Regret (April 2, 1912 – April 11, 1934) was a famous
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 ...
racemare and the first of three
female horses
Female ( symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...
to ever win the
Kentucky Derby.
Background
She was foaled at
Harry Payne Whitney's Brookdale Farm in
Lincroft, New Jersey
Lincroft is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) within Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. . The filly was sired by
Broomstick
A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...
, the 1913-1915 leading sire inducted into the
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (son of
Ben Brush
Ben Brush (1893–1918) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1896 Kentucky Derby.
Walter Vosburgh, for whom the Vosburgh Stakes is named, said Bramble was "a breed as tough as pine nuts." On May 6, 1896, Bramble and Rose ...
, also inducted into the Hall of Fame). She was out of Jersey Lightning, who goes back to
Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
through his Kentucky Derby-winning son, Riley. Regret was bred by owner Harry Payne Whitney.
Racing career
Trained by
James G. Rowe, Sr., in 1914 Regret became the first of only four horses to ever win all three
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 ...
events for two-year-olds: the
Saratoga Special Stakes
The Saratoga Special Stakes is an American grade II thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is for two-year-olds willing to race six furlongs on the dirt.
With its first r ...
,
Sanford Stakes
The Sanford Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of July at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A six furlong sprint race, the Grade III event is open to two-year-old horses.
Inaug ...
and
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 ...
. Joining her would be
Campfire
A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...
(1916),
Dehere (1993), and
City Zip (2000). The following year, campaigning as a three-year-old, she won the 1915
Kentucky Derby, her first race as a three-year-old, and became the first filly of three to do so. Regret was also the first undefeated horse to win the Kentucky Derby, and had only three starts prior to the race (matched by
Big Brown in 2008). Regret was retrospectively named
American Horse of the Year.
1915 was the year of the
Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Tri ...
fillies, as
Rhine Maiden won 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 ...
. Regret's owner had not entered her in that race. Not since 1915 has more than one Triple Crown race a year been won by a filly.
Retirement
After the 1917 racing season, Regret was retired for breeding to the new Whitney farm in
Lexington, Kentucky. In this last season, she raced in the
Brooklyn Handicap against the best of her generation:
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 ...
,
Roamer,
Omar Khayyam
Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...
(winner of the 1917 Kentucky Derby), Boots, Ormsdale and Chiclet. In the final strides, she was defeated by a nose by her stablemate, Borrow, giving away 5 pounds.
Out of 11 starts in four seasons (1914–1917), Regret won nine, and placed second in one. The only race she was not placed in was the 1916 Saratoga Handicap. Throughout her career, she was never beaten by a female horse.
As a broodmare, she produced only one major stakes winner, Revenge, out of eleven foals. She died in 1934, aged 22, and was buried at the Whitney farm in Lexington.
Assessment and honors
Regret was inducted into the
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957. In the
''Blood-Horse magazine'' ranking of the
top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, she was #71. (Roamer ranks 99th, Old Rosebud, 88th.)
In a poll among members of the American Trainers Association, conducted in 1955 by
Delaware Park Racetrack
Delaware Park (also known as ''DelPark'') is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track, casino, and golf course in Stanton, Delaware. It is located just outside the city of Wilmington, and about 30 miles from Philadelphia.
Thoroughbred racing ...
, Regret was voted the third-greatest filly in American racing history.
Gallorette
Gallorette (1942–1959) was a Maryland-bred chestnut thoroughbred filly who became a Hall of Fame race horse. Sired by Challenger II, out of Gallette, Gallorette's damsire was Sir Gallahad III.
Breeding
Trainer Preston M. Burch bought Gal ...
was voted first.
Pedigree
See also
*
List of historical horses
This list includes actual horses that exist in the historical record. For fictional horses, see: List of fictional horses.
Racehorses
A
* Adios Butler: famous harness racer
* Affirmed: U.S. Triple Crown winner (1978)
* Ajax: 18 consecutive ra ...
Notes
References
Regret's pedigree Pedigree Query
Regret's Derby Kentucky Derby Website
"Regret" U.S. Hall of Fame
"James G. Rowe" U.S. Hall of Fame
*
Staff and Correspondents of The Blood-Horse magazine, ''
Women of the Year - Ten Fillies Who Achieved Horse Racing's Highest Honor'', (2004)
Eclipse Press
External links
*
{{Kentucky Derby Winners
1912 racehorse births
1934 racehorse deaths
Racehorses trained in the United States
Racehorses bred in New Jersey
American Champion racehorses
United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
Kentucky Derby winners
Whitney racehorses
Thoroughbred family A1