistant trainer to Sherrill Ward, took over when Ward was ill and is officially listed as Forego's trainer in his wins in his final two races of 1973: the Roamer and

Discovery Handicap The Discovery Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the latter part of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Listed event open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one ...

s. During the 1973 season, Forego had 18 starts for 9 wins, 3 seconds and 3 thirds for $188,909 in earnings.National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
Retrieved 2011-1-1 Forego started 1974 in Florida with wins in the

Donn Handicap The Donn Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1959 through 2016 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. A race for horses age four and older, it was contested on turf from inception through 1964 at a distance ...

Gulfstream Park Handicap The Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (formerly known as the Gulfstream Park Handicap) is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt. A Grade II even ...

and

Widener Handicap The Widener Handicap at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida was a Grade III stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses 3-years-old and up. It was run over a distance of miles (10 furlongs) until 1993 when it was modified to miles. Initially ...

. Moving back to his home base in New York, he next won the

Carter Handicap The Carter Handicap is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of seven furlongs run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack. Race history First run in 1895, the race was named for Br ...

and

Brooklyn Handicap The Brooklyn Invitational Stakes (formerly known as the Brooklyn Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to four-year-ol ...

, while placing in the

Metropolitan Handicap The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile", is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile (8 furl ...

and

Suburban Handicap The Suburban Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is now run at the mile distance on dirt for a $700,000 purse. Named after the City and Su ...

. He started the fall campaign with a loss in the

Marlboro Cup The Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of miles on a dirt track. The race ...

, then went on to win the

Woodward Stakes The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. It is named for prominent racehorse owner William Woodward. The race was first run in 1954 at Aqueduct Rac ...

, Vosburgh Handicap and

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the s ...

. In the Vosburgh, he carried 131 pounds to victory, the first of 13 races in which he carried 130 pounds or more. He won three Eclipse Awards that year: Champion Sprinter, Champion Older Horse and 1974 Horse of the Year. At the age of five years, he placed in all but one start. He won the Seminole and Widener Handicaps in Florida, took the

carrying , set a track record with in the

, and won the 1½ mile

carrying . As a six-year-old, Forego won the 1976

(carrying 137 pounds) 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 ...

. After contending for the lead, he faded to eighth of 11 horses on the backstretch, with

Honest Pleasure {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Honest Pleasure , image = , caption = , sire = What a Pleasure , grandsire = Bold Ruler , dam = Tularia , damsire = Tulyar , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1973 , country = United States , colour = D ...

holding the lead most of the way. Entering the stretch, Forego appeared to be too far behind, but he made up ground in the closing strides and just edged out Honest Pleasure. He also won the

and

to become the leader in stakes earnings for a second time. As a seven-year-old, Forego won the Metropolitan Handicap again and his fourth consecutive Woodward Stakes. He also was named Champion Handicapper for the fourth time. He raced twice as an eight-year-old before chronic

fetlock Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ). Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ba ...

problems finished his racing career.

Summary

His versatility was clearly demonstrated with wins from 7 furlongs (1,400 meters) to the 2 mile (3,200 m.)

. Owing to his wins, he was frequently handicapped to carry more than , and even so often won. In 57 starts, Forego had 34 wins, 9 seconds and 7 thirds. He registered 24 stakes victories including 14 Grade 1 wins.Racing future: "Gerry, owner of Forego, dies"
Retrieved 2010-7-21 His lifetime earnings amounted to $1,938,957.

Honours

Forego won the

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Sprint Horse The American Champion Sprint Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1947, in 1971 it became part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to the top horse in sprint races (usually those run at a distance ...

in 1974, and

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of ...

for four years in a row: 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. He was voted the

Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Hor ...

for three years in a row: 1974, 1975 and 1976. He was inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

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 * '' ...

, in 1979. In the list of the Top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by

Blood-Horse magazine ''BloodHorse'' is a multimedia news organization covering Thoroughbred racing and breeding that started with a newsletter first published in 1916 as a monthly bulletin put out by the Thoroughbred Horse Association.

, Forego ranks 8th.

Retirement

Forego moved to the

Kentucky Horse Park Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 (Iron Works Pike) and Interstate 75, at Exi ...

in 1979, the year after his last race. He lived there for the rest of his life until his death in 1997. At 27 years of age, Forego broke his near (left) hind leg in a paddock accident and was

euthanized Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

Pedigree

References

External links

Memorial to Forego from the Kentucky Horse Park

Forego's page in the Hall of Fame, video of his 1974 Vosburgh win

* ''Champions, The Lives and Times and Past Performances of the 20th Century's Greatest Thoroughbreds'', by The

Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race ...

. {{Authority control 1970 racehorse births 1997 racehorse deaths Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Racehorses bred in Kentucky United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 9-f