Pillory (horse)
Encyclopedia
Pillory was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. Bred and raced by the co-owner and president of Saratoga Race Course
, Richard T. Wilson, Jr.
, his damsire was Disguise, who raced for James R. Keene
in England
and was a son of the great Domino
. Pillory was sired by Wilson's Olambala
, a multiple winner of important races including the Latonia Derby
and Suburban Handicap
, and who sired several top runners including the 1916 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Campfire
, and top handicap winner Sunfire
.
Pillory's race conditioning was handled by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
trainer
T. J. Healey
. At age three in 1922, Pillory ran second to J. S. Cosden's French import Snob II. Thoroughbred racing in 1922 was still a time when the U.S. Triple Crown series had not yet achieved the level of importance it would in the next decade. As such, despite being very important races, the Kentucky Derby
and the Preakness Stakes
were both run on May 13, 1922. The handlers of New York
-based Pillory chose not to send the colt on the long railroad trip to Louisville
for the Derby. Instead, they entered the colt in the then 1 1/8 mile Preakness Stakes
at Pimlico Race Course
in Baltimore, Maryland. Pillory won the Preakness in a fast time of 1:51.60, which equaled the winning time of the great Man o' War
two years earlier. Pillory then won the mile and three furlong
s Belmont Stakes
, defeating rival Snob II, who finished second. In the ensuing Jockey Club Gold Cup
, Pillory faced a field of older horses and finished third behind winner Mad Hatter
.
Although Pillory won two very important races and was the leading money-winning horse in the United States in 1922, he was not rated American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse. Instead, the honor went to Harry Payne Whitney's
colt Whiskaway.
Pillory was not successful at stud
. He was eventually sold to the U.S. Army as a remount stallion.
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...
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 by the co-owner and president of 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...
, Richard T. Wilson, Jr.
Richard Thornton Wilson, Jr.
Richard Thornton Wilson, Jr. was an American banker and businessman who was a prominent figure in Thoroughbred horse racing in the early decades of the 20th Century....
, his damsire was Disguise, who raced for James R. Keene
James R. Keene
James Robert Keene was a Wall Street stock broker and a major thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder.-Biography:He was born in London, England in 1838. He was fourteen years of age when his family emigrated to the United States in 1852...
in 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...
and was a son of the great Domino
Domino (horse)
Domino was a 19th-century American thoroughbred race horse.-Background:A dark brown, almost black*, colt, Domino was sired by Himyar out of the mare Mannie Gray.Sam Hildreth writes in his book, "The Spell of the Turf" that he looked black was actually a deep chestnut. Himyar was out of speed...
. Pillory was sired by Wilson's Olambala
Olambala
Olambala was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Tennessee by John G. Greener, his British-born sire Ornus, a son of Bend Or, a two-time leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland, was imported to stand at stud in the United States...
, a multiple winner of important races including the Latonia Derby
Latonia Derby
The Latonia Derby was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1883 through 1937 at Latonia Race Track in Latonia, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, for its first 52 years the Latonia Derby was contested at a mile and a half; in 1935, the race was shortened to a mile and a...
and 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....
, and who sired several top runners including the 1916 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Campfire
Campfire (horse)
Campfire was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Bred and raced by the co-owner and president of Saratoga Race Course, Richard T...
, and top handicap winner Sunfire
Sunfire (horse)
Sunfire was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by the co-owner and president of Saratoga Race Course, Richard T...
.
Pillory's race conditioning was handled by future U.S. Racing 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
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...
T. J. Healey
T. J. Healey
Thomas J. Healey was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer.Regularly referred to as "T. J." by both his associates and the media, Healey was born near the site of Fordham University in Fordham, New York. Growing up he worked on his father's dairy farm but rather than cows, his...
. At age three in 1922, Pillory ran second to J. S. Cosden's French import Snob II. Thoroughbred racing in 1922 was still a time when the U.S. Triple Crown series had not yet achieved the level of importance it would in the next decade. As such, despite being very important races, 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...
and 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...
were both run on May 13, 1922. The handlers of 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...
-based Pillory chose not to send the colt on the long railroad trip to Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
for the Derby. Instead, they entered the colt in the then 1 1/8 mile 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...
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...
in Baltimore, Maryland. Pillory won the Preakness in a fast time of 1:51.60, which equaled the winning time of the great Man o' War
Man O' War
Man O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...
two years earlier. Pillory then won the mile and three 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 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...
, defeating rival Snob II, who finished second. In the ensuing 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...
, Pillory faced a field of older horses and finished third behind winner Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter (horse)
Mad Hatter was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was named U.S. Champion Older Male Horse in 1921.-Background:...
.
Although Pillory won two very important races and was the leading money-winning horse in the United States in 1922, he was not rated American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse. Instead, the honor went to Harry Payne Whitney's
Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney was an American businessman, thoroughbred horsebreeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.- Early years :...
colt Whiskaway.
Pillory was not successful at stud
Stud (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...
. He was eventually sold to the U.S. Army as a remount stallion.