Panique (1881-1895) 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 ...

best known for winning the 1884 Belmont Stakes.

Background

Panique was bred at Erdenheim Stud Farm in Pennsylvania by

Aristides Welch Aristides J. Welch (September 28, 1811 – April 9, 1890) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse breeder. Welch owned Erdenheim Stud Farm at Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. In 1870, he purchased the mare Maggie B. B. from Captain T. G. Moore an ...

. His dam was Maggie B. B., a daughter of leading sire

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

who had already given birth to two stakes winners. His sire was Alarm.

Racing career

As a two-year-old, Panique won the Saratoga Stakes, and came second in the

Kentucky Stakes The Kentucky Stakes was a Thoroughbred horse race run between 1870 and 1938 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Raced on dirt, it was originally open to two-year-olds of either sex but after the event was placed on hiatus fol ...

. As a three-year-old, he won the

Withers Stakes The Withers Stakes is a Graded stakes race, 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 (state), New York. T ...

. The Dwyer Brothers,

Philip J. Dwyer Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

and

Michael F. Dwyer Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, were so impressed by the colt's victory that they purchased him from his previous owner, Commodore Kitteon, on June 5, the night before the Belmont, for $14,000. The following day, Panique went into the Belmont the favorite. Another strong competitor in the race, Knight of Ellersie, had been off his feed and coughing in the days before the race. Panique ended up winning the race, beating out Knight of Ellersie by a neck. The race was called "the grandest Belmont ever run". After his victory in the Belmont, Panique did not show the same skill he had previously. He came third in the

Kenner Stakes The Kenner Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run from 1870 through 1942 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to three-year-old horses, it was last contested at a distance of a mile and three sixteenths on dirt. I ...

, but was known as an inconsistent horse. He was later sold for a much smaller sum than the Dwyers had originally paid for him.

Later life

In 1885, Panique broke down during a race, ending his racing career. He started to become better known for his aggressive behavior than his prior accomplishments in racing. At some point, he ended up in the hands of Oscar Rudolph Gleason, a renowned horse trainer who specialized in dealing with particularly unruly horses. Gleason agreed with the assessment that Panique was "the worst stallion ever handled in the city of New York". Panique died in the spring of 1895.

Pedigree

References

{{Belmont Stakes Winners 1881 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Pennsylvania Racehorses trained in the United States Belmont Stakes winners 1895 racehorse deaths