Pompey (1923–1944) was an American

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

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.

Background

Pompey was bred by William Coe and raced under the colors of his Shoshone Stable. Pompey was a son of Cleopatra and Sun Briar who also sired U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee,

Sun Beau Sun Beau (1925 – c.1943) was an American Thoroughbred Champion Hall of Fame racehorse. Background Sun Beau was sired by Sun Briar. His damsire was Fair Play, who sired Man o' War. Racing career Racing as a two-year-old in 1927, Sun Beau d ...

. Sun Briar's dam was Sweet Briar, a French daughter of Leopold de Rothschild's St. Frusquin, whose wins included the

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

2,000 Guineas Stakes and who was the

Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current champion is Frankel, who ...

in 1903 and 1907. He was trained by William Karrick.

Racing career

1925: two-year-old season

Pompey won seven of ten starts in 1925 including 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 ...

East View Stakes The East View Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. It is restricted to fillies bred in the State of New York. Run in December, the race is contested on dirt over a distance of mil ...

, and defeated arch rival

Chance Play Chance Play (foaled 1923) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and Champion sire. In a career which lasted from 1925 to 1928 he ran in thirty-nine races and won sixteen of them. Although he was successful in his early career over sprin ...

in the two most important races of the year for two-year-olds, the August 29

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 ...

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 ...

and the September 12 Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park. Voted the 1925

American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the '' Daily Racing F ...

, Pompey was an early favorite to win the 1926 Kentucky Derby.

1926: three-year-old season

In his 1926 season debut, Pompey won the May 1st Wood Stakes at New York's Jamaica Race Course. He was not entered in the

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 ...

which that year was run on May 10 and was the first leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series. On May 15, Pompey was sent off as the second choice by bettors in the Derby at Churchill Downs in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. Ridden by

Laverne Fator Laverne Andrew Fator (October 21, 1899 – May 16, 1936) was an American Hall of Fame jockey. Born in Hailey, Idaho, Laverne Fator and his brothers Mark and Elmer all became jockeys. The most successful of the three, Laverne Fator's riding ...

, in the mile and a quarter event the colt faded after three-quarters of a mile and finished fifth to winner, Bubbling Over. Pompey did not run in the final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes. Pompey went on to win the Wilton Handicap at

, a prep race for the prestigious

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds acco ...

in which he would finish second. He would also finish second in the 1926

Edgemere Handicap The Edgemere Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race. Inaugurated in 1901 at the old Aqueduct Racetrack, it was open to horses of all ages and contested on dirt at a distance of one mile and seventy yards. The following year the distance ...

at Aqueduct Racetrack, this time losing to

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and infl ...

by a head in a

World Record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

time of 1:48 3/5 for a mile and a

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...

on dirt.

1927: four-year-old season

At age four, Pompey competed with some success, winning the August 1, 1927 Inaugural Handicap at Saratoga Race Course and on August 23 running the fastest six furlongs of the Saratoga summer meet with a time of 1:11 2–5 while winning the Blue Mountain Handicap.

Stud record

Pompey sired a number of race winners, the best of which were Ladysman, Some Pomp, and Pompoon. Some Pomp earned 1935 Co-American Champion Older Female Horse honors and both Ladysman and Pompoon won

honors in 1932 and 1936 respectively. Pompey's top earner, however, was Rippey (b. 1943), a multiple stakes winner whose career earnings topped $299,000. Pompey's daughter, Outdone, was the dam of 1958

Kentucky Broodmare of the Year The Kentucky Broodmare of the Year is selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The title is considered the highest honor an American thoroughbred broodmare can receive, as the majority of American breeding s ...

Miss Disco Miss Disco (1944-1974) was an American Thoroughbred racemare that won important sprint events against colts during her racing career but who secured her place in history when, as a broodmare at Claiborne Farm, she was bred to Nasrullah and p ...

, as well as the second dam of the very great sire, Bold Ruler. Through another daughter, Delmarie, Pompey was also the damsire of

Count Turf Count Turf (April 27, 1948 – October 18, 1966) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1951 Kentucky Derby. His grandsire Reigh Count won the 1928 Kentucky Derby and his sire Count Fleet won the 1943 Kentucky Derby and wen ...

, winner of the

1951 Kentucky Derby The 1951 Kentucky Derby was the 77th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 5, 1951. Full results References 1951 Kentucky Derby Derby Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a st ...

He was also the damsire of the 1947

American Grand National The Grand National Hurdle Stakes is an American National Steeplechase Association sanctioned steeplechase race run each fall at Far Hills, New Jersey. It is a Grade 1 event run over miles. It has been known by a variety of names over the years, i ...

steeplechase winner, Adaptable.Thoroughbred Heritage – American Grand National winners
Pompey died at age twenty-one in 1944.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1923 racehorse births 1944 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses Thoroughbred family 3-j Chefs-de-Race