King James (foaled 1905 in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

) 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. Bred by one of America's most important

breeders A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist, ...

John E. Madden John Edward Madden (December 28, 1856 – November 3, 1929) was a prominent American Thoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky ...

, he was the son of 1898 Kentucky Derby winner

Plaudit Plaudit (1895–1919) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A descendant of English Triple Crown champion, West Australian, he was bred by Dr. John D. Neet, owner of Kindergarten Stud at Versailles, Kentucky. Plaudit is best known for win ...

. Although burdened by a bad stride that limited his racing ability, King James raced for five years, won a number of top events, and is acknowledged as the historical American Champion Older Male Horse of 1909. Trained by John Madden, in 1907 King James faced stiff competition from future Hall of Fame inductee Colin. However, King James won the important

Tremont Stakes The Tremont Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race run annually for two-year-olds over the distance of 5½ furlongs on the dirt in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event carries a purse of US$150,000. History First ...

and at age three was a top contender in New York racing. While his only significant win in 1908 came in the Annual Champion Stakes at the Sheepshead Bay Race Track, in other major events he ran second in the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds acco ...

, the Brooklyn Derby, and the Suburban Handicap plus earned thirds in the pre-Triple Crown Belmont Stakes,

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 ...

, and Brooklyn Handicap. In 1909, John Madden sold King James to

Sam Hildreth Samuel Clay Hildreth (May 16, 1866 – September 24, 1929) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.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 ...

, where he won three important Handicap races. Returning to the New York racing circuit, King James won the Brooklyn Handicap and the

Metropolitan Handicap The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile", is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile (8 fu ...

and in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, the first of his two consecutive Toronto Cup Handicaps. Of his twelve starts that year, he had ten wins and two seconds, which earned him a historical

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

as the Top Handicap Male Horse in the United States. At age five in 1910, King James won the Annual Champion Stakes,

Sheepshead Bay Handicap The Sheepshead Bay Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares ages four-years-old and older run over a distance of one and three-eighth miles on the turf scheduled annually in early May at Belmont Park in Elmont, ...

, his second straight Toronto Cup Handicap, and the Brighton Mile run that year at Empire City Race Track. He continued to race through age seven with reasonable success, retiring with earnings in excess of $100,000. He was sent to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

duty at Henry T. Oxnard's Blue Ridge Farm 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 ...

, where he sired ten stakes race winners. His offspring includes Travers and

winner

Spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

(b. 1909) and the filly My Dear (b. 1917), who raced successfully in Canada and the United States and was the 1921 American Champion Older Female Horse. King James was the damsire of Dark Secret (horse), Dark Secret and full sisters Mona Bell, the 2000 Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee, and Iribelle, a foundation mare for E. P. Taylor, E. P. Taylor's Windfields Farm, National Stud of Canada farm.King James at Thoroughbred Heritage
Retrieved 2011-06-02.

References

{{Reflist 1905 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses Thoroughbred family 12-b