Survivor 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. He was foaled 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 ...

in 1870 and is best known as the winner of the first running of 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 ...

in 1873 at

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 ...

. Survivor's record winning margin of 10

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

lasted for 131 years until

Smarty Jones Smarty Jones (February 28, 2001) is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and came second in the Belmont Stakes. Background Born at Fairthorne Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the horse was n ...

won in 2004 by 11 lengths during his bid for the Triple Crown.

Background

Survivor was bred in

in 1870 at Ashland Stud, owned by John Morrison Clay. His dam was a mare named Millie J, and he was sired by Vandal, who would go to sire a number of other stakes winners. Survivor was sold for $1,000 to John Chamberlin.

Racing career

Survivor was trained by Allen Davis Pryor, a son of the famous horse trainer

John Benjamin Pryor John Benjamin Pryor (1812 – December 26, 1890), was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He trained Lexington, a top racehorse of the 1850s whose excellence in competition and reputation as a sire stud continued well into the 20th c ...

. He started only twice as a two-year-old, not winning either race. Survivor entered his three-year-old season as a maiden.

1873 Preakness Stakes

The most important race in Survivor's career was the inaugural running of the

in 1873. The race, run on May 27, had seven entrants. The race's favorite was Catesby, who'd already set records as a two-year-old. Little was expected of Survivor, whose odds sat at 11–1. However, Survivor, ridden by future hall of fame jockey George Barbee, ended up winning the race by ten lengths, a record that stood until 2004. His final time was 2:43.

Later career

Following his win in the Preakness, Survivor raced in the

Monmouth Cup The Monmouth Cup Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of miles annually in early July at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event currently offers a purse of $400,00 ...

, coming fourth. Later that year, he won the Sequel Stakes at Monmouth, as well as a match race and a race at Jerome Park. Survivor missed the 1874 season due to an injury, but returned to racing the following year after being sold to a new owner, A. M. Burton. He started 21 times that year, winning seven. In 1876 he had eight starts, and won five. Overall, Survivor had 37 starts during his career, and won 16.

Death

Survivor died during spring of 1878 in Louisiana. His death was announced on April 13.

Pedigree

References

1870 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Preakness Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 40 Byerley Turk sire line {{Racehorse-stub