Lawrin (May 15, 1935 – September 1, 1955) 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 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 ...

owned by Herbert M. Woolf who won the 1938 Kentucky Derby. He was the son of Insco. He is the only

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

-bred winner of the Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Derby winner ridden by the great jockey Eddie Arcaro. Lawrin died in 1955 and was buried next to his sire, Insco, on

Woolford Farm Woolford Farm raised thoroughbred race horses in eastern Kansas, in what is now the city of Prairie Village, a suburb of Kansas City. The was owned by Herbert M. Woolf. Trainer Ben A. Jones worked there before going to Calumet Farm in Lexi ...

in what would become

Prairie Village, Kansas Prairie Village is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 22,957. History After the successful development of the Country Cl ...

. One can still visit his grave in the

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

at 59 Le Mans Court, Prairie Village, just northwest of Mission Road & Somerset.

Racing career

Lawrin was trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame Ben Jones He made 23 starts before the Derby in 1938, notably winning the Hialeah Stakes and the

Flamingo Stakes The Flamingo Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of a mile and one-eighth. Run as the Florida Derby until 1937, the inaugural event took place at Tampa Downs on February 27, 1926. There was ...

at Florida's Hialeah Park. Following his Derby win, Lawrin was raced in California where he won the Hollywood Trial Stakes plus the American Invitational 3-Year-Old Championship at California's newly opened

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to ...

The Kentucky Derby

During the race, Arcaro took Lawrin to an early 3-length lead keeping to the rail. However, Lawrin started to tire with an eighth of a mile to go and drifted to the middle of the track. Future Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Arcaro, who got the first of his five Derby wins, urged him on and was able keep the lead from a furiously gaining Dauber. Lawrin won over a field that also included

Menow Menow (1935–1964) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won several important races in 1937, when he was voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse. Background Bred and raced by Hal Price Headley, Menow was foaled on May 19, late ...

Fighting Fox Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

, and

Bull Lea A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includ ...

. Lawrin did not run in the Preakness and

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, nickname ...

, the remaining two U.S. Triple Crown series. On April 14, 2007, on behalf of the Village Council, the Mayor of Prairie Village, Kansas proclaimed Saturday, May 5, 2007 to be Lawrin's Legacy Day.

References

External links

Lawrin's pedigree plus photo
{{Kentucky Derby Winners 1935 racehorse births 1955 racehorse deaths Kentucky Derby winners Racehorses bred in Kansas Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 4-m