Honest Pleasure
Encyclopedia
Honest Pleasure was an American
thoroughbred
stallion
racehorse
. Bred in Florida
by Waldemar Farms, he was sired by leading American sire
What A Pleasure, out of the mare Tularia, whose sire, Tulyar
, was owned and bred by The Aga Khan IV
and was a stakes
winner in Ireland
and England
.
Guided by Hall of Fame
trainer LeRoy Jolley
, Honest Pleasure was a precocious two-year-old and dominated his division. He was purchased at the Saratoga
yearling sales for $45,000 by Bertram and Diana Firestone in 1974. Headstrong like his grandsire, Bold Ruler
, he liked to run in front and easily won the Champagne Stakes, Laurel Futurity Stakes, Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes
, and the Cowdin Stakes
. At the end of the year, he was named American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
1976 brought a rival in Bold Forbes
, another colt with a similar ancestry in grandsire Bold Ruler
and running style. Bold Forbes had raced only in Puerto Rico
as a two-year-old but challenged Honest Pleasure at three.
Honest Pleasure blew through the Flamingo Stakes
, winning it by 11 lengths in February, and went on to win the Florida Derby
and the Blue Grass Stakes
as the favorite.
Then came the Kentucky Derby
. Afraid of a speed duel, Jolley had Honest Pleasure sit off the pace and but he made his move too late and was beaten to the wire by Bold Forbes
. In the Preakness
, Honest Pleasure and Bold Forbes went to the lead and dueled through 6 furlongs in 1:09 3/5, only to lose to Elocutionist, with Honest Pleasure placing a poor fifth. He did not enter the Belmont Stakes
, leaving it to Bold Forbes
.
Later that fall, he challenged older horses in the Marlboro Cup. Carrying 119 pounds and guided by Craig Perret
, Honest Pleasure was a 3 year-old on a muddy track and leading most of the way. At the wire, a determined gelding
named Forego
, with a 137 lb. impost, headed him out of a victory in a photo finish.
At four, Honest Pleasure won the Ben Ali Handicap
.
in 1977, Honest Pleasure sired several stakes
winners. His progeny includes Judge Angelucci, Tres Paraiso, Honest Princess, and Bedside Promise.
Honest Pleasure died on August 17, 1992, at Harris Farms in California
.
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...
stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
racehorse
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...
. Bred in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
by Waldemar Farms, he was sired by leading American sire
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
What A Pleasure, out of the mare Tularia, whose sire, Tulyar
Tulyar (horse)
Tulyar was an Irish bred Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the Epsom Derby, the St. Leger Stakes, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the Ormonde Stakes and the Eclipse Stakes setting a record for a single season's earnings in England...
, was owned and bred by The Aga Khan IV
Aga Khan IV
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...
and was a 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 in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Guided by 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...
trainer LeRoy Jolley
LeRoy Jolley
LeRoy Jolley is an United States Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of horse trainer Moody Jolley, LeRoy Jolley has been around horses all his life at age nineteen received a New York State trainer's license....
, Honest Pleasure was a precocious two-year-old and dominated his division. He was purchased at the Saratoga
Saratoga, New York
Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...
yearling sales for $45,000 by Bertram and Diana Firestone in 1974. Headstrong like his grandsire, Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
, he liked to run in front and easily won the Champagne Stakes, Laurel Futurity Stakes, Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes
Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes
The Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes is a Grade III flat horse race for Thoroughbred two-year-olds. It is raced over a distance of 8 furlongs, or one mile, on Polytrack synthetic dirt at Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois every fall and currently offers a purse of $150,000.It was run...
, and the Cowdin Stakes
Cowdin Stakes
The Cowdin Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack and at Belmont Park. First run in 1923 as the Junior Champion Stakes, it was renamed the Cowdin Stakes in 1941 to honor to John Cheever Cowdin, former president of Aqueduct Racetrack.The race was for...
. At the end of the year, he was named American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
1976 brought a rival in Bold Forbes
Bold Forbes
Bold Forbes was a champion thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 1976 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.-Beginnings:...
, another colt with a similar ancestry in grandsire Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
and running style. Bold Forbes had raced only in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
as a two-year-old but challenged Honest Pleasure at three.
Honest Pleasure blew through the Flamingo Stakes
Flamingo Stakes
The Flamingo Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in March at the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida. Run over a distance of nine furlongs, the inaugural race took place in 1926 at the Tampa, Florida racetrack...
, winning it by 11 lengths in February, and went on to win the Florida Derby
Florida Derby
The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida on the Saturday closest to the end of March or the first of April. Added to the racing schedule in 1952, the Grade 1 race is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt...
and the Blue Grass Stakes
Blue Grass Stakes
The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky....
as the favorite.
Then came 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...
. Afraid of a speed duel, Jolley had Honest Pleasure sit off the pace and but he made his move too late and was beaten to the wire by Bold Forbes
Bold Forbes
Bold Forbes was a champion thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 1976 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.-Beginnings:...
. In the Preakness
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on 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 dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
, Honest Pleasure and Bold Forbes went to the lead and dueled through 6 furlongs in 1:09 3/5, only to lose to Elocutionist, with Honest Pleasure placing a poor fifth. He did not enter the 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...
, leaving it to Bold Forbes
Bold Forbes
Bold Forbes was a champion thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 1976 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.-Beginnings:...
.
Later that fall, he challenged older horses in the Marlboro Cup. Carrying 119 pounds and guided by Craig Perret
Craig Perret
Craig Perret is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races...
, Honest Pleasure was a 3 year-old on a muddy track and leading most of the way. At the wire, a determined 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...
named Forego
Forego
Forego was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won eight Eclipse Awards including Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse and Champion Sprinter....
, with a 137 lb. impost, headed him out of a victory in a photo finish.
At four, Honest Pleasure won the Ben Ali Handicap
Ben Ali Stakes
The Ben Ali Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run in the Spring of each year at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. For 4-year-olds and up, it is a Grade III event set at a distance of one mile and one eighth mile on the dirt...
.
Retirement
Retired to studStud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
in 1977, Honest Pleasure sired several 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...
winners. His progeny includes Judge Angelucci, Tres Paraiso, Honest Princess, and Bedside Promise.
Honest Pleasure died on August 17, 1992, at Harris Farms in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.