Greek Money (foaled 1959 in

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 ...

) 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 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 ...

best known for winning the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, 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 () on ...

Background

Greek Money was a chestnut horse sired by Greek Song whose wins included the 1950

Arlington Classic The Arlington Classic Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late May at Arlington Park race track near Chicago. History The event was inaugurated ...

. His dam was English

mare 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 ...

Lucy Lufton, a daughter of

Nimbus Nimbus, from the Latin for "dark cloud", is an outdated term for the type of cloud now classified as the nimbostratus cloud. Nimbus also may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Halo (religious iconography), also known as ''Nimbus'', a ring of ligh ...

, the 1949

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

winner. Greek Money was bred and raced by entities owned by

Donald P. Ross Donald Peabody Ross (November 5, 1902 – October 11, 1973) was an American businessman who co-founded Delaware Park Racetrack in Stanton, Delaware, and whose Brandywine Stable won the 1962 Preakness Stakes with its colt, Greek Money. Another of t ...

, co-owner of

Delaware Park Racetrack Delaware Park (also known as ''DelPark'') is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track, casino, and golf course in Stanton, Delaware. It is located just outside the city of Wilmington, and about 30 miles from Philadelphia. Thoroughbred racing ...

. He was trained by Buddy Raines.

Racing career

Greek Money had won three of his four starts going into the 1962 Preakness Stakes. Ridden by

John Rotz John L. Rotz (December 16, 1934 – July 12, 2021) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey and a World Champion in Western riding competitions. Early career After graduating from Warrensburg-Latham High School in Illinois in 1952, Rotz ...

, he defeated

Ridan Nadir Kouidri (born 1975 in France) better known by his stage name Ridan, is a French singer/songwriter of Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 ...

by a nose to win the Preakness

Greek Money was made the betting favorite for 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 ...

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but finished seventh to winner Jaipur (horse), Jaipur. After that, he won only an allowance race in his next six starts. In 1963, his most important win of the year came in the Excelsior Handicap at New York's

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

. In 1964, Greek Money won the Pennycomequick Purse at Delaware Park Racetrack.

Stud record

As a sire, Greek Money met with limited success.

Breeding

References

Greek Money's pedigree and partial racing stats

Video at YouTube of Greek Money winning the 1962 Preakness Stakes
{{Preakness Stakes Winners 1959 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Virginia Racehorses trained in the United States Preakness Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 1-l