Ta Wee (1966–1980) 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 ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

race horse 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 ...

Background

Ta Wee was bred at the Tartan Stable of

William L. McKnight William L. McKnight (November 11, 1887 – March 4, 1978) was an American businessman and philanthropist who served his entire career in the 3M corporation, rising to chairman of the board from 1949 to 1966. He founded the McKnight Foundat ...

(chairman of the board of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.). (The W. L. McKnight Handicap is raced in his honor at

Calder Race Course Calder Casino is a casino located in Miami Gardens, Florida. It includes slots, electronic table games, and bingo. The casino opened in 2010 and features a gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic r ...

.) Foaled on March 26, 1966, she was sired by Intentionally, the

American Champion Sprint Horse The American Champion Sprint Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1947, in 1971 it became part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to the top horse in sprint races (usually those run at a distance ...

of 1959.

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and ...

appears on both sides of Ta Wee's pedigree, but Ta Wee's dam was the great

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

Aspidistra by Better Self by

Bimelech Bimelech (February 27, 1937 – 1966) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won two Triple Crown races and was a Champion at both age two and three. He was ranked #84 among U.S. racehorses of the 20th century. After retiring to stud, he sired ...

Black Toney Black Toney (1911–1938) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, owned and raced by Edward R. Bradley Background Black Toney was bred by James R. Keene's Castleton Lyons Farm. Keene, whose health was failing (he died in 1913), s ...

. Aspidistra also goes back to the influential

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 Ros ...

. A birthday gift in 1957 to McKnight by his employees, Aspidistra cost a reputed $6,500 and was entered in claiming races. No one claimed her, and at the time she retired, McKnight still owned her. Two years prior to the birth of Ta Wee, the mare gave birth to

Dr. Fager Dr. Fager (April 6, 1964 – August 5, 1976) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who had what many consider one of the greatest single racing seasons by any horse in the history of the sport. In 1968 at the age of four, he became the only hors ...

. Aside from Dr. Fager and Ta Wee, Aspidistra is the tail-female ancestress of

Unbridled Unbridled (March 5, 1987 – October 18, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. He retired with a career record of eight wins, six places, and six shows in 24 starts, ...

. The name Ta Wee comes from the

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...

language and means "Beautiful Girl." Ta Wee's initial trainer was

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

John A. Nerud John Andrew Nerud (February 9, 1913 – August 13, 2015) was an American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner, who was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1972. Early years Nerud, who was born on a ranch in Minatare, Ne ...

. In the Fall of 1969, she was trained by

Scotty Schulhofer Flint S. "Scotty" Schulhofer (May 30, 1926 – December 14, 2006) was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer, racehorse trainer. Early life Schulhofer was born into a racing family in ...

Racing career

Her introduction to racing at the age of two proved a modest success, but in her first year as a three-year-old sprinter, she won eight stakes races, five of them consecutively. In the

Vosburgh Stakes The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender. A Grade II sprint race, it is ra ...

she beat older males. Because of her triumphs in her third year, her fourth year saw her heavily weighted. Even so, she won five of her seven races. In her last two races, her second

Fall Highweight Handicap The Fall Highweight Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Currently run at a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 m), it is open to horses three years of age and o ...

and her second Interborough Handicap, she ran under 140 and 142 pounds, giving away 19 pounds to the runner up in the Fall Highweight and 29 pounds in the Interborough. For this she won her second consecutive

award.

Breeding record

Retired to

duties, Ta Wee had five foals, all of them winners, and four stakes winners. Her first foal was the sprint stakes winner, Great Above, who sired

Holy Bull Holy Bull (January 24, 1991 – June 7, 2017) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Although he finished a disappointing twelfth in the 1994 Kentucky Derby, his major wins that year in the Florida Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, Metropolitan Handicap ...

. Ta Wee died in 1980.

References

{{reflist 1966 racehorse births 1980 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 1-r Godolphin Arabian sire line