Armed
Encyclopedia
Armed was an American
Thoroughbred
gelding
race horse
. He was sired by the great stakes
winner Bull Lea
, which made him a half-brother to Citation
. His dam was Armful, whose sire was Belmont Stakes
winner Chance Shot, and whose grandsire was the great Fair Play
.
Small for his age and very headstrong, Armed's habit of biting and kicking hay
out of his handler's pitchfork
, along with being practically untrainable, caused his trainer
, Ben A. Jones
, to send him back to Calumet Farm
to be gelded
and turned out to grow up. He returned to the track late in his two-year-old season and resumed training.
His first start was as a three year old the following February and he won at Hialeah Park by eight lengths. He won again less than a week later but then won only once in five starts and had to be rested due to an ankle
injury.
Armed raced for seven seasons, from 1944 to 1950, finishing with a 41-20-10 record in 81 starts. Ridden by Douglas Dodson
, the 1947 season saw him defeat U.S. Triple Crown
champion Assault
in a match race
at Belmont Park
and also set a new track record of 2:01-3/5 for one and one-quarter miles while winning the Widener Handicap
and carrying 129 pounds. He repeated as American Champion Older Male Horse plus was voted 1947 American Horse of the Year honors. Armed died in 1964 of an intestinal tumor
. In 1963, Armed was inducted into National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
. In The Blood-Horse ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, he was ranked #39.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
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...
gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
race horse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. He was sired by the great stakes
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
winner Bull Lea
Bull Lea
Bull Lea was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is best known as the foundation sire responsible for making Calumet Farm one of the most successful racing stables in American history...
, which made him a half-brother to Citation
Citation (horse)
Citation was the eighth American Triple Crown winner, and one of three major North American Thoroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competition...
. His dam was Armful, whose sire was Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
winner Chance Shot, and whose grandsire was the great Fair Play
Fair Play (horse)
Fair Play was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was successful on the track, but even more so as a sire.His grandsire was Spendthrift, whose grandsire was the English Triple Crown champion West Australian....
.
Small for his age and very headstrong, Armed's habit of biting and kicking hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
out of his handler's pitchfork
Pitchfork
A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines used to lift and pitch loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, dung or other agricultural materials. Pitchforks typically have two or three tines...
, along with being practically untrainable, caused his trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
, Ben A. Jones
Ben A. Jones
Benjamin Allyn Jones was a thoroughbred horse trainer.Born in Parnell, Missouri, Ben Jones went into the business of breeding and training of thoroughbreds during the first decade of the 20th century, racing his horses on small circuits in the American West and in Mexico...
, to send him back to Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...
to be gelded
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
and turned out to grow up. He returned to the track late in his two-year-old season and resumed training.
His first start was as a three year old the following February and he won at Hialeah Park by eight lengths. He won again less than a week later but then won only once in five starts and had to be rested due to an ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
injury.
Armed raced for seven seasons, from 1944 to 1950, finishing with a 41-20-10 record in 81 starts. Ridden by Douglas Dodson
Douglas Dodson
Douglas Allan Dodson was a Champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Douglas Dodson was born in Pickardville, Alberta, Canada, the son of James Floyd and Emma Dodson. His family moved to a ranch in Elk River, Idaho when he was still a child and as a small boy he learned to ride horses...
, the 1947 season saw him defeat U.S. Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
champion Assault
Assault (horse)
Assault was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the U.S. Triple Crown in 1946.-Early life:...
in a match race
Match race
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.The term may be best known as a race between two sailing boats racing around a course...
at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
and also set a new track record of 2:01-3/5 for one and one-quarter miles while winning the Widener Handicap
Widener Handicap
The Widener Handicap at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida was a Grade III stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses 3-years-old and up. It was run over a distance of 1¼ miles until 1993 when it was modified to 1 1/8 miles. Initially called the Widener Challenge Cup Handicap, the race was...
and carrying 129 pounds. He repeated as American Champion Older Male Horse plus was voted 1947 American Horse of the Year honors. Armed died in 1964 of an intestinal tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
. In 1963, Armed was inducted into National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
. In The Blood-Horse ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, he was ranked #39.