Black Toney
Encyclopedia
Black Toney was bred by James R. Keene's
Castleton Farm. Keene, whose health was failing (he died in 1913), sold all his holdings in 1912 to Colonel Edward R. Bradley's
Idle Hour Stock Farm
in Lexington, Kentucky
. Some confusion occurred over this sale, and Bradley resold most of the lot, but one of those he kept was a very dark brown yearling he named Black Toney. The price tag for the son of Hall of Famer
Peter Pan
, whose own sire was another Hall of Famer, Commando
, by the great Domino
, was $1,600. Black Toney's dam was Belgravia, the best daughter of Hall of Famer Ben Brush
. This meant that the almost black yearling with no white markings and a fine head and body was a member of the last crop bred by Keene from his famous Domino/Ben Brush cross.
Black Toney was a good racehorse but far from a great one. He raced for four years, coming in the money in 31 of his 40 starts. But it was not Black Toney’s ability on the track that made his name; it was his success as a stallion. Black Toney became the most important stallion Bradley ever owned and one of the most important sires in American
Thoroughbred
history, siring many of the horses for which the Idle Hour Stock Farm became famous. The names of Bradley’s horses all began with a “B,” a quirk of Bradley's (perhaps because his own name began with a B, or perhaps because of Black Toney.)
Briefly retired from the races due to injury, Black Toney sired one crop of horses. Of the resulting handful, one was Miss Jemima, an immediate stakes winner.
Once Black Toney was truly retired, Bradley bred him sparingly and yet, even from 21 small crops and a total of 221 foals, the quality of his get was very high. Overall, he sired 40 stakes winners, which amounts to 18 percent of his foals.
Black Toney was 10 times among the top 20 American sires by earnings. He was second on the general sire list in 1933 and fifth in 1939.
Grandsire of:
statue that he placed over his greatest stallion’s grave. It is still there today, on a part of the Darby Dan Farm
.
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...
Castleton Farm. Keene, whose health was failing (he died in 1913), sold all his holdings in 1912 to Colonel Edward R. Bradley's
Edward R. Bradley
Colonel Edward Riley Bradley was an American steel mill laborer, gold miner, businessman and philanthropist. As well as a race track proprietor, he was the preeminent owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses in the Southern United States during the first three decades of the 20th Century...
Idle Hour Stock Farm
Idle Hour Stock Farm
Idle Hour Stock Farm was a 400 acre thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm near Lexington, Kentucky, United States established in 1906 by Colonel Edward R...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Some confusion occurred over this sale, and Bradley resold most of the lot, but one of those he kept was a very dark brown yearling he named Black Toney. The price tag for the son of Hall of Famer
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...
Peter Pan
Peter Pan I
Peter Pan was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, bred and raced by prominent horseman, James R. Keene. As winner of the Belmont Stakes, the Brooklyn Derby and the Brighton Handicap, he was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
, whose own sire was another Hall of Famer, Commando
Commando (horse)
Commando was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred at Castleton Stud by owner James R. Keene, Commando raced at age two, winning five of his six starts and finishing second in the other as a result of jockey error. At age three, Commando raced only three times, winning the...
, by 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...
, was $1,600. Black Toney's dam was Belgravia, the best daughter of Hall of Famer Ben Brush
Ben Brush (horse)
Ben Brush was a high class Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won the 1896 Kentucky Derby. He was a bay stallion by Bramble out of Roseville by Reform...
. This meant that the almost black yearling with no white markings and a fine head and body was a member of the last crop bred by Keene from his famous Domino/Ben Brush cross.
Black Toney was a good racehorse but far from a great one. He raced for four years, coming in the money in 31 of his 40 starts. But it was not Black Toney’s ability on the track that made his name; it was his success as a stallion. Black Toney became the most important stallion Bradley ever owned and one of the most important sires in American
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...
history, siring many of the horses for which the Idle Hour Stock Farm became famous. The names of Bradley’s horses all began with a “B,” a quirk of Bradley's (perhaps because his own name began with a B, or perhaps because of Black Toney.)
Briefly retired from the races due to injury, Black Toney sired one crop of horses. Of the resulting handful, one was Miss Jemima, an immediate stakes winner.
Once Black Toney was truly retired, Bradley bred him sparingly and yet, even from 21 small crops and a total of 221 foals, the quality of his get was very high. Overall, he sired 40 stakes winners, which amounts to 18 percent of his foals.
Black Toney was 10 times among the top 20 American sires by earnings. He was second on the general sire list in 1933 and fifth in 1939.
Black Toney's progeny
Sire of:- Miss Jemima (American Champion Two-Year Filly, 1919; born in the same year as Man o' WarMan O' WarMan O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...
, won eight races, seven in succession) - Black Servant (an unlucky second in the 1921 Kentucky DerbyKentucky 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...
, sire of Blue LarkspurBlue LarkspurBlue Larkspur was a bay Kentucky-bred thoroughbred race horse. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957, awarded the 1929 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year, and ranks Number 100 in Blood-Horse magazine's top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century...
) - Black GoldBlack Gold (horse)Black Gold was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 50th running of the Kentucky Derby in 1924....
(Hall of Fame) - BimelechBimelechBimelech was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won two Triple Crown races, was twice named American horse of the year, and is ranked #84 among U.S. racehorses of the 20th century. After retiring to stud, he sired 30 stakes winners and his daughters produced 50 stakes winners.-Early...
(by La TroienneLa TroienneLa Troienne, was one of the most famous and influential Thoroughbred broodmares in twentieth century America. She produced 10 winners while at stud....
, Hall of Fame, #84 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th CenturyBlood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th CenturyIn 1999, a panel for The Blood-Horse magazine was made up of distinguished horse racing people: Howard Battle, Lenny Hale, Jay Hovdey, William Nack, Pete Pedersen, Jennie Rees and Tommy Trotter. These experts compiled a list of what they considered to be the top 100 United States thoroughbred...
) - Brokers TipBrokers TipBrokers Tip , by Black Toney out of the French mare Forteresse, was a Thoroughbred racehorse and the only horse in history whose sole win was in the Kentucky Derby...
(winner of the 1933 Kentucky Derby) - Balladier (Champion Two-Year-Colt of 1934)
- Black MariaBlack Maria (horse)Black Maria was an American Thoroughbred racing filly who earned national Champion honors three times. Bred in Kentucky by William R. Coe, she was sired by Black Toney, the great foundation stallion of Idle Hour Stock Farm...
(Champion Female of 1926, winner of the 1926 Kentucky OaksKentucky OaksThe Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year...
) - Black HelenBlack HelenBlack Helen was an American Thoroughbred race horse bred and foaled in the spring of 1932 at Colonel E. R. Bradley's Idle Hour Stock Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Black Helen was the result of a mating between Bradley's best stallion, Black Toney, and the legendary "blue hen" mare La Troienne...
(by La TroienneLa TroienneLa Troienne, was one of the most famous and influential Thoroughbred broodmares in twentieth century America. She produced 10 winners while at stud....
, Hall of Fame American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 1935.) - Big Hurry (by La TroienneLa TroienneLa Troienne, was one of the most famous and influential Thoroughbred broodmares in twentieth century America. She produced 10 winners while at stud....
, and a good broodmare in her own right) - Broadway Jones (stakes winner in the mid-'20s)
- Beanie M (stakes winner in the mid-'30s)
- Bridal Colors (dam of Relic, the leading FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Broodmare Sire of 1965, sire of 32 stakes winners and 6 champions) - Crotala (dam of the leading broodmare Boat; Boat's sire was Man o' WarMan O' WarMan O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...
)
Grandsire of:
- Blue LarkspurBlue LarkspurBlue Larkspur was a bay Kentucky-bred thoroughbred race horse. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957, awarded the 1929 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year, and ranks Number 100 in Blood-Horse magazine's top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century...
(Hall of Fame, sired by Black Servant, #100 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th CenturyBlood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th CenturyIn 1999, a panel for The Blood-Horse magazine was made up of distinguished horse racing people: Howard Battle, Lenny Hale, Jay Hovdey, William Nack, Pete Pedersen, Jennie Rees and Tommy Trotter. These experts compiled a list of what they considered to be the top 100 United States thoroughbred...
) - Market WiseMarket WiseMarket Wise was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Cary T. Grayson, his dam was On Hand, and his sire was the 1933 Kentucky Derby winner, Brokers Tip. He was purchased by New York contractor Louis Tufano for a meager $1,000. -1941:Trained by George W. Carroll, Market Wise raced...
(Champion Handicap Horse of 1941; set an American record in the 1941 Jockey Club Gold CupJockey Club Gold CupThe 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...
, defeating WhirlawayWhirlawayWhirlaway 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....
.) - SearchingSearching (horse)Searching was a racehorse. The filly was born in 1952 at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky where the Wheatley Stable bred and raised its horses. After the Second World War, Gladys's son Ogden Phipps purchased a number of horses from the estate of Colonel Edward R. Bradley and his Idle Hour...
(out of Big Hurry by War AdmiralWar 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...
; Hall of Famer, Searching was the dam of AffectionatelyAffectionatelyAffectionately was the daughter of 1956 American Horse of the Year Swaps, out of the exceptional racing mare Searching. Searching's dam was Big Hurry, by Black Toney out of the best "Blue Hen" mare of them all, La Troienne...
, #81 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th CenturyBlood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th CenturyIn 1999, a panel for The Blood-Horse magazine was made up of distinguished horse racing people: Howard Battle, Lenny Hale, Jay Hovdey, William Nack, Pete Pedersen, Jennie Rees and Tommy Trotter. These experts compiled a list of what they considered to be the top 100 United States thoroughbred...
) - Barn Swallow (Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 1933, winner of the 1933 Kentucky OaksKentucky OaksThe Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year...
) - Baba Kenny (Champion Two-Year-Old Filly of 1930)
- Big PebbleBig PebbleBig Pebble was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Bred by Edward R. Bradley at his Idle Hour Stock Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, his dam was Beach Talk and his sire was Black Servant who would also sire Blue Larkspur...
(Champion Handicap Male of 1941) - Spy Song (major stakes winner or runner-up in the mid-1940s]
- Bridal Flower (Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 1946)
- Dark Ruler (major stakes winner or runner-up in the mid-1950s)
End of the line
Black Toney spent his whole stud career at Idle Hour, producing many fine broodmares as well as winners. He died there on September 19, 1938, at the age of 27 of an apparent heart attack. Colonel Bradley commissioned a bronzeBronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
statue that he placed over his greatest stallion’s grave. It is still there today, on a part of the Darby Dan Farm
Darby Dan Farm
Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath , it was expanded from an original farm into a 4,000...
.