Mata Hari (horse)
Encyclopedia
Mata Hari was an American Champion
Thoroughbred
filly
racehorse bred and owned by Charles T. Fisher
, a Detroit automobile
body
manufacturer who raced under the Dixiana Stable banner named for his Dixiana Farm in Lexington, Kentucky
.
, as a two-year-old in 1933, Mata Hari won five of her eight starts. On July 8, 1933 she earned her third win in three starts by easily taking the important Arlington Lassie Stakes at Arlington Park
. In winning the October 21, 1933 Breeders' Futurity Stakes, Mata Hari defeated colts, including future Hall of Fame
inductee Discovery
, and set a new Latonia
track record
of 1:09 3/5 for six furlong
s on dirt. One week later at Latonia she became the second filly in its fourteen-year history to win the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes
in which she again defeated males.
Mata Hari's performances in 1933 saw her share American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honors with Edward R. Bradley's
Bazaar.
won by Cavalcade
. She went on to win the May 23 Illinois Derby
against males at Aurora Downs and breaking the track record by more than three seconds with a time of 1:49 3/5 for a mile and an eighth on dirt. On June 23, Mata Hari won the Illinois Oaks for fillies at Washington Park Race Track
.
For the second year in a row, Mata Hari was chosen as the American Champion Filly of her age group.
s such as Bull Lea
, Ksar
, and Eight Thirty
, among others, Mata Hari's best runner was Charles Fisher's homebred colt Spy Song
(b. 1943). Sired by 1934 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Balladier, Spy Song won the 1945 Arlington Futurity and ran second in the 1946 Kentucky Derby
.
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
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...
filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
racehorse bred and owned by Charles T. Fisher
Charles T. Fisher
Charles Thomas Fisher was a Catholic American businessman and an automotive pioneer.Born in Norwalk, Ohio, Charles was the second son of Lawrence and Margaret Fisher. The family would grow to include seven boys and four girls...
, a Detroit automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
body
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...
manufacturer who raced under the Dixiana Stable banner named for his Dixiana Farm in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
A Champion at 2
Trained by Clyde Van DusenClyde Van Dusen
Clyde Van Dusen was an American jockey and trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses best known for winning the 1929 Kentucky Derby....
, as a two-year-old in 1933, Mata Hari won five of her eight starts. On July 8, 1933 she earned her third win in three starts by easily taking the important Arlington Lassie Stakes at Arlington Park
Arlington Park
Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks than any other major metropolitan area...
. In winning the October 21, 1933 Breeders' Futurity Stakes, Mata Hari defeated colts, including future 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...
inductee Discovery
Discovery (horse)
Discovery was an American Thoroughbred racehorse about whom the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame said: "...considered one of the greatest horses of the 20th century."...
, and set a new Latonia
Latonia Race Track
Latonia Race Track on Winston Avenue in Latonia Kentucky, six miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio, was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened in 1883. The track hosted a spring-summer racing series and a second in late fall. It was once regarded as among the United States' top sites for racing,...
track record
Track record
Track record means informally the collective recollections of the performance of a person or an organization; similarly to fame or publicity.The term track record may also refer to:*Track Records, an English record label...
of 1:09 3/5 for six furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s on dirt. One week later at Latonia she became the second filly in its fourteen-year history to win the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes
Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes
The Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the last week of November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky...
in which she again defeated males.
Mata Hari's performances in 1933 saw her share American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honors with Edward R. Bradley's
Edward R. Bradley
Colonel Edward Riley Bradley was an American steel mill laborer, gold miner, businessman and philanthropist. As well as a race track proprietor, he was the preeminent owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses in the Southern United States during the first three decades of the 20th Century...
Bazaar.
A Champion again at 3
In 1934, Mata Hari contined racing against her male counterparts. John Gilbert rode her to a fourth place finish in the 1934 Kentucky DerbyKentucky 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...
won by Cavalcade
Cavalcade (horse)
Cavalcade was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.In the early 1930s, Bob Smith, a trainer with a history of spotting talent, had been hired by heiress Isabel Dodge Sloane to stock her newly formed Brookmeade Stable. A descendant of the 1893 English Triple Crown champion...
. She went on to win the May 23 Illinois Derby
Illinois Derby
The Illinois Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held in early April each year. First run in 1923, the Derby takes place at Hawthorne Race Course located in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, just west of Chicago...
against males at Aurora Downs and breaking the track record by more than three seconds with a time of 1:49 3/5 for a mile and an eighth on dirt. On June 23, Mata Hari won the Illinois Oaks for fillies at Washington Park Race Track
Washington Park Race Track
Washington Park Race Track was a popular horse racing venue in the Chicago metropolitan area from 1884 until 1977. It had two locations during its existence. It was first situated in what is the current location of the Washington Park Subdivision of the Woodlawn community area of Chicago in Cook...
.
For the second year in a row, Mata Hari was chosen as the American Champion Filly of her age group.
Broodmare
Bred to sireSire
Sire may refer to:* Father, the counterpart of a dam, particularly in animal breeding. See also stallion* James W. Sire, author on worldviews* Sire Records, a record label* Sire Advertising, an advertising agency...
s such as 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...
, Ksar
Ksar (horse)
Ksar was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who had back-to-back wins in France's most prestigious horse race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.-Breeding:...
, and Eight Thirty
Eight Thirty
Eight Thirty was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He was owned by George D. Widener, Jr. and bred by his Erdenheim Farm. Widener is one of only five people ever named an Exemplar of Racing. Eight Thirty was a descendant of Fair Play, who had been purchased from the estate of...
, among others, Mata Hari's best runner was Charles Fisher's homebred colt Spy Song
Spy Song
Spy Song was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by 1934 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Balladier and out of two-time Champion filly, Mata Hari...
(b. 1943). Sired by 1934 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Balladier, Spy Song won the 1945 Arlington Futurity and ran second in the 1946 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...
.