Watervale (1908 – 1921) 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 of exceptional speed who set two track records in the United States and a national record in

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 ...

Background

Bred at August Belmont Jr.'s

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near Lexington, Kentucky, Watervale's dam was the retrospective American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly for 1892. His British-born sire, Watercress, was a winner of the 1892

Prince of Wales's Stakes The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 ...

who was imported to the United States by prominent breeder, James Ben Ali Haggin. Watercress also sired the very good filly, Rhine Maiden. His grandsire, Springfield, was bred by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

and was a winner of the first two runnings of the July Cup in 1876-1877 at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horserac ...

Racing career

Among his races at age two, Watervale won a six furlong race for his age group at Sheepshead Bay Race Track and finished third in the

Grand Union Hotel Stakes The Grand Union Hotel Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A sprint race, it was open to two-year-old horses and run on dirt over a distance of six furlongs. The Grand Union Ho ...

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...

. Racing at age three, on May 1, 1911 Watervale equaled the Pimlico track record of 1:12 1/5 for six furlongs. Ridden by Eddie Dugan, on May 17, 1911 Watervale set another Pimlico track record of 1:51 flat for 1⅛ miles in winning an

American Classic ''American Classic'' is the 57th studio album by American country music artist Willie Nelson, released on August 25, 2009. It focuses on the American popular songbook and standard jazz classics, and includes guest appearances by Norah Jones 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 () o ...

. On July 5, 1911, Watervale broke the Canadian record for a mile and a furlong when he won the feature race at

Fort Erie Racetrack Fort Erie Race Track is a horse racing facility in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, that opened on June 16, 1897. The racetrack is often referred to as "the border oval" because of the track's proximity (barely a mile as the crow flies) to the U.S. bo ...

in Fort Erie, Ontario. His winning time of 151 2/5 was achieved despite being slowed by his jockey before the finish line.

Stud career

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, Watervale met with limited success as a sire. He was euthanized at the Military Stock Farm after becoming blind in October 1921.

Pedigree

References

{{Preakness Stakes Winners 1908 racehorse births 1921 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Preakness Stakes winners Belmont family Thoroughbred family 4-r