Obeah (1965–1993) 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 ...

for whom the

Obeah Stakes The Obeah Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid June at Delaware Park Racetrack in Stanton, Delaware. Formerly a Graded stakes race, Grade III event open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt at a distan ...

Delaware Park Racetrack Delaware Park (also known as ''DelPark'') is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track, casino, and golf course in Stanton, Delaware. It is located just outside the city of Wilmington, and about 30 miles from Philadelphia. Thoroughbred racing ...

is named.

Background

Bred in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

by Bertram N. Linder, Obeah was sired by 1961 Futurity Stakes winner

Cyane Cyane (; from Κυανῆ (''Kuanē''), meaning "dark blue" in ancient Greek) was a naiad in Greek mythology who tried to prevent Hades from abducting Persephone, her playmate. Mythology Cyane (sometimes anglicized as "Kyane") was a naiad, a f ...

. Her dam was Book of Verse, a daughter of 1952

American 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 ...

One Count One Count (1949–1966) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned and bred by Walter M. Jeffords, Sr., and raced by his wife, Sarah, he was a son of the 1943 U.S. Triple Crown Champion, Count Fleet. Racing career One Count d ...

. Obeah was bought for $10,000 at the 1966 Saratoga yearling auction by Harry and Jane Lunger, who owned her sire and who felt the filly was being bid too low. Trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee

Henry Clark Henry Clark may refer to: Politicians * Henry Toole Clark (1808–1874), Governor of North Carolina, 1861–1862 * Henry Selby Clark (1809–1869), U.S. Representative from North Carolina * Henry A. Clark (New York politician) (1818–1906), New ...

, Obeah raced under the colors of the Lungers' Christiana Stables.

Racing career

Racing at age two in 1967, Obeah won the Blue Hen Stakes at her

home base. Going around two turns, she ran 3rd in the

Frizette Stakes The Frizette Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies raced annually at Belmont Park in October. It is currently a Grade I stakes race at a distance of one mile. The Frizette is the female counterpart of the Champag ...

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 ...

and second by a nose in the Jeanne d'Arc at

Narragansett Park Narragansett Park was an American race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Beginnings On May 18, 1934, Rhode Island voters approved a measure legalizing parimutuel betting by an almost 3 to 1 margin. The following day, ...

. When she was three, her best result in a major race was a second in the

Firenze Handicap The Personal Ensign Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to fillies and Mares age three and older, it is contested at a dist ...

. At age four, she won the 1969

Delaware Handicap The Delaware Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid July at Delaware Park Racetrack in Wilmington, Delaware. The Grade 2 race is open to fillies and mares, age three and up, willing to race one and one-quarter miles o ...

in early August and then captured October's Vineland Handicap at

Garden State Park Garden State Park was a harness and thoroughbred race track in Cherry Hill, Camden County, New Jersey. It is now the site of a high-end, mixed-use "town center" development of stores, restaurants, apartments, townhouses, and condominiums. Garden ...

. Obeah returned to racing at age five and won her second straight edition of the

. In late November, she captured the Firenze Handicap.

Breeding record

Retired to broodmare duty in Kentucky for the Lungers, from her offspring Obeah produced four stakes winners, including Dance Spell and his full sister,

Gazelle Handicap The Gazelle Stakes (formerly Gazelle Handicap until 2004) is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It is a Grade III event run over a distance of miles on dirt that is open to three-yea ...

winner Discorama. Barren for a second time in 1985, the following year 22-year-old Obeah was sent to

Windfields Farm Windfields Farm was a six square kilometre (1,500 acre) Thoroughbred horse breeding farm that was founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Origin The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor originated w ...

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 ...

, where she was bred to Deputy Minister. The mating resulted in the birth of her greatest foal on April 6, 1987, a filly named Go For Wand born at Walnut Green Farm in Unionville, Pennsylvania owned by the Lungers' son-in law, Richard I. G. Jones. Voted the 1998

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both t ...

and 1990

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

, Go For Wand was inducted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame in 1996.Go For Wand at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
/ref> Pensioned in 1992 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 ...

, Obeah died at age twenty-eight in 1993 and was buried in Claiborne's Marchmont division cemetery.

References

Obeah's pedigree and partial racing stats
{{reflist 1965 racehorse births 1993 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Du Pont racehorses Thoroughbred family 2-f