Stage Door Johnny (May 22, 1965 – November 21, 1996) 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 ...
racehorse best known for his win in the third leg of the 1968
U.S. Triple Crown series, the
Belmont Stakes.
Background
Stage Door Johnny was a chestnut horse with a white
blaze, owned by the
Whitney family's Greentree Stable. He was sired by
Prince John, a four-time
leading broodmare sire in North America The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of broodmares in North America for each year since 1924. This is determined by the amount of prize money won during the year by racehorses which were foaled by a daughter of the sire. The most ...
. His grandsire was the important
stallion Princequillo
Princequillo (1940–1964) was a Thoroughbred racehorse conceived in France and born in Ireland. He is known for his performances in long-distance races and his successes as a sire.
Background
His sire, Prince Rose, stood at the Haras de Cheff ...
, a horse of great endurance who won several important races at longer distances. Princequillo broke the
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 ...
record for 1¾ miles and his performances were such that he is considered by many to be the best long-distance runner in American racing history.
Stage Door Johnny's damsire was the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
colt
Ballymoss
Ballymoss (1954–1979) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career that lasted from 1956 until November 1958, he ran seventeen times and won eight races. In 1957, he became the first horse trained in Ireland to win the St Leger ...
, winner of several races at the Belmont Stakes distance of 1½ miles including the
Irish Derby
The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance ...
, England's
and France's
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...
,
Racing career
Stage Door Johnny did not run in the 1¼ mile
Kentucky Derby or the 1
3/16 mile
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 ...
. Trained by future
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee
John M. Gaver, Sr., he was bred and conditioned for success in the gruelling 1½ mile
Belmont Stakes.
In 1968, a great deal of controversy swirled around the Belmont Stakes as
Forward Pass
In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridir ...
had won the first two legs of the
U.S. Triple Crown series as a result of the disqualification of
Kentucky Derby winner
Dancer's Image
Dancer's Image (April 10, 1965 – December 26, 1992) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first winner in the history of the Kentucky Derby to be disqualified.
Background
Dancer's Image was a gray horse owned and bred by businessm ...
. The controversy filled the sporting news of every media outlet in
North America and was the cover story for ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'' magazine, which referred to it as the sports story of the year. A victory by Forward Pass in the Belmont Stakes would make him the first Triple Crown winner in twenty years and many fans, experts, and CBS racing commentators felt he would be an illegitimate champion.
Ridden by
Heliodoro Gustines, Stage Door Johnny ended the Triple Crown debate when he won the Belmont Stakes in 2:27 1/5 with Forward Pass second, a length and a half back. Stage Door Johnny also won the
Saranac Handicap
The Saranac Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Grade III stakes is open to three-year-old horses and is raced on turf over a distance of 1 mile. The event, currentl ...
at the end of June, then July's
Dwyer Handicap. At a time when three organizations voted on the various annual racing awards, the Thoroughbred Racing Association and ''
Daily Racing Form
The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of raceh ...
'' voted Stage Door Johnny 1968's
U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old-Colt, while Forward Pass topped the poll organized by Turf & Sports Digest magazine.
Stud record
Retired to
stud
Stud may refer to the following terms:
Animals
* Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding
** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred
Arts and entertainment
* Stud (band), a British progressive rock group
* The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...
duty at Greentree Stud in
Lexington, Kentucky, Stage Door Johnny proved a successful sire of a number of stakes race winners, including:
*
Johnny D. - winner of the 1977
Turf Classic Invitational Stakes who defeated some of the best horses from around the world in the
Washington, D.C. International
The Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup is an American Grade III invitational horse race run over one mile. Inaugurated in 1952, it was raced at Laurel Park Racecourse on the turf in Laurel, Maryland, at a distance of miles (12 furlong ...
. He was voted the 1977
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf Horse
The American Champion Male Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor.
The award originated in 1953 when the ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) named Iceberg II their champion. The Thoroughbred Racing Association (TRA) added the ca ...
.
*
Late Bloomer
A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual.
Late bloomer or Late bloomers may also refer to:
* ''Late Bloomers'' (2006 film) (German: ''Die Herbstzeitlosen''), 2006 Swiss film direct ...
-
filly who was a multiple Grade I winner and voted the 1978
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Female Horse The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of th ...
*
Open Call
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece g ...
- wins included the 1981
Rothmans International Stakes
*
Class Play - filly who won the 1984
Coaching Club American Oaks
The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in ...
Damsire of:
*
Go for Gin
Go for Gin (April 18, 1991 – March 8, 2022) was an American thoroughbred racehorse best known as the winner of the 1994 Kentucky Derby. He was sired by Cormorant out of the dam Never Knock. He was ridden in the Derby by Chris McCarron, who h ...
, winner of the 1994
Kentucky Derby
*
Open Mind
Open-mindedness is receptiveness to new ideas. Open-mindedness relates to the way in which people approach the views and knowledge of others." Jason Baehr defines an open-minded person as one who "characteristically moves beyond or temporarily sets ...
, won
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, voted
American Champion 2-Year-Old Filly (1988),
American Champion 3-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971.
The award originated in 1936 when both ...
(1989)
Stage Door Johnny died in November 1996 at the age of thirty-one and is buried at Greentree Stud, now part of the
Gainesway Farm property.
References
External links
video of Stage Door Johnny winning the 1968 Belmont Stakes
{{Belmont Stakes Winners
1965 racehorse births
1996 racehorse deaths
Whitney racehorses
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in the United States
Belmont Stakes winners
Eclipse Award winners
Thoroughbred family 1-l
Chefs-de-Race