Sweep (foaled 1907 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 ...

) 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.

Background

Sweep was bred by James R. Keene. He was sired by Kentucky Derby winner

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 ...

out of the

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also c ...

mare Pink Domino. he was trained by James Rowe. Sweep was a Champion two-year-old with a long stride. He placed second in the

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 ...

and 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 ...

before he won the Futurity Stakes by over half a dozen lengths under a tight hold. Racing at three, with jockey

James Butwell James H. "Jimmy" Butwell (c. 1892–1956) was an American Racing Hall of Fame jockey. His birth year placed at the Family Search.org website is stated as 1896. However, although there were no child labor laws in the United States, it seems ...

aboard, Sweep won the 1910 Belmont Stakes in a time of 2:22 when the race was contested at 1 3/8 miles. He was the favorite at 1 to 10 odds and won by six lengths over the only other starter, Duke of Ormonde. It was one of only five times in the history of the stakes race that just two horses have been entered.

Retirement

Retired to Keene's

Castleton Farm Castleton Lyons near Lexington, Kentucky, is an American horse-racing stable and breeding business best known by the name Castleton Farm. History The farm was established in 1793 when Virginian John Breckinridge, a future U.S. senator and a ...

, in 1917 Sweep was the leading sire of two-year-olds. He was the leading sire by earnings of all horses in 1918 and again in 1925. He was a great sire and broodmare sire, with three daughters that produced Kentucky Derby winners. They were Beaming Beauty, dam of Bubbling Over; Brushup, dam of

War Admiral War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the 'Match ...

; and Dust Whirl, dam of

Whirlaway Whirlaway (April 2, 1938 – April 6, 1953) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fifth winner of the American Triple Crown. He also won the Travers Stakes after his Triple Crown sweep to become the first and only horse to w ...

. Both War Admiral and Whirlaway became

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 ...

champions. His daughter Washoe Belle became the foundation mare to whom trace

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 ...

Alydar Alydar (March 23, 1975 – November 15, 1990) was an American Thoroughbred race horse and sire. A chestnut colt, he was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the 1978 Triple Crown. With each successive ...

, Princess Turia, T.V. Lark., etc. Another daughter, La Chica, became the foundation mare to whom trace

Grey Flight Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

and

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...

, which bring the

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

and Mr. Prospector lines. Other successful progeny include Eternal, General Thatcher, The Porter, Leonardo, Bon Homme, and Pen Rose. Sweep died in 1936.

Pedigree

References

Matriarchs of the Turf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweep (Horse) 1907 racehorse births 1936 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Belmont Stakes winners American Champion racehorses United States Champion Thoroughbred Sires Thoroughbred family 8-c Chefs-de-Race