Ladysman (foaled 1930) 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 ...

racehorse who was the son of

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

who was the winner of the 1925

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...

as a two-year-old and the prestigious Suburban Handicap as a four-year-old. He is best remembered for his runner-up performance to

Head Play Head Play (April 2, 1930 – December 11, 1954) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1933 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series of races and as the horse on the losing end of the "Fighting F ...

in the 1933

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 () o ...

Two-year-old season

In 1932, Ladysman won the Arlington Futurity at Arlington Park in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in July and then shipped to

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 ...

in August and September. He started off the meet with a win in

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 ...

at six furlongs and then won the

United States Hotel Stakes The United States Hotel Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in the late summer or early autumn until 1955 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It was run on dirt over a distance of six furlongs. Raced in th ...

at six furlongs. In his next race, he placed second in the

Saratoga Special Stakes The Saratoga Special Stakes is an American grade II thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is for two-year-olds willing to race six furlongs on the dirt. With its first r ...

at six and half furlongs. In his next start, he won the seven furlong

, beating Sun Archer by two lengths to establish himself as the season's leading juvenile colt. In September, he placed second in the Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park. Ladysman was voted 1932 United States Champion 2 yr-old Colt.

Three-year-old season

In 1933, owner William R. Coe rested Ladysman during the winter and into the spring. His first race of the year was the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday of May. In the Derby, he started favorite but finished fourth behind Brokers Tip and

. His trainer, Bud Stotler, convinced the owner that Ladysman needed that race and decided to run him in the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Ladysman was made the second choice in a field of ten stakes winners at odds of 3:1 in the ''"Run for the Black-Eyed Susans"''. He broke from gate three and settled into a stalking position of third behind favorite

, who led gate to wire in solid fractions of :23-3/5 and :48 flat for the first quarter and half mile. Around the final turn, Ladysman held off several challenges and passed De Valera for second. He finished four lengths short of first and withstood the rush of Utopian to place by a head. The Derby winner lacked speed and faded to last out of ten.

Later career

In 1934, Ladysman scored his biggest victory in the Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park. He also showed with third-place finishes in both the Stars and Stripes Handicap at

Arlington Park Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago reg ...

and 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 fu ...

at Belmont. As a five-year-old, he ran second in The Big Cap at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

and third in the

San Juan Capistrano Handicap The San Juan Capistrano Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of run on the turf track held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in June. The event currently offers a purse ...

in 1935. As a six-year-old, he began stud duty and stood at Almahurst Farm in Kentucky.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1930 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 7-f Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States