Gallahadion (March 31, 1937 – July 7, 1958) 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 as the 1940 winner of the Kentucky Derby. He was a son of the

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

sire Sir Gallahad III, and his dam-sire was U.S. Horse of the Year

Reigh Count Reigh Count (April 13, 1925–April 8, 1948) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1928 Kentucky Derby and the 1929 Coronation Cup in England. Reigh Count was bred by Willis Sharpe Kilmer and foaled at Court Ma ...

, who won the 1928 Kentucky Derby. Owned by Ethel V. Mars' Milky Way Farm Stable, named for her company's famous

chocolate bar A chocolate bar (Commonwealth English) or candy bar (some dialects of American English) is a confection containing chocolate, which may also contain layerings or mixtures that include nuts, fruit, caramel, nougat, and wafers. A flat, easily brea ...

brand, Gallahadion raced at age three in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Although he was unplaced in the

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is one ...

and the

San Juan Capistrano Handicap The San Juan Capistrano Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of run on the turf track held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in June. The event currently offers a purse ...

, after winning the 1940

San Vicente Stakes The San Vicente Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park. A Grade II event, the race is open to three-year-old horses willing to race seven furlongs on the dirt and currently carries a purse of $200,000. Hist ...

and finishing second in the

Derby Trial The Pat Day Mile Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on dirt over a distance of one mile scheduled on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The current purse is $500,000. Histo ...

, Gallahadion was entered in the Kentucky Derby.

Triple Crown races

In the 1940 Kentucky Derby, Edward R. Bradley's colt Bimelech, the 1939 U.S. 2-Year-Old Champion, was the overwhelming favorite,

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down to 40¢ on the dollar. Mioland, owned by

Charles S. Howard Charles Stewart Howard (February 28, 1877 – June 6, 1950) was an American businessman. He made his fortune as an automobile dealer and became a prominent thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner. Biography Howard was dubbed one of the most s ...

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-horse ...

fame, was a very distant second choice at more than 6:1 odds. Given almost no chance, Gallahadion was sent off as a 36:1 longshot but under jockey

Carroll Bierman Carroll M. Bierman (October 22, 1918 – March 22, 1970) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey born in Centralia, Illinois. In 1940, he won the Kentucky Derby on Gallahadion in an upset over heavily favored Bimelech. That Derby ...

scored an upset over Bimelech. For owner Ethel V. Mars, whom the May 9, 1940 ''Centralia Illinois Evening Sentinel'' reported had spent more than $500,000 buying horses since 1935 with the eye to winning the Derby. Gallahadion was her eighth horse to run in the Derby in the past six years. Previously, Mrs. Mars' best results came in 1935 and 1937 when her horses finished third. A severe cold kept her at home and she was not at Churchill Downs to see her horse capture the one race she had wanted to win most of all. In the second and third legs of the U.S. Triple Crown, Bimelech won both races. Gallahadion finished third in the

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 ...

, then found the extra distance in the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes too much and was unplaced. During the remainder of 1940, Gallahadion met with little success, as he did the following year when he raced at age four.

References

External links

Gallahadion's pedigree and racing stats
{{Kentucky Derby Winners 1937 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Kentucky Derby winners Mars family Thoroughbred family 4-e