Needles (horse)
Encyclopedia
Needles was an American
Hall of Fame
Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. Bred and raced in Florida
, the descendant of Blenheim II
and a son and grandson of Kentucky Derby
winners Ponder and Pensive, Needles was a sickly foal who was given his name because of the numerous veterinary injections he was given to overcome broken ribs and pneumonia
.
Fully recovered, Needles had an impressive racing season at age two, winning six of ten starts, including the prestigious Hopeful Stakes. His performances that year earned him the 1955 championship as two-year-old colt.
Ridden by David Erb
, Needles was a crowd favorite for his thundering come-from-behind style, sometimes overcoming a 15-length deficit. The betting favorite, Needles impressively won the 1956 Kentucky Derby
by coming from 16th place in a field of 17 to make up 24 lengths and win going away with a powerful stretch drive. His victory marked the first time a Florida-bred horse won America's most prestigious horse race. In the Preakness Stakes
, the next leg of the U.S. Triple Crown
races at Pimlico Race Course
, Needles finished second to the Calumet Farm
colt Fabius
, whom he had beaten in the Derby. Needles then came back in New York
to win the grueling 1½-mile Belmont Stakes
, the final leg of the Triple Crown races. Career Boy
finished second and rival Fabius ran third. Needles earned another championship as three-year-old colt in 1956.
At age four, Needles started three times, finishing 1, 2, and 3. His 1957 racing season ended early following an injury, and he was sent to stand at stud
at owner Bonnie Heath's breeding farm in Marion County, Florida
. Needles' success in racing sparked a boom in Florida horse breeding which, among others, produced notable runners such as Carry Back
and Affirmed
.
Needles died in 1984 at the age of 31. His heart and hooves are buried in the Garden of Champions at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company Pavilion. In 2000, he was inducted into the United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
Champion
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...
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 and raced 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...
, the descendant of Blenheim II
Blenheim II
Blenheim II was a good British-bred Thoroughbred race horse who won the Epsom Derby in 1930. As sire he had a major influence on pedigrees around the world.-Pedigree:...
and a son and grandson of 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...
winners Ponder and Pensive, Needles was a sickly foal who was given his name because of the numerous veterinary injections he was given to overcome broken ribs and pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
Fully recovered, Needles had an impressive racing season at age two, winning six of ten starts, including the prestigious Hopeful Stakes. His performances that year earned him the 1955 championship as two-year-old colt.
Ridden by David Erb
David Erb
David Erb is a retired jockey and trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. He started riding as a young farm boy and began his professional riding career in 1938, competing at tracks in his native Nebraska...
, Needles was a crowd favorite for his thundering come-from-behind style, sometimes overcoming a 15-length deficit. The betting favorite, Needles impressively won the 1956 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...
by coming from 16th place in a field of 17 to make up 24 lengths and win going away with a powerful stretch drive. His victory marked the first time a Florida-bred horse won America's most prestigious horse race. In the Preakness Stakes
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...
, the next leg of the U.S. Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
races 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...
, Needles finished second to the 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...
colt Fabius
Fabius (horse)
Fabius was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1956 Preakness Stakes.-Background:Bred and raced by Lexington, Kentucky's Calumet Farm, Fabius was out of the mare Shameen, a daughter of the British Eclipse Stakes winner Royal Minstrel who was a son of the 2,000 Guineas...
, whom he had beaten in the Derby. Needles then came back in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to win the grueling 1½-mile 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...
, the final leg of the Triple Crown races. Career Boy
Career Boy
Career Boy was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred and raced by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, a member of the prominent horse-racing Whitney family...
finished second and rival Fabius ran third. Needles earned another championship as three-year-old colt in 1956.
At age four, Needles started three times, finishing 1, 2, and 3. His 1957 racing season ended early following an injury, and he was sent to stand at stud
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
at owner Bonnie Heath's breeding farm in Marion County, Florida
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
. Needles' success in racing sparked a boom in Florida horse breeding which, among others, produced notable runners such as Carry Back
Carry Back
Carry Back by Saggy out of Joppy, was an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred racehorse with a less than stellar pedigree but who nonetheless won many important graded stakes races including the 1961 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. His racing colors were blue, silver hoops and sleeves...
and Affirmed
Affirmed
Affirmed was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh and most recent winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing...
.
Needles died in 1984 at the age of 31. His heart and hooves are buried in the Garden of Champions at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company Pavilion. In 2000, he was inducted into the United States 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...
.