Hourless (1914–1935) was a British-born

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 raced in the United States where he won the 1917

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 ...

Background

Bred at August Belmont, Jr.'s Haras de Villers in Foucarmont in Upper Normandy, France, he was foaled in England. He was sired by the French-bred Negofol; Negofol would later be imported to stand at

Xalapa Farm Xalapa Farm is an American thoroughbred horse breeding stable near Paris, Kentucky. History Xalapa was founded by William Thomas Buckner of Virginia in 1827 and passed on to a son Henry who in 1897 sold it to Confederate Col. William Erskine Sim ...

in Kentucky, where he would sire 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 ...

winner

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

. His dam was Hour Glass, bred in France but then sent to England. Hourless was foaled at Southcourt Stud in Southcote, Bedfordshire, which was owned by

Leopold de Rothschild Leopold de Rothschild (22 November 1845 – 29 May 1917) was a British banker, thoroughbred race horse breeder, and a member of the prominent Rothschild family. Biography Early life Leopold de Rothschild was the third son and youngest of th ...

. With World War I raging in Europe, in 1915 both Hour Glass and Hourless were exported to the United States.

Racing career

Raced by August Belmont, Jr., Hourless was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee

Sam Hildreth Samuel Clay Hildreth (May 16, 1866 – September 24, 1929) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.Grand Union Hotel Stakes The Grand Union Hotel Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A sprint race, it was open to two-year-old horses and run on dirt over a distance of six furlongs. The Grand Union Ho ...

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 actu ...

. For the year, he was ranked second only to

Campfire A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...

. In his three-year-old season no U.S. Triple Crown series had yet been formalized and Hourless did not run in the Kentucky Derby or the

, which were held on the same day. Ridden in 1917 by another future Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmy Butwell, Hourless won the one–mile

Withers Stakes The Withers Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The event currently carries a purse ...

and set a new record in winning the (then) 1 3/8–mile

. After the other entrants were scratched, the October 18, 1917 John R. McLean Memorial Championship at

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" fo ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

turned into a

match race A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consi ...

between Hourless and Wilfrid Viau's Kentucky Derby winner,

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...

. Earlier that year, Omar Khayyam had beaten Hourless in the

Lawrence Realization Stakes The Lawrence Realization Stakes was an American horse race first run on the turf in 1889. The race, for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts, geldings and fillies, was last run in 2005. History Inaugurated at the Sheepshead Bay Race Track at Gravese ...

and in the Brooklyn Derby. This time, however, Hourless won by a length
''New York Times'', October 19, 1917. Accessed February 15, 2011. He retrospectively was named 1917

American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ''Turf & Sport ...

, jointly with Omar Khayyam.

Stud career

Retired to stud, Hourless sired Mike Hall, 1928 American Champion Older Male Horse and Charley O., winner of the 1930

Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Sat ...

. One of his best sons was

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The ...

inductee and 1934

King's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of ...

winner,

Horometer {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Horometer , image = , caption = , sire = Hourless , grandsire = Negofol , dam = Star Pal , damsire = North Star , sex = Gelding , foaled = 1931 , country = Canada , colour = Dark Bay/Brown , bre ...

. Among Hourless' daughters was Late Date, 1935

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

Background

Racing career

Stud career

See also