Pillory (foaled 1919 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 to ...

) 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 ...

Background

Pillory was a chestnut horse bred and raced by the co-owner and president of Saratoga Race Course, Richard T. Wilson, Jr. Pillory was sired by Wilson's

Olambala Olambala (1906–1935) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Olambala was bred in Tennessee by John G. Greener. He was sired by the British-born sire Ornus, a son of Bend Or, a two-time leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Irel ...

, a multiple winner of important races including the

Latonia Derby The Latonia Derby was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1883 through 1937 at Latonia Race Track in Latonia, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, for its first 52 years the Latonia Derby was contested at a mile and a half t ...

and

Suburban Handicap The Suburban Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is now run at the mile distance on dirt for a $700,000 purse. Named after the City and Su ...

, and who sired several top runners including the 1916 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt

Campfire A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...

, and top handicap winner

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. Pillory's damsire was Disguise, who raced for

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 ...

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and was a son of Domino.

Racing career

At age three in 1922, Pillory ran second to J. S. Cosden's French import Snob II. Thoroughbred racing in 1922 was still a time when the U.S. Triple Crown series had not yet achieved the level of importance it would in the next decade. As such, despite being very important races, the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

and 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 ...

were both run on May 13, 1922. The handlers of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

-based Pillory chose not to send the colt on the long

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

trip to Louisville for the Derby. Instead, they entered the colt in the then

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. In the Preakness, Pillory took the lead on the turn into the stretch and prevailed by a head from Hea after what the press described as a "furious" drive to the finish. Pillory's time of 1:51.60, equaled the winning time of Man o' War two years earlier.

Stud record

Pillory was not successful at stud. He was eventually sold to the U.S. Army as a remount stallion. Avalyn Hunter,''American classic pedigrees: 1914-2003'', Blood Horse Publications, 2003

Pedigree

References

{{Belmont Stakes Winners 1919 racehorse births racehorses bred in Kentucky racehorses trained in the United States thoroughbred family 13