Pan Zareta (born 1910) 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 ...

who won 76 races and was known as the "Queen of the Turf.". She raced in eight different states of America as well as

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. While she never won a significant race, and only once beat a top-level horse in (

Old Rosebud Old Rosebud (March 13, 1911 – May 23, 1922) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose pedigree traced to the influential sire Eclipse, and through Eclipse to the founding stallion, the Darley Arabian. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoro ...

), she was still highly regarded as the Queen of the Turf.

Background

Pan Zareta was bred by James F. Newman at his ranch in

Sweetwater, Texas Sweetwater is a municipality in and the seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. It is 123 miles southeast of Lubbock and 40 miles west of Abilene, Texas. Its population was 10,906 at the 2010 census. History The town's name "Sweetwater" is t ...

. Her sire was Abe Frank, and her mother was Caddie Griffith, sired by Rancocas.Robertson ''History of Thoroughbred Racing in America'' pp. 201-202 Pan Zareta's lineage traced back to

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

and Hindoo on her multiple stakes-winning sire's side (Abe Frank), and to Leamington on her dam's side (Caddie Griffith). Pan Zareta's third dam on her mother's side, the 1869

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

-born Mittie Stephens, caused a problem; Mittie Stephens was listed in the ''

American Stud Book The ''American Stud Book'' is the stud book for the Thoroughbred horse in the United States. It was founded by Sanders Bruce, with assistance from his brother B. G. Bruce.Montgomery ''Thoroughbred'' p. 162 In 1896, The Jockey Club bought out Bruce ...

'' as a "non-thoroughbred". Still, due to some complexities in the rulings, Pan Zareta was considered a Thoroughbred. However, neither Pan Zareta's dam, Caddie Griffith, nor Pan Zareta herself appear in the ''American Stud Book''.

Racing career

Trained initially by owner Hart Newman, son of James F., the filly was known as "Panzy" (she was named for Panzy Zareta, the daughter of the once mayor of Cd. Juárez,

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

, Mexico). She traveled the country, appearing virtually anywhere. She was ridden by anyone handy and trained by an assortment of individuals. Newman hired "Doc" Foucon to take over for him and her second owner Edward T. Colton trained for himself. Pan Zareta made 151 starts and won 76, both being more than any other mare in U.S. racing history. On 24 different tracks, she always carried higher weights than any of her rivals, males as well as females, often up to 140 pounds (she once carried 146 pounds, giving away 46 pounds to the runner up. She carried 126 pounds or more 48 times, and won 21 of those races. Pan Zareta finished in the top three 128 times; she was in the money in 85 percent of her starts. She competed for relatively small purses that averaged $300 (the largest purse she ever earned amounted to $1,050). Her career earnings totalled $39,082. Pan Zareta's most important wins came in the Senoritas Stakes, the Rio Grande Stakes, the Chihuahua Stakes, the Chapultepec Handicap, the Juarez Handicap, and the Katonah Handicap. In 1914, Pan Zareta was the Champion Older Female. She equaled or set eleven track records during her racing career, most notably when at the age of five on February 10, 1915. She set the world record for five furlongs,(:57 1/5) at Juarez that went unbeaten for 31 years, running against Joe Blair, who carried ten pounds less than she did. On March 24, 1917, Pan Zareta met Old Rosebud, winner of the 1914

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 ...

, and Colonel Venie on the track. Pan Zareta won, with Colonel Venie receiving second, and Old Rosebud finishing last. When they met a second time on April 6, Old Rosebud gained first, and Pan Zareta came in third.

Stud record

Pan Zareta was retired as a broodmare in 1918 but failed to conceive a foal, and was thus sent back to the races. While in training in 1918, at eight years of age, Pan Zareta contracted

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and died in her stall at the

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

in New Orleans on Christmas Day. She was buried in the infield of the Fair Grounds next to

winner Black Gold.Wall ''Famous Running Horses'' pp. 99-100

Honors

Pan Zareta was elected to 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 ...

Staff
Pan Zareta
''National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame'' in 1972 and into the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1999.Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame
A sprint race named after her, the Pan Zareta Handicap, is run at the Fair Grounds each year.

Notes

References

* * * * Pan Zareta, Thoroughbred Champion

* ''Champions'' The Lives, Times, and Past Performances of America's Greatest Thoroughbreds, Revised Edition Champions from 1893–2004,

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 ...

External links

Pan Zareta's pedigree
{{short description, 20th-century American Thoroughbred race mare and member of the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame 1910 racehorse births 1918 racehorse deaths Non-Thoroughbred racehorses Racehorses trained in the United States Racehorses bred in Texas United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees