Safely Kept
Encyclopedia
Safely Kept was a Maryland
-bred Bay
thoroughbred
filly
sired by Horatius
. Safely Kept stormed onto the nationwide sprint stage in 1988 and won 24 of her 31 starts over the next three years in an era when there weren't a great deal of sprint races restricted to females. She finished "in-the-money" in 30 of 31 starts.
as the second choice in the morning line and finished second to Ogden Phipps' Dancing Spree. Among her eight stakes wins in 1989 were the grade one Test Stakes
at Saratoga Race Course
and two wins in grade two races, the Genuine Risk Handicap
and the Prioress Stakes
. Those performances as well as her 9-8-1-0 record that year earned her the Eclipse Award
for the American Champion Sprint Horse.
. That win over super stars Dayjur
from England
and Black Tie Affair
from Ireland
also avenged her only loss from the prior year as she defeated Dancing Spree by nine and a half lengths.
, three-peated in the Maryland Million Distaff Handicap
, three-peated in the grade three Garden Stakes Handicap (no longer run), and repeated in the grade three Meadowlands Handicap. Safely Kept also won the Chicago Handicap at Arlington Park and contested in the grade one Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes, where she finished third to Housebuster
.
, Awad, Concern, and Broad Brush
. At the time of her retirement, Safely Kept had earned more than any other female horse in the world bred outside the state of Kentucky except for Lady's Secret
and still ranks fourth on that list.
in her honor. Safely Kept won the 1989 running of the Columbia Stakes in devastating fashion, and in 1990 the race was re-named and given graded stakes status for the first time. The stakes upgrade has been credited to the level of competition that has run in the race but in large part received the upgrade after Safely Kept went on to win the Breeders' Cup Sprint. The Safely Kept Stakes
is run annually on the same card as the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes. A second stakes race, the Safely Kept Stakes at Arlington Park
, was named after her in honor of her 7 3/4 length victory in the Chicago Handicap in 1991.
In May 2011, she was elected to the US Racing Hall of Fame
.
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
-bred Bay
Bay (color)
Bay is a hair coat color of horses, characterized by a reddish brown body color with a black mane, tail, ear edges, and lower legs. Bay is one of the most common coat colors in many horse breeds....
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....
sired by Horatius
Horatius
Horatius is the nomen of the Roman gens Horatia. Some of its members were:* The Horatii, three members of the Horatia gens who fought to the death against the Curiatii during the reign of Tullus Hostilius.* Marcus Horatius M. f...
. Safely Kept stormed onto the nationwide sprint stage in 1988 and won 24 of her 31 starts over the next three years in an era when there weren't a great deal of sprint races restricted to females. She finished "in-the-money" in 30 of 31 starts.
Two and Three year-old seasons
As a two year old, she won four of five races including two stakes races in the Playpen Stakes and the Smart Angle Stakes. At age three, she separated herself from every other sprinter in North America by reeling off eight wins in nine races. That year (1989), she entered the Breeders' Cup SprintBreeders' Cup Sprint
The 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...
as the second choice in the morning line and finished second to Ogden Phipps' Dancing Spree. Among her eight stakes wins in 1989 were the grade one Test Stakes
Test Stakes
The Test Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies and run each summer at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is contested at a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt and is an influential race in shaping the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint...
at 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...
and two wins in grade two races, the Genuine Risk Handicap
Genuine Risk Handicap
The Genuine Risk Handicap is a race for thoroughbred race horses, open to fillies and mares age three and up. The race is run each spring at six furlongs on the dirt at Belmont Park in New York and offers a purse of $150,000....
and the Prioress Stakes
Prioress Stakes
The Prioress Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of July at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York....
. Those performances as well as her 9-8-1-0 record that year earned her the Eclipse Award
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...
for the American Champion Sprint Horse.
Four year-old season
At age four, she won all seven of her starts, which all came in stakes races. The final race of her four year old season was a victory over a star-studded international field of 14 sprinters in the grade one Breeders' Cup SprintBreeders' Cup Sprint
The 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...
. That win over super stars Dayjur
Dayjur
Dayjur was an American-bred racehorse who was trained by Dick Hern in the United Kingdom. He was beaten only four times out of eleven starts and of those, one was because he did not stay the trip, and another in the most freakish circumstances...
from 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 Black Tie Affair
Black Tie Affair
Black Tie Affair was a thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by American businessman Stephen D. Peskoff, he was out of the mare Hat Tab Girl and sired by Miswaki, who also sired Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Urban Sea and who was a two-time Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland.Black Tie...
from 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...
also avenged her only loss from the prior year as she defeated Dancing Spree by nine and a half lengths.
Five year-old season
At age, five Safely Kept won five of seven races and finished third in the other two. She ran in the same stakes races at the same tracks that she had in the two previous years. She three-peated in the grade two Genuine Risk HandicapGenuine Risk Handicap
The Genuine Risk Handicap is a race for thoroughbred race horses, open to fillies and mares age three and up. The race is run each spring at six furlongs on the dirt at Belmont Park in New York and offers a purse of $150,000....
, three-peated in the Maryland Million Distaff Handicap
Maryland Million Distaff Handicap
Maryland Million Distaff Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in October since 1986 primarily at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland or at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. To be eligible for the Maryland Million Distaff Handicap, a filly or mare must be sired by a...
, three-peated in the grade three Garden Stakes Handicap (no longer run), and repeated in the grade three Meadowlands Handicap. Safely Kept also won the Chicago Handicap at Arlington Park and contested in the grade one Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes, where she finished third to Housebuster
Housebuster
Housebuster was an American thoroughbred Stallion racehorse. He was sired by graded stakes race winner Mt. Livermore out of the Great Above mare, Big Dreams....
.
Career Earnings
Safely Kept's career bankroll of $2,194,206 ranks her as the greatest earner among any filly or mare bred in the state of Maryland. She is one of only five multi-millionaire Thoroughbred foaled in the state after CigarCigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
, Awad, Concern, and Broad Brush
Broad Brush
Broad Brush was an American thoroughbred racehorse foaled in Maryland. He was out of the Hoist The Flag mare, Hay Patcher, by the Hall of Fame stallion, Ack Ack.Bred and owned by Robert E. Meyerhoff, and trained by Richard W...
. At the time of her retirement, Safely Kept had earned more than any other female horse in the world bred outside the state of Kentucky except for Lady's Secret
Lady's Secret
Lady's Secret was an American Eclipse Award winning Thoroughbred racemare that was listed in the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.-Breeding and background:...
and still ranks fourth on that list.
Honors
Laurel Park Racecourse re-named a Graded stakes raceGraded 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...
in her honor. Safely Kept won the 1989 running of the Columbia Stakes in devastating fashion, and in 1990 the race was re-named and given graded stakes status for the first time. The stakes upgrade has been credited to the level of competition that has run in the race but in large part received the upgrade after Safely Kept went on to win the Breeders' Cup Sprint. The Safely Kept Stakes
Safely Kept Stakes
The Safely Kept Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Open to fillies aged three, it is competed on dirt over a distance of six furlongs. Run during October, it currently offer a purse of $200,000.The Safely Kept Breeders' Cup...
is run annually on the same card as the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes. A second stakes race, the Safely Kept 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...
, was named after her in honor of her 7 3/4 length victory in the Chicago Handicap in 1991.
In May 2011, she was elected to the US 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...
.