Ruthless (horse)
| Ruthless | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Eclipse |
| Grandsire | Orlando |
| Dam | Barbarity |
| Damsire | Simoon |
| Sex | Filly |
| Foaled | 1864 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Francis Morris |
| Owner | Francis Morris |
| Trainer | A. Jack Minor |
| Jockey | Gilbert Patrick |
| Record | 11 starts, 7-4-0 |
| Earnings | $11,000 (approximately $188,000 as of 2017) |
| Major wins | |
| 1866 Nursery Stakes 1867 Travers Stakes 1867 Belmont Stakes |
|
| Honours | |
|
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1975 Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack |
|
| Last updated on February 6, 2011 | |
Ruthless (1864–1876) was an American Thoroughbred filly and a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame-inducted racehorse. She is best known as the winner of the inaugural Belmont Stakes.
Owned and bred by Francis Morris of New York, and was foaled on Morris's farm at Throgg's Neck, New York. Ruthless was sired by the imported stallion Eclipse (born 1854) and out of the imported mare Barbarity who also produced several other award-winning daughters collectively known as the "Barbarous Battalion". The other "Battalion" members, all full sisters, were Remorseless, Relentless, Regardless, and Merciless. Barbarity was an 1854 bay mare sired by Simoon and her dam was named Dam who was sired by Buzzard, Eclipse was sired by Orlando and out of the mare Gaze by Bay Middleton. and was imported at the same time as Eclipse.
As a two-year-old, Ruthless won the Nursery Handicap in 1866. This was the inaugural running of the race, which took place at Jerome Park Racetrack and was a 1 mile (1,600 meters) race restricted to two-year-olds. Her jockey was Davidson and she carried 97 pounds (44 kilograms) for the win. Second place was Maid of Honor and third was Monday. The value to the winner was $2,450 (approximately $40,000 as of 2017) and the winning time was 1 minute 49 seconds. She won by six lengths, and the correspondent for the New York Times commented that she finished the race "galloping along as if she was at exercise".
On June 4, 1867, Ruthless ran in the Jersey Derby at Paterson, New York. This was a 1 1⁄2 miles (2,400 m) race for three-year-olds, and Ruthless placed second to her stablemate Monday, who won by two lengths. On June 19, 1867, Ruthless beat out De Courcey by a head at Jerome Park Racetrack to win the inaugural running of the Belmont Stakes. The winner's share of the purse was $1,850 (approximately $32,000 as of 2017) and the winning time was 3 minutes and 5 seconds. Her jockey was Gilbert Patrick, later inducted into the Hall of Fame, whose name was often abbreviated to "Gilpatrick" in the race results. The race was run at a distance of 1 5⁄8 miles (2,600 m) and the track was heavy. Rivoli came in third and the last place horse was Monday, also owned by Morris. Morris had originally intended Monday to win the race, but De Courcey's speed was such that Ruthless' jockey, in attempt to help out Monday, managed to win the race. The correspondent for the New York Times called it a "splendid race home" and "a most exciting finish", as Ruthless won by "a short neck". Although seven other horses had originally been entered, the speed of Morris' two horses was such that they all forfeited the race rather than face Monday and Ruthless. Since Ruthless' victory, only two other fillies have won the Belmont Stakes. Tanya did it in 1905 and Rags to Riches in 2007.
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