Delhi (1901–1925) 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 that won the 1904 Belmont Stakes. He was the top money-winner of 1904 and was consequently named the co-historical

American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ''Turf & Sport ...

with Ort Wells. The following year, he was also the historical American Champion Older Male Horse, co-champion once again with Ort Wells. While Delhi did have limited success in the stud, he is not considered to be an influential sire.

Pedigree

Delhi was foaled at Castleton Stud, the Thoroughbred breeding farm of

James R. Keene James Robert Keene (February 8, 1838 - January 3, 1913) was a Wall Street stockbroker and a major thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder. Biography He was born in London, England in 1838. He was fourteen years of age when his family immigr ...

in Lexington. He was sired by

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 ...

, the 1896 Kentucky Derby winner, who also sired noted stallions

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 ...

and

Sweep Sweep or swept may refer to: Cleaning * Sweep, the action of using a brush to clean * Chimney sweep, a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys * Street sweeper, a person's occupation, or a machine that cleans streets * Swept quartz, a cleani ...

. His

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

, Veva, was sired by the imported French stallion Mortemer which won the 1871 Ascot Gold Cup. Fully grown, Delhi stood 16.1 hands high, weighed 1240 pounds with a girth of 75 inches and had a

cannon bone Good conformation in the limbs leads to improved movement and decreased likelihood of injuries. Large differences in bone structure and size can be found in horses used for different activities, but correct conformation remains relatively simil ...

length of eight inches.

Racing career

Delhi was an inauspicious two-year-old, winning only the $25,650

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 ...

in 1903. His record improved as a three-year-old, notably securing the 1904 Belmont Stakes from Graziallo in a time of 2:06 over a distance of 1 miles. Delhi placed second in the 1904

Tidal Stakes The Tidal Stakes is a discontinued Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run at the Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York from the 1880s through until the track closed in 1910. According to a 1901 report on the ra ...

behind Ort Wells while being ridden by jockey

George M. Odom George Martin Odom (July 8, 1882 – July 29, 1964) was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame jockey and trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. He is only one of two people to ever have won the Belmont Stakes as both a jockey a ...

. Other wins included the 1904

Withers Stakes The Withers Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The event currently carries a purse ...

, the Saratoga Derby (run in conjunction with the Hopeful Stakes) and the Great Republic Stakes. Delhi also won the Brooklyn Handicap as a four-year-old, but he only made three, unplaced starts as a five-year-old before being retired by Keene. In his racing career, he started 23 times, with 8 wins, 2 places and 1 show.

Stud career

Delhi was retired from racing as a five-year old in June 1906 and was sent to Castleton Farm for use as a breeding stallion. Delhi's most notable offspring for Keene was the

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

Dominant (br. 1913 out of Dominoes by

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 ...

) which was the 1915 Champion two-year-old colt and won the 1915

and

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 ...

. He also produced Outram (b. 1909 out of Gingham by Domino), the first American-bred horse to win the Lincolnshire Handicap run at Doncaster Racecourse in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. After the death of James R. Keene in 1913, Delhi was owned by his son Foxhall P. Keene until being sold in September 1913 to Price McKinney for $2,500. McKinney partnered with steel-magnate and noted turfman James C. Corrigan to form the Wickliffe Stud, which also housed Colin and Ultimus until the entire stable was dispersed in 1918. Delhi was sold in January 1918 to Thomas Piatt, who owned Cresswood Stock Farm in Lexington in partnership with J.D. and T.B. Carr, for $2,400. Delhi became the principal stallion at the farm, producing foals until 1925. Delhi died on May 19, 1925, at Runner's Rest, the farm of Lucas B. Coombs, in Lexington at the age of 24. Delhi was considered to be a commendable broodmare sire, with his descendants through the female-line accumulating over $50,000 in purse money in 1921. His daughter Tripping produced the 1920 Futurity Stakes winner Step Lightly, a filly whose photograph is often mistaken for

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 t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delhi (Horse) 1901 racehorse births 1925 racehorse deaths Belmont Stakes winners Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 4-r