Real Quiet was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ChampionThe 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...
ThoroughbredThe 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...
racehorseHorse 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...
. He was nicknamed "The Fish" by his trainer, due to his narrow frame.
He was bred by Eduardo Gaviria, a Colombian proprietor of two stud farms: one near Bogotá in Colombia and another, Little Hill Farm, in
Ocala, FloridaOcala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
where Real Quiet was foaled. Gaviria purchased mare Really Blue at the 1990 Keeneland November sale for $37,000, in foal to
Spend A BuckSpend A Buck was an American thoroughbred race horse.-Background:Spend A Buck was sired by Buckaroo out of the dam Belle de Jour...
. Gaviria decided to breed Really Blue with Quiet American. The result was Real Quiet. However, the colt's crooked knees prompted Gaviria to sell Real Quiet at a yearling auction to Michael E. Pegram for only $17,000.
Two year-old season
Trained by
Bob BaffertRobert A. "Bob" Baffert is an American horse owner and trainer, whose horses have won three Kentucky Derbies, five Preakness Stakes, one Belmont Stakes and two Kentucky Oaks. He graduated from the University of Arizona's with a Bachelor of Science degree. -Early career:Bob Baffert began his...
, racing as a two year-old in 1997, Real Quiet started out slow, needing seven races before getting his first win. He won his first race in a maiden special weight at Hollywood Park at eight and a half furlongs winning by 3 lengths. Later that Spring he finished third in $250,000 Indian Nations Futurity Cup at Santa Fe and the third in the $200,000 grade three
Kentucky Jockey Club StakesThe Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the last week of November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky...
at Churchill Downs losing to Cape Town. He finished the year with a big score in the one million dollar
Hollywood FuturityThe Hollywood Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1981 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The Grade I race is open to two-year-old horses and run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles...
at 8.5 furlongs defeating
ArtaxArtax is a retired American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Artax then equaled the record for the Breeders' Cup Sprint set in 1973 as well as the host Gulfstream Park track record that had stood for twenty-six years...
and Nationalore. He finished his two year-old season with a record of 2-0-5 in nine starts with annual earnings of $381,122.
Three year-old season
Although still lightly regarded in a year with many quality three-year-olds competing, in 1998 he was ridden to victory by jockey
Kent DesormeauxKent Jason Desormeaux is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year, 1989.-Brief biography:...
in the
Kentucky DerbyThe 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...
. His
Beyer Speed FigureThe Beyer Speed Figure is a system for rating the performance of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America designed in the early 1970s by Andrew Beyer, the syndicated horse racing columnist for The Washington Post...
recorded in the Hollywood Futurity proved to be the highest Beyer rating of any two-year-old horse that went on to win the Kentucky Derby. He then won the
Preakness StakesThe 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...
by a convincing margin. The weeks leading up to the
Belmont StakesThe 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 third and final leg of the coveted
Triple CrownIn the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
, were full of excited speculation on Real Quiet's chances, but he lost his bid for racing immortality when
Victory GallopVictory Gallop was an American-based Thoroughbred racehorse. As a three-year-old he won the Belmont Stakes denying Real Quiet the Triple Crown...
beat him by a nose in the final stride of the race.
No horse had come closer to taking the Triple Crown since
AffirmedAffirmed was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh and most recent winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing...
's victory in 1978 and, as of the 2011 Triple Crown, this remains true. Kent Desormeaux was criticized for his jockeying in the Belmont Stakes. Many believed he moved out too fast at the start, causing Real Quiet to tire in the final strides of the longer-than-average Belmont course. For his performances in 1998, Real Quiet won the
Eclipse AwardThe 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...
for best three-year-old colt.
Four year-old season
As a four-year-old, Real Quiet won the grade one
Pimlico SpecialThe 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...
and the grade one
Hollywood Gold CupThe Hollywood Gold Cup is an American Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions...
. In the $600,000 grade one Special, Real Quiet was the second choice to Free House, who had won both grade one starts coming into the race that year including the Santa Anita Handicap. They dueled down the home-stretch, with Gary Stevens driving Real Quiet forward and
Chris McCarronChristopher John "Chris" McCarron is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He is currently working as a racing analyst for TVG Network....
trying to hold his thin lead aboard Free House. In the final strides, Real Quiet poked his nose in front to win one of the closest Special Handicaps ever.
I was afraid that Free House would get out front and steal it, Baffert said.
It looked as though Free House didn't want to give it up. But we were just lucky to get by him. Real Quiet ran the mile and three-sixteenths in 1:54 1/5 returned $5.80 for a $2 bet to win and added $360,000 to a bankroll that passed $2.6 million.
He was the first horse in 50 years to win the Preakness Stakes and the Pimlico Special. He still remains one of only five horses to accomplish that feat along with four
Triple CrownIn the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
winners in
CitationCitation was the eighth American Triple Crown winner, and one of three major North American Thoroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competition...
,
WhirlawayWhirlaway was an American champion thoroughbred racehorse.The chestnut horse was sired by English Derby winner Blenheim II, out of the broodmare Dustwhirl. Whirlaway was bred at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky....
,
AssaultIn law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and
War AdmiralWar Admiral was an American thoroughbred racehorse, the offspring of the great thoroughbred Man o' War and the mare Brushup. He inherited his father's fiery temperament and talent, but did not resemble him physically...
.
That summer Real Quiet won the one million dollar grade one
Hollywood Gold CupThe Hollywood Gold Cup is an American Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions...
defeating Budroyale and Malek over ten furlongs in 1:59.67. He also managed to place third in the grade two Massachusetts Handicap at
Suffolk DownsSuffolk Downs, a thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States opened in 1935. Famous horses that have raced at this track include Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Funny Cide and Cigar. The MassCap is held there, as well at the annual Hot Dog Safari...
losing to Behrens and Running Stag. He had two seconds in the grade three New Orleans Handicap and the grade three Texas Mile Stakes. Real Quiet was considered to be a strong contender in the Breeders' Cup Classic and was entered in the Pacific Classic. However, he was injured and unable to race for the rest of the year. He finished his four year-old season as a millionaire with a record of 2-2-1 in five starts and annual earnings of $1,101,880.
Retirement
As a 4-year-old, Real Quiet suffered a fractured splint bone in his right front leg. He had won or placed in 17 of 20 starts and earned $3,271,802.
Real Quiet entered stud for a fee of $25,000 in 2000 at Vinery Kentucky near Lexington. George Hofmeister's Highland Farm had purchased the breeding rights in Real Quiet the month before the Kentucky Derby. Hofmeister had bought majority interest in Vinery, owned by Ben P. Walden Jr. and his wife, Elaine
Real Quiet later stood at Taylor Made Stallions in Kentucky and Pin Oak Lane Farm then Penn Ridge , both in Pennsylvania.
Real Quiet also shuttled to Australia and Uruguay, taking advantage of the reversed breeding season observed in the southern hemisphere.
In 2005, he was relocated to Regal Heir Farms in Pennsylvania. He has produced a prime runner in the
PhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
named Real Spicy who is owned by Hermie Esguerra. The horse is a strong contender for that country's own version of the 2005 Triple Crown Championship. Although Real Quiet's progeny has not been nearly as successful in the United States, he managed to produce Pussycat Doll, who won the
La Brea StakesThe La Brea Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1974 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to three-year-old fillies, it was raced over a distance of seven furlongs on dirt until the track's new synthetic Cushion Track surface was installed in time for the...
and the G1
Humana Distaff HandicapThe Humana Distaff Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually on the first Saturday in May as part of Derby Day at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky...
(defeating her stablemate Behaving Badly), No Place Like It, winner of the U.S.A Pine Oak Stakes, and Wonder Lady Ann L, winner of the 2006
Coaching Club American OaksThe Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $250,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in 2010....
(G1) at Belmont Park. He also sired back to back
Breeders' Cup SprintThe Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs , the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World...
winner,
Midnight LuteMidnight Lute is an American Thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He is owned by Michael E. Pegram and Watson and Weitman Performance, LLC, and was named for Lute Olson, the University of Arizona basketball coach....
. Real Quiet died on September 27, 2010, after falling in his paddock at Penn Ridge Farms.
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