Forty Niner (11 May 1985 – 18 May 2020) was an American champion

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 ...

and influential

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

Background

Forty Niner was sired by Champion sire Mr. Prospector out of the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

File. He was bred and raced by

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. ...

Racing career

Forty Niner was the U.S. Champion

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

at age two after major wins in the Champagne Stakes,

Belmont Futurity Stakes The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-September or October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, United States. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on turf ...

and

Breeders' Futurity Stakes The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is run ...

. Forty Niner was one of the Winterbook

betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elem ...

favorites to win the 1988

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 ...

. Although he drew the disadvantageous post position seventeen in the Derby, with rider

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 an ...

riding he quickly moved into contention early, then dropped back, but came with a strong stretch drive and finished a fast-closing second by a neck to the

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

Winning Colors. In the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, 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 ...

, he finished seventh to winner

Risen Star Risen Star (March 25, 1985 – March 13, 1998) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1988. Background The dark bay colt was the son of the great Triple Crown winner Secretariat and out of ...

after being sent into an early speed duel with Winning Colors. Forty Niner did not run in the

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 ...

, but in the summer and fall, he won the important

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by re ...

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internation ...

(with

Chris McCarron Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years o ...

riding) at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

and

Haskell Invitational Handicap The Haskell Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles on the dirt held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event is a signature event at Monmouth P ...

(with

Laffit Pincay, Jr. Laffit Alejandro Pincay Jr. (born December 29, 1946, in Panama City, Panama) was once flat racing's winningest all-time jockey, still holding third place many years after his retirement. He competed primarily in the United States. Career Pincay ...

aboard) at Monmouth Park over rival

Seeking the Gold Seeking The Gold (April 7, 1985 – July 28, 2016) was an American thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire. Background and Family Seeking The Gold, a bay colt, was bred in Kentucky by Ogden Phipps, who also owned him. One of numerous t ...

in both races by a nose. He then finished second to

Alysheba Alysheba (March 3, 1984 – March 27, 2009) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won two legs of the Triple Crown in 1987. A successful sire, he produced 11 stakes winners. A bay colt, Alysheba was sired by Alydar out of the mare Bel ...

in 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 ...

at Belmont Park and won the NYRA Mile Handicap before his fourth-place finish in his final career start in the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

to Alysheba.

Stud record

Retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

duty after the 1988 racing season, Forty Niner notably sired

Distorted Humor Distorted Humor (foaled March 19, 1993 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire. Bloodline Distorted Humor's sire is Forty Niner, 1987's Eclipse Award winning Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse by the champio ...

Coronado's Quest {{nihongo, Coronado's Quest, コロナドズクエスト, ''Koronadozukuesuto'' (February 15, 1995 – March 8, 2006) was an American-based Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by 1987 Champion Two Year Old Colt Forty Niner, out of the unraced ...

, Ecton Park, and

winner Editor's Note. He also sired a half thoroughbred half Paint horse, Fifty. Fifty is a world class Performance horse shown with Dubin farms and currently Sinclair Performance Horses. Forty Niner is also the grandsire of

Sharp Humor Sharp Humor (April 21, 2003 – March 31, 2015) was a Thoroughbred race horse. Connections Sharp Humor is co-owned by the Purdedel Stable, trained by Dale Romans, and ridden by Mark Guidry. Sharp Humor was bred in New York by Patrica S. Pur ...

, 2003

winner

Funny Cide Funny Cide (foaled April 20, 2000) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He is the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He was an immensely popular horse and remains a ...

, and Japan's

Admire Moon ; born February 23, 2003) is a Japanese racehorse who won the 2007 Dubai Duty Free Stakes, Takarazuka Kinen and Japan Cup. Background Admire Moon was foaled on February 23rd, 2003 at Northern Farm in Abira, Hokkaido, Japan. He was bred by ...

. He is the great-grandsire, through Distorted Humor, of 2012 Kentucky Derby winner

I'll Have Another I'll Have Another (foaled April 1, 2009) is a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who won the 2012 Kentucky Derby and 2012 Preakness Stakes, Preakness Stakes. He was bred in Kentucky, owned by Canadian businessman J. Paul Re ...

. He was leading freshman sire in 1992 and third leading sire by U.S. earnings in 1996. His son End Sweep gained leading freshman sire honors in 1998. In 2009, grandson Twin Sparks set a new

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

for six furlongs on dirt. Forty Niner was sent to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in 1995 and stood at the

Shizunai Stallion Station Shizunai Stallion Station is a Japanese Thoroughbred horse farm was opened in 1963 and is located on the island of Hokkaidō. Operated by the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association (JBBA), it is located in Shizunai whose sister city is Lexingto ...

, where he was pensioned in 2007. The most successful of his Japanese offspring included Meiner Select ( JBC Sprint), Utopia ( Mile Championship Nambu Hai) and Admire Hope (

Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun The Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (全日本2歳優駿) is an internationally listed, Domestic Grade 1 flat horse race Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (o ...

). He died in Japan on 18 May 2020 due to the infirmities of old age, having reached the age of 35.

References

{{reflist

External links

Aiken Racing Hall of Fame Forty Niner

1988 Forty Niner Haskell Invitational

Bloodhorse Forty Niner Leaves Mark on Sire Ranks
1985 racehorse births 2020 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners United States Champion Thoroughbred Sires Thoroughbred family 1-n