Whisk Broom II
Encyclopedia
Whisk Broom II was American-bred
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who raced in the United Kingdom
(under the name Whisk Broom) and in the United States.
stallion, Broomstick
. He was bred in 1907 by the late Sam S. Brown's
Senorita Stud Farm (now the site of the Kentucky Horse Park
). Purchased by Harry Payne Whitney
, the colt was sent to England with trainer Jack Joyner
.
. In four years of English racing, Whisk Broom won 7 of his 23 races, his most important victories coming in the 1910 Select Stakes and at Ascot Racecourse
, the 1912 Victoria Cup Handicap.
At age six, as Whisk Broom II, he was brought back to race in the United States where under trainer James G. Rowe, Sr. he became the first of only four horses to win the three races that compose the New York Handicap Triple Crown Series. He won the New York Handicap Triple
in 1913, (Metropolitan Handicap
, Brooklyn Handicap
, Suburban Handicap
), a feat unmatched until Tom Fool
did it forty years later. In 1961, Kelso
and Fit To Fight
in 1984 joined them as the only other horses to win the Handicap Triple. For his performances, Whisk Broom II was voted U.S. Champion Older Male Horse
and United States Horse of the Year
.
In the Suburban Whisk Broom II, carrying 139 pounds, was officially clocked at 2:00 minutes flat for the one and one quarter mile race. This was almost three seconds faster than the record set by his own sire. No other clocker's figures matched that of the official clock. But even at the slowest estimate, he had beaten the American record for the distance.
, Whisk Broom II sired 26 winners of what now would be a considered a graded stakes race
, including Kentucky Derby
winner Whiskery, Preakness Stakes
winner Victorian
, and the 1922 U.S. Champion Colt
, Whiskaway, As well, Whisk Broom II was the damsire of Seabiscuit
and Double Jay
.
.
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...
who raced in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(under the name Whisk Broom) and in the United States.
Background
A grandson of Ben Brush, Whisk Broom II was sired by the U.S. Hall of FameNational 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...
stallion, Broomstick
Broomstick (horse)
Broomstick was a Thoroughbred race horse born and bred at the famous McGrathiana Stud in Kentucky, but more importantly, he was one of the great sires of American racing. Out of another great sire, the Hall of Famer Ben Brush, Broomstick went on after his racing career to produce champion after...
. He was bred in 1907 by the late Sam S. Brown's
Samuel S. Brown
Captain Samuel Smith Brown was an American businessman and a prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder and racetrack owner....
Senorita Stud Farm (now the site of the Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 and Interstate 75 in northern Fayette County in the United States...
). Purchased by Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney was an American businessman, thoroughbred horsebreeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.- Early years :...
, the colt was sent to England with trainer Jack Joyner
A. Jack Joyner
Andrew Jackson "Jack" Joyner was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.Known as "Jack" and reported as "A.J." and "A. Jack," Joyner was born in Enfield, North Carolina, the son of Dr. and Mrs. Henry Joyner...
.
Racing career
On his second start he earned his first win in the Prince of Wales Plate at York RacecourseYork Racecourse
York Racecourse is a horse racing track in the southwest of the city of York in North Yorkshire, England with a spectator capacity of 60,000. The most famous race to be held at York on an annual basis is the Ebor Handicap, which is run during the Ebor Festival meeting in August...
. In four years of English racing, Whisk Broom won 7 of his 23 races, his most important victories coming in the 1910 Select Stakes and at Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
, the 1912 Victoria Cup Handicap.
At age six, as Whisk Broom II, he was brought back to race in the United States where under trainer James G. Rowe, Sr. he became the first of only four horses to win the three races that compose the New York Handicap Triple Crown Series. He won the New York Handicap Triple
New York Handicap Triple
The New York Handicap Triple is the name used to refer to three American handicap races for older Thoroughbred racehorses run by the New York Racing Association at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York...
in 1913, (Metropolitan Handicap
Metropolitan Handicap
The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile," is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile .The Met Mile was first...
, Brooklyn Handicap
Brooklyn Handicap
The Brooklyn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to three-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-half miles on dirt....
, 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....
), a feat unmatched until Tom Fool
Tom Fool
Tom Fool was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, a winner of the American Horse of the Year award and a Hall of Fame inductee. He sired the outstanding racehorses Buckpasser and Tim Tam....
did it forty years later. In 1961, Kelso
Kelso (horse)
Kelso was an American thoroughbred race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War , Secretariat and Citation...
and Fit To Fight
Fit to Fight
Fit to Fight was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the New York Handicap Triple in 1984.-Background:...
in 1984 joined them as the only other horses to win the Handicap Triple. For his performances, Whisk Broom II was voted U.S. Champion Older Male Horse
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse
The title of American Champion Older Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up. Prior to 1971, this award was referred to as "Champion Handicap Male Horse", and was open to any horse, three years old and up...
and United States Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
.
In the Suburban Whisk Broom II, carrying 139 pounds, was officially clocked at 2:00 minutes flat for the one and one quarter mile race. This was almost three seconds faster than the record set by his own sire. No other clocker's figures matched that of the official clock. But even at the slowest estimate, he had beaten the American record for the distance.
Stud record
Retired to stand at studHorse 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...
, Whisk Broom II sired 26 winners of what now would be a considered a graded stakes race
Graded 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...
, including 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...
winner Whiskery, 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...
winner Victorian
Victorian (horse)
Victorian was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was bred in Kentucky. He was bred and raced by Harry P. Whitney and is best known as the winner of the 1928 American Classic, the Preakness Stakes in which he was ridden by future Hall of Fame jockey Sonny Workman.When his racing career ended,...
, and the 1922 U.S. Champion Colt
Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse
The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971....
, Whiskaway, As well, Whisk Broom II was the damsire of Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...
and Double Jay
Double Jay (horse)
Double Jay was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by John W. Stanley in Lexington, Kentucky, he was purchased as a yearling for $19,000 by Wilmington, Delaware businessmen James V...
.
Honors
In 1979, Whisk Broom II was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameNational 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...
.