Devil His Due
Encyclopedia
Devil His Due was multimillionaire American Thoroughbred
racehorse and successful sire. Bred in Kentucky
by Peter E. Blum and raced under the Blue Ribbon Farm banner, he had a record of 41: 11-12-3 with career earnings of $
3,920,405. At the time of his retirement he was fourth on the all time career earnings list. Devil His Due was best known for his three races in the grade one Pimlico Special
(1 win and 2 seconds) and his two wins in the grade one Suburban Handicap
. Devil His Due was registered as a dark bay colt; but was later classified as a "true black."
when he won both of New York's top Triple Crown prep races. Devil His Due won the $500,000 Grade I Wood Memorial Stakes
at nine furlongs on the dirt. Prior to the Wood win, he romped in the $250,000 Grade II Gotham Stakes
by four and one half lengths.
His Triple Crown experience in 1992 was less than spectacular after he finished eleventh in the Kentucky Derby
way behind winner Lil E. Tee
. Later that summer, he placed third in the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes
at Saratoga Race Course
as a prep race for the Mid-summer Derby. In the $1,000,000 Grade I Travers Stakes
, Devil His Due ran second to Thunder Rumble. He finished the year with a record of (15): 4-2-1 and earnings of $688,365.
In the Pimlico Special, he was a slight favorite at 1.3 to 1 over the prior year's Derby winner Strike the Gold
at 1.7 to 1. That year, the country's top racetracks, owners and breeders established a series of seven handicap races for older horses to showcase the industry's top division and called it the American Championship Racing Series or A.C.R.S. The Pimlico Special was the capstone of that series. As they broke from the gate and passed the stands for the first time, Ibex took the lead by a length over Pistols and Roses
while Devil His Due trailed two lengths behind him. Jockey Herb McCauley
was content to keep Devil His Due in a stalking position of third throughout the first mile. On the far turn, Valley Crossings passed everyone to lead. Devil His Due and Pistols and Roses made a charge at the leader, but only the Devil got by. Devil His Due finished the race in 1:55.2 on a track listed as fast. Valley Crossings finished second, and Pistols and Roses finished third. Derby winner Strike the Gold was never a factor and finished sixth. That win in the Grade I $600,000 Special was the largest of Devil His Due's career. He also received a $150,000 bonus for winning the first half of the ACRS series (after four races).
Devil His Due also won the $400,000 Grade I Gulfstream Park Handicap
at ten furlongs at Gulfstream Park
and the $300,000 Grade I Suburban Handicap
at Belmont Park
that year. In other races at age four, Devil His Due won the Grade II Excelsior Handicap
, was second in the Grade I Woodward Stakes
, finished second in the Grade I Philip H. Iselin Handicap
, and ran third in the Grade I Whitney Handicap
.
but also won the grade two Brooklyn Handicap
both at Belmont Park
. He also won the grade three Broward Handicap at Gulfstream Park
in 1994. His runner-ip placings is a roll call of the country's top races with seconds in the grade one Jockey Club Gold Cup
, the grade one Oaklawn Handicap
, the grade one Pimlico Special, the grade one Woodward Stakes
, the grade one Whitney Handicap
, the grade one NYRA Mile Handicap
and a third in the grade one Metropolitan Handicap
.
at Aqueduct Racetrack
. In his next start, he finished off the board. His trainer and owner then placed him in a very ambitious spot, hoping that he was a horse for the course at Pimlico Race Course
, by running him against that decade's super horse, Cigar
, in the Pimlico Special. Cigar won by two and 1/4 lengths. Devil His Due earned $120,000 for his second-place performance. In the process, he set a career earnings record that still stands for "Special" runners at $900,000. One of Devil His Due's claims to fame is that in an era of vast Lasix and steroid use, he ran completely drug free in 41 starts for a total of over 44 miles of racing.
who earned $5,480,187; graded stakes winner Spite The Devil with earnings of $849,512; grade two winning top filly She's a Devil with earnings of $533,820; Devil Time with earnings of $490,351; Hostility with earnings of $401,829 and in 2008 multiple stakes winner Stop a Train with earnings of $482,084.
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...
racehorse and successful sire. Bred in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
by Peter E. Blum and raced under the Blue Ribbon Farm banner, he had a record of 41: 11-12-3 with career earnings of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3,920,405. At the time of his retirement he was fourth on the all time career earnings list. Devil His Due was best known for his three races in the grade one Pimlico Special
Pimlico Special
The Pimlico Special is an American thoroughbred horse race held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland in mid May. It is raced on dirt over a distance of 1³/16 miles . The race is currently open to horses age three and older and offers a purse of $250,000.The Pimlico Special was first run in...
(1 win and 2 seconds) and his two wins in the grade one Suburban Handicap
Suburban Handicap
The Suburban Handicap is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is run at the classic one-and-one-quarter mile distance on dirt for a $400,000 purse....
. Devil His Due was registered as a dark bay colt; but was later classified as a "true black."
Three year-old season
Devil His Due was a late-developing colt and did not race as a two year-old. As a three year-old, he raced a great deal, starting in 15 races that year. His marquee wins both came at Aqueduct RacetrackAqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
when he won both of New York's top Triple Crown prep races. Devil His Due won the $500,000 Grade I Wood Memorial Stakes
Wood Memorial Stakes
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
at nine furlongs on the dirt. Prior to the Wood win, he romped in the $250,000 Grade II Gotham Stakes
Gotham Stakes
The Gotham Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Grade III event with a purse of $250,000, it is set at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt...
by four and one half lengths.
His Triple Crown experience in 1992 was less than spectacular after he finished eleventh in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
way behind winner Lil E. Tee
Lil E. Tee
Lil E. Tee was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1992 scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Kentucky Derby.-Background:...
. Later that summer, he placed third in the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes
Jim Dandy Stakes
The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. It carries a purse of $500,000. Prior...
at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
as a prep race for the Mid-summer Derby. In the $1,000,000 Grade I Travers Stakes
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
, Devil His Due ran second to Thunder Rumble. He finished the year with a record of (15): 4-2-1 and earnings of $688,365.
Four year-old season
At age four, Devil His Due posted perhaps the best year of his career when he raced eleven times and won three Grade I and one Grade II stake races. That year, his race record was four wins, two seconds, and two thirds in eleven races for earnings of $1,939,120.In the Pimlico Special, he was a slight favorite at 1.3 to 1 over the prior year's Derby winner Strike the Gold
Strike the Gold
Strike the Gold is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1991 Kentucky Derby. Upon the death of 1987 Derby winner Alysheba in March 2009, Strike the Gold became the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner....
at 1.7 to 1. That year, the country's top racetracks, owners and breeders established a series of seven handicap races for older horses to showcase the industry's top division and called it the American Championship Racing Series or A.C.R.S. The Pimlico Special was the capstone of that series. As they broke from the gate and passed the stands for the first time, Ibex took the lead by a length over Pistols and Roses
Pistols and Roses
Pistols and Roses is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Happy Alter, he was sired by Darn That Alarm, whose sire, Jig Time, was a son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Native Dancer...
while Devil His Due trailed two lengths behind him. Jockey Herb McCauley
Herb McCauley
W. Herbert McCauley is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who has been called "one of the most talented and aggressive riders of his generation" by John Piesen, an odds-maker for the New York Post and the Daily Racing Form. While still a small boy, Herb McCauley began riding horses on...
was content to keep Devil His Due in a stalking position of third throughout the first mile. On the far turn, Valley Crossings passed everyone to lead. Devil His Due and Pistols and Roses made a charge at the leader, but only the Devil got by. Devil His Due finished the race in 1:55.2 on a track listed as fast. Valley Crossings finished second, and Pistols and Roses finished third. Derby winner Strike the Gold was never a factor and finished sixth. That win in the Grade I $600,000 Special was the largest of Devil His Due's career. He also received a $150,000 bonus for winning the first half of the ACRS series (after four races).
Devil His Due also won the $400,000 Grade I Gulfstream Park Handicap
Gulfstream Park Handicap
The Gulfstream Park Handicap is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt...
at ten furlongs at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
and the $300,000 Grade I Suburban Handicap
Suburban Handicap
The Suburban Handicap is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is run at the classic one-and-one-quarter mile distance on dirt for a $400,000 purse....
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...
that year. In other races at age four, Devil His Due won the Grade II Excelsior Handicap
Excelsior Handicap
The Excelsior Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York...
, was second in the Grade I Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
, finished second in the Grade I Philip H. Iselin Handicap
Philip H. Iselin Handicap
The Philip H. Iselin Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Open to horses three years of age and older, the race was first run in 1884...
, and ran third in the Grade I Whitney Handicap
Whitney Handicap
The Whitney Handicap is an American Grade 1 handicap race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of 1⅛ miles. In 2007, the Breeders' Cup Ltd...
.
Five year-old season
Devil His Due repeated his steller season from a year prior by winning three graded stakes races placing in six more and showing in another in twelve races for annual earnings of $1,142,000. At age five he repeated his win in the prestigious grade one Suburban HandicapSuburban Handicap
The Suburban Handicap is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is run at the classic one-and-one-quarter mile distance on dirt for a $400,000 purse....
but also won the grade two Brooklyn Handicap
Brooklyn Handicap
The Brooklyn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to three-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-half miles on dirt....
both 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...
. He also won the grade three Broward Handicap at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
in 1994. His runner-ip placings is a roll call of the country's top races with seconds in the grade one Jockey Club Gold Cup
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
, the grade one Oaklawn Handicap
Oaklawn Handicap
The Oaklawn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of April at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas....
, the grade one Pimlico Special, the grade one Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
, the grade one Whitney Handicap
Whitney Handicap
The Whitney Handicap is an American Grade 1 handicap race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of 1⅛ miles. In 2007, the Breeders' Cup Ltd...
, the grade one NYRA Mile Handicap
Cigar Mile Handicap
The Cigar Mile Handicap is an American race for thoroughbred horses at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York. Run annually in late November, it is named in honor of the U.S. Hall of Fame horse Cigar, who won the race in 1994 when it was known as the NYRA Mile. Renamed in 1997 following Cigar's retirement,...
and a third in the grade one Metropolitan Handicap
Metropolitan Handicap
The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile," is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile .The Met Mile was first...
.
Six year-old season
As as six year-old, Devil His Due was in the twilight of his career and raced only three times between February and May 1995. In his last year of racing, he placed second in the $110,000 Grade III Westchester HandicapWestchester Handicap
The Westchester Handicap is a one mile thoroughbred horse race at Belmont Park on Long Island, New York. It is run in early May for horses three years old and up. It is a Grade III race with a purse of $100,000 added....
at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
. In his next start, he finished off the board. His trainer and owner then placed him in a very ambitious spot, hoping that he was a horse for the course at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
, by running him against that decade's super horse, Cigar
Cigar (horse)
Cigar , is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse, who in 1995 and 1996 became the first American racehorse racing against top-class competition to win 16 consecutive races since the Triple Crown winner, Citation did so in 1948 and 1950...
, in the Pimlico Special. Cigar won by two and 1/4 lengths. Devil His Due earned $120,000 for his second-place performance. In the process, he set a career earnings record that still stands for "Special" runners at $900,000. One of Devil His Due's claims to fame is that in an era of vast Lasix and steroid use, he ran completely drug free in 41 starts for a total of over 44 miles of racing.
Retirement
Devil His Due is standing at Margaux Farm, LLC in Midway, Kentucky. As a sire, Devil His Due was considered by all a success as his progeny earned over $35 million in earning. Some of his prominent offspring included; grade one winner Roses In MayRoses in May
Roses in May, Foaled on February 9, 2000, is an American thoroughbred racehorse bred by Margaux Farm in Midway, Kentucky and owned during his racing career by Ken and Sarah Ramsey.Roses in May made 13 starts and won 8 of them, placing in four...
who earned $5,480,187; graded stakes winner Spite The Devil with earnings of $849,512; grade two winning top filly She's a Devil with earnings of $533,820; Devil Time with earnings of $490,351; Hostility with earnings of $401,829 and in 2008 multiple stakes winner Stop a Train with earnings of $482,084.