Needles (horse)
| Needles | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Ponder |
| Grandsire | Pensive |
| Dam | Noodle Soup |
| Damsire | Jack High |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1953 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | W. E. Leach |
| Owner | D & H Stable |
| Trainer | Hugh L. Fontaine |
| Record | 21: 11-3-3 |
| Earnings | $600,355 |
| Major wins | |
|
Hopeful Stakes (1955) Sapling Stakes (1955) Flamingo Stakes (1956) Florida Derby (1956) Fort Lauderdale Handicap (1957) Kentucky Derby (1956) Belmont Stakes (1956) |
|
| Awards | |
|
U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt (1955) U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt (1956) |
|
| Honours | |
|
United States Racing Hall of Fame (2000) |
|
| Last updated on December 9, 2006 | |
United States Racing Hall of Fame (2000)
Needles Stakes at Calder Race Course
Needles (April 29, 1953 – October 15, 1984) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1956, he became the first Florida-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby and also won the Belmont Stakes.
Needles was a bay colt bred and raised in Ocala, Florida. He was the descendant of Blenheim II and a son and grandson of Kentucky Derby winners Ponder and Pensive. Needles was a sickly foal who was given his name because of the numerous veterinary injections he was given to overcome broken ribs and pneumonia.
At age two, Needles won six of ten starts, including the prestigious Hopeful Stakes. His performances that year earned him the 1955 championship as two-year-old colt.
Ridden by David Erb, Needles was a crowd favorite for his come-from-behind style, sometimes overcoming a 15-length deficit. The betting favorite, Needles won the 1956 Kentucky Derby by coming from 16th place in a field of 17 to make up 24 lengths and win going away. His victory marked the first time a Florida-bred horse won America's most prestigious horse race.
In the Preakness Stakes, the next leg of the U.S. Triple Crown races at Pimlico Race Course, Needles finished second to the Calumet Farm colt Fabius, whom he had beaten in the Derby. Needles then came back in New York to win the grueling 1½-mile Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown races. Career Boy finished second and Fabius ran third. Needles earned another championship as three-year-old colt in 1956.
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