Victory Gallop (foaled May 30, 1995, in

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Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

-bred

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 who won the 1998 Belmont Stakes to deny

Real Quiet Real Quiet (March 7, 1995 – September 27, 2010) was an American Eclipse Award, Champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. He was nicknamed "The Fish" by his trainer due to his narrow frame. He is best remembered for winning the first ...

the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

, and was the 1999 Champion Older Dirt Male.

Background

Bred by Ivan Dalos' Tall Oaks Farm, Victory Gallop was foaled later in the year than is common for most Northern Hemisphere Thoroughbreds. Sired by 1987

Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Sat ...

winner

Cryptoclearance Cryptoclearance (April 9, 1984 in Kentucky – September 24, 2009) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Florida Derby in 1987 and the Hawthorne Gold Cup in 1988 and 1999. Racing career Trained by future Hall of Fame trainer Sc ...

, who won 12 of 44 starts and earned $3,376,327 lifetime, he was out of the mare Victorious Lil. He was purchased by Prestonwood Farm of

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

, owned by Houston, Texas

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men Jack, Art, and J. R. Preston, who also owned and raced two-time

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incepti ...

winner

Da Hoss Da Hoss (January 18, 1992 – January 2, 2022) was a champion Thoroughbred gelding best known for winning the Breeders' Cup Mile two times. Background He was bred in Kentucky by Fares Farms and originally owned by Prestonwood Farm as well as W ...

Racing career

Racing at age two, Victory Gallop won two ungraded stakes races and was second in the important Laurel Futurity. The following year, in the lead-up to the American Classic Races for three-year-olds, he won the

Rebel Stakes The Rebel Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in March, at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event currently off ...

, then beat

Favorite Trick Favorite Trick (April 20, 1995 – June 6, 2006) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1997 became the first 2-year-old in twenty-five years to be voted United States Horse of the Year. Bred at Wintergreen Farm in Midway, Kentucky by M ...

in the

Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 200 ...

. In the Kentucky Derby, he was running dead last behind fourteen other horses at the half mile pole, then made a powerful drive near the end of the homestretch to pass

betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elem ...

favorite Indian Charlie but ran out of track and finished second to winner

. In 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 ...

, he finished second again to Real Quiet, then won the longer Belmont Stakes by a few inches. From there, Victory Gallop finished second behind Coronado's Quest in the

Haskell Invitational Handicap The Haskell Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles on the dirt held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event is a signature event at Monmouth ...

and 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 ...

. Racing in 1999 at age four, Victory Gallop recorded his best year. In the spring, he traveled to

Nad Al Sheba Racecourse Nad Al Sheba Racecourse was Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It had a 2,200 m left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance. It operated from November through March ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, where he finished third to Shadwell Racing 's Almutawakel in the 1999

Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse (Arabic: ميدان) which in Arabic suggests a place wh ...

. Back in the United States, he won the

Stephen Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known also as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, inc ...

and

Whitney Handicap The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...

s. In August 1999, Victory Gallop "retired at the pinnacle of his career with a torn ligament in his left foreleg... ictory Gallopprobably tore the suspensory ligament in his left foreleg near the finish line of his stirring duel with Behrens in the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga."

Stud career

Retired to stand at

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 ...

at his owner's Prestonwood Farm, Victory Gallop ranked second among 2003's freshman sires. Through November 2006, he had sired sixteen individual stakes race winners. In 2008, Victory Gallop was sold to The Jockey Club of

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Honors and awards

Victory Gallop's performances won him the 1999

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of ...

. In a poll published by the '' New York Times' About, Inc.'', he was the top vote getter for ''Most Impressive Performance of the Year'' for his win in the Stephen Foster Handicap. Victory Gallop was inducted in the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The ...

in 2010.Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Announces 2010 Inductees
/ref>

Pedigree

References

{{Belmont Stakes Winners 1995 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Canada Racehorses trained in the United States Belmont Stakes winners Eclipse Award winners Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 12-b.