Bold (1948–1952) 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 that is best remembered for winning the

1951 Preakness Stakes The 1951 Preakness Stakes was the 76th running of the $110,245 Preakness Stakes horse race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. The second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the event took place on May 19, 1951. Owned by Isabel Dodge Sloane's Br ...

and for being killed when struck by

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...

at the age of four while pastured at his

Upperville, Virginia Upperville is a small unincorporated town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States, along U.S. Route 50 fifty miles from downtown Washington, D.C., near the Loudoun County line. Founded in the 1790s along Pantherskin Creek, it was originally nam ...

farm.

Background

Bold was a dark bay horse bred by his owners, the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

-based

Brookmeade Stable Brookmeade Stable was a successful thoroughbred horse racing stable owned by Dodge automobile heiress and socialite Isabel Dodge Sloane. Sloane first won using the name Brookmeade Stable at the Manly Memorial Steeplechase at Pimlico in 1924. I ...

. He was sired by the 1944 American Champion Three-Year-Old Colt By Jimminy out of the mare Little Rebel. Little Rebel was a daughter of the broodmare Warrior Lass, whose other descendants include the Kentucky Derby winner

Riva Ridge Riva Ridge (April 13, 1969 – April 21, 1985) was a Thoroughbred racehorse, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1972. Often remembered simply as a stablemate of Secretariat, Riva Ridge was a successful racehorse in his own rig ...

and the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

winner

Bounding Home Bounding Home (1941 – February 23, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the upset winner of the 1944 Belmont Stakes that deprived Pensive of the U.S. Triple Crown. Career Bred by foodstuffs manufacturer William Zi ...

Racing career

Bold did not run in the Kentucky Derby and did not appear as a three-year-old until ten days before the Preakness Stakes. He ran twice at

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 ...

winning once and then finishing second by a neck to Alerted in the Preakness Prep over eight and a half furlongs The Kentucky Derby winner Count Turf had not been entered in the Preakness and Bold, ridden for the first time by

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Tripl ...

, started second favourite at 4.1/1 behind the

Greentree Stable Greentree Stable, in Red Bank, New Jersey, was a major American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 by Payne Whitney of the Whitney family of New York City. Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable at Sar ...

entry which comprised Big Stretch and Hall of Fame. The colt was equipped with a set of asymmetrical blinkers which blocked the vision in his right eye to prevent him drifting away from the rail. Arcaro sent Bold into the lead shortly after the start and after being briefly headed by

Counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

he opened up a clear lead. Bold turned into the stretch three lengths clear of his rivals and steadily increased his advantage to win by seven lengths from Counterpoint, with Alerted third. The win, which gave Arcaro a record fourth win in the race, reportedly attracted the biggest ever television audience for a horse race up to that time. Bold suffered from bucked shins after the Preakness, and after finishing a well-beaten third to

Count Turf Count Turf (April 27, 1948 – October 18, 1966) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1951 Kentucky Derby. His grandsire Reigh Count won the 1928 Kentucky Derby and his sire Count Fleet won the 1943 Kentucky Derby and wen ...

in the Polynesian Purse at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

he was withdrawn from the

. Bold returned to the racecourse in July to win the

Saranac Handicap The Saranac Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Graded stakes race, Grade III stakes is open to three-year-old horses and is raced on grass, turf over a distance of 1 ...

Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...

, leading all the way on a muddy to track to win by a length from Loridale.

Death

Bold's problems with bucked shins recurred during the early part of 1952. He was rested in Virginia before resuming his 4-year-old campaign in Saratoga where he ran twice without success. He was struck by lightning and killed on the evening of July 9–10, 1952 while in an outdoor training paddock.

Pedigree

References

{{Preakness Stakes Winners 1948 racehorse births 1952 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Virginia Racehorses trained in the United States Preakness Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 1-k Deaths from lightning strikes