Bold Forbes (March 31, 1973 – August 9, 2000) was a champion

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, winner of the 1976 Kentucky Derby and 1976 Belmont Stakes.

Background

Bold Forbes was a bay horse bred 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 ...

by Lee Eaton. Bold Forbes' dam Comely Nell was a daughter of the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday ...

winner

Nellie L Nellie L. (foaled 1940 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse bred and raced by Calumet Farm. She was sired by Blenheim and out of the mare Nellie Flag. Trained by Ben Jones, in 1943 Nellie L. won the Kentucky Oaks and Acorn Sta ...

Racing career

1975: two-year-old season

Bold Forbes was campaigned in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

as a two-year-old, where he won seven of eight starts in 1975. He was then transferred to the United States where he won the

Saratoga Special Stakes The Saratoga Special Stakes is an American grade II thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is for two-year-olds willing to race six furlongs on the dirt. With its first r ...

and the

Tremont Stakes The Tremont Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race run annually for two-year-olds over the distance of 5½ furlongs on the dirt in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event carries a purse of US$150,000. History First ...

1976: three-year-old season

As a three-year-old Bold Forbes was trained by

Laz Barrera Lazaro Sosa Barrera (May 8, 1924 – April 25, 1991) was a Cuban-born American Hall of Fame thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born in Havana, "Laz" Barrera was one of nine brothers who went on to become involved in thoroughbred horse racing in th ...

. He won the San Jacinto Stakes,

Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memorial ...

and

Bay Shore Stakes The Bay Shore Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. The event currently offers a ...

. On the first Saturday in May 1976, Bold Forbes contested 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 ...

. Ridden by

Angel Cordero In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

, he led from the start, setting a "blistering pace", and won by half a length from the 2/5 favourite

Honest Pleasure {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Honest Pleasure , image = , caption = , sire = What a Pleasure , grandsire = Bold Ruler , dam = Tularia , damsire = Tulyar , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1973 , country = United States , colour = D ...

. 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 () on ...

Bold Forbes again took an early lead and set an exceptionally fast pace, but after a prolonged battle with Honest Pleasure, both horses tired in the final stages and were beaten by

Elocutionist Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

, with Bold Forbes finishing third. In the

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, nicknamed Th ...

, Bold Forbes again led from the start and won by a neck from McKenzie Bridge with Great Contractor a further neck away in third. At the end of the year, Bold Forbes was voted

American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ''Turf & Sport ...

. He lost Horse of the Year honors to six-year-old champion

Forego Forego (April 30, 1970 – August 27, 1997) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won eight Eclipse Awards including Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse and Champion Sprinter. Background Foaled at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentuc ...

Retirement

Bold Forbes was retired to stud after his three-year-old season with earnings of $546,536. He stood at Stone Farm in Paris, Kentucky. He sired 13 crops through 1990 with 460 named foals and 304 winners, 30 of which were stakes winners, and his offspring have won over $18 million. Some of Bold Forbes' offspring include champions Tiffany Lass (winner of the Kentucky Oaks) and Bold Apparel, as well as Grade I stakes winner Air Forbes Won. The dark bay/brown champion was moved to the Kentucky Horse Park in April 1991. He was a resident of the Hall of Champions for nine years. Until his death, he was the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner. He died on August 9, 2000, at the age of 27 after being humanely euthanized due to renal failure and complications from gastroenteritis. Bold Forbes is buried at the Hall of Champions, where a memorial is dedicated to him in the "Memorial of Champions."

Career earnings

In 1975, at age two, Bold Forbes started 8 times, winning seven times and finishing third once, for earnings of $86,250. In 1976, as a three-year-old, he made 10 starts, winning six, placing second once, and placing third three times. He won a total of $460,286.

Pedigree

References

{{Belmont Stakes Winners 1973 racehorse births 2000 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Puerto Rico Racehorses trained in the United States Kentucky Derby winners Belmont Stakes winners Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 9-f