Plugged Nickle (March 1, 1977 – 1997 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 ...

) 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 ...

. He was voted

American Champion Sprint Horse The American Champion Sprint Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1947, in 1971 it became part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to the top horse in sprint races (usually those run at a distance ...

in 1980.

Background

Bred and raced by

John M. Schiff John Mortimer Schiff (August 26, 1904 – May 9, 1987) was an American investment banker and philanthropist. He was a partner in the firm Kuhn, Loeb & Co., as well as a trustee of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, a breeder of champi ...

, he was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee

Tommy Kelly Tommy Terrell Kelly (born December 27, 1980) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State and was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent i ...

Racing career

At age two in 1979, Plugged Nickle won the

Laurel Futurity The Laurel Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late September at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Run over a distance of miles on turf, at one time it was a Grade I stakes race on dirt, and one of the riches ...

and

Remsen Stakes The Remsen Stakes is an American Grade II race for Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The one and one-eighths mile race is open to two-year-olds and currently offers a purse of ...

. In 1980, his wins in the

Hutcheson Stakes The Hutcheson Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. An event raced on dirt, it is open to three-year-old horses. Historical notes Inaugurated on March 31, 1954, the Hutcheson ...

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 Saturd ...

, and Wood Memorial made him the second choice among bettors behind favorite

Rockhill Native Rockhill Native (1977–2009) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was the 1979 American champion two-year-old colt. Rockhill Native won the Cowdin, Futurity and Sapling Stakes as a two-year-old in 1979 and also won the Jefferson Cup ...

in the 1¼ mile

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 ...

, the first leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series. The favorite finished fifth and Plugged Nickle, who raced near the lead until tiring in the homestretch, was seventh behind the winning

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

Genuine Risk Genuine Risk (February 15, 1977 – August 18, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the 1980 Kentucky Derby. Background Genuine Risk was a chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Sally Humphrey. Sh ...

. Plugged Nickle did not run in the

Preakness Preakness may refer to: * The Preakness or Preakness Stakes, an American flat thoroughbred horse race held in Baltimore, Maryland * Preakness (horse), an American thoroughbred racehorse from Preakness Stables * Preakness, New Jersey, a section of W ...

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 ...

but was switched to run in shorter sprint races. The move saw him win several more important

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is then ...

s and be voted the 1980 Eclipse Award as

Stud record

After his retirement to stud duty, Plugged Nickle's first crop of foals were born in 1983. He stood in the United States until age eleven when he was sent to breeders in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. His modestly successful offspring includes twenty stakes winners.

References

{{reflist 1977 racehorse births 1997 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 3-l