Preakness (1867–1881) 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 sired by the famed leading sire Lexington out of a mare named Bay Leaf. Preakness was from Milton Holbrook Sanford's

Preakness Stud Preakness Stud was the Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation established by Medway, Massachusetts businessman Milton H. Sanford in the Preakness section of Wayne, New Jersey at what today is the corner of Valley Road and Preakness Ave ...

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 ...

, Wayne Township,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

.Origin of the "Preakness" preakness-stakes.info - Retrieved May 17, 2009

Racing career

Preakness upset the heavily favored colt, Foster, to win the inaugural running of the

Dixie Stakes The Dinner Party Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the eighth-oldest graded stakes race in the United States and the oldest stakes race in Maryland and all o ...

(then known as the Dinner Party Stakes) on October 25, 1870, the opening day of

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He continued his racing career until age 9 with a record of 18-12-2 in 39 starts.

Death

After his retirement from racing, Preakness was sold to stand at stud in England. He later became temperamental, as did his new owner, the

Duke of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sco ...

. After an altercation where Preakness refused to obey the Duke during a breeding session, he retrieved a gun and killed the colt, leading to a public outcry. As a result, there was a reform in the laws regarding the treatment of animals. Mr. Sanford, the previous owner of Preakness, donated his trophy from the Dinner Party Stakes to the new race named in honor of the horse.

Preakness Stakes

In honor of winning the first Dixie Stakes, a new stakes race was named in honor of Preakness: The Preakness Stakes. In 2018, Preakness was inducted into 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 ...

Pedigree

Sire line tree

*PreaknessHerod Sire Line
/ref> **Fiddler ***Jummy

References

{{reflist 1867 racehorse births 1881 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 9 United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees