Blushing John
Encyclopedia
Blushing John is a millionaire Thoroughbred
racehorse
who competed in France
and in the United States
. He was bred by Frank Groves' North Ridge Farm near Lexington, Kentucky
and ran under the banner of Allen E. Paulson
as his owner. Out of the mare La Griffe, he was a son of the very influential Champion sire
, Blushing Groom
.
who maintained racing operations both in France and the United States. Paulson sent the colt to trainer Francois Boutin
at the Chantilly Racecourse
training center in France. Sent to the track as a two-year-old, Blushing John won his debut in September 1987 at Longchamp Racecourse under regular jockey Freddy Head
. His most important win of 1987 came next under substitute jockey Yves Saint-Martin
in the Prix Saint-Roman
. He then ran third for Freddy Head in the Critérium de Saint-Cloud
.
Prix de Fontainebleau
at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) in April. He then duplicated that feat when he stepped up in class and won the Group One
Poule d'Essai des Poulains
, sometimes referred to as the French 2,000 Guineas. The Guineas, held in may was also at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile).
In the late summer of 1988 he was then sent to the United States to prepare for the first Saturday of November at Churchill Downs
in Louisville, Kentucky
. Paulson opted to compete in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Mile. With his regular jockey Freddy Head riding stablemate Miesque
, Blushing John was ridden by American jockey Pat Day
. As a coupled entry Mesque and Blushing John went off at post time as the even money favorite. As the gates opened John was forced back into ninth in a field of twelve. At the halfway point in the race he was completely taken out of his game as an up close stalker and was placed in the back of the back. Around the far turn and into the stretch he was never in contention, the colt finished a very disappointing tenth place. Following the Breeders' Cup, Blushing John was freshened for the winter.
at Oaklawn Park
in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Then he won again in the Washington Park Handicap
at Arlington Park
in Chicago, Illinois.
Blushing John had his breakthrough moment during the third week of May in the $750,000 Grade I
Pimlico Special
Handicap at "Old Hilltop" in Baltimore, Maryland. He was listed at post time as the third choice in a field of twelve graded stakes winners at 7-1. All broke well in the field and Blushing John was a factor early being forwardly placed. He held back in fourth under patient Pat Day
going into that famous "club house turn" at Pimlico Race Course
. Slew City Slew and local favorite Little Bold John
led down the back stretch. Then Blushing John made his patented move on the far turn and rode up into contention challenging Laffit Pincay, Jr.
on Slew. In the stretch Blushing John passed Slew City Slew but Proper Reality passed them all with Jerry Bailey
aboard. Blushing John bore down on Proper Reality and passed him with a sixteenth to go and won by two lengths.
Later that summer, Blushing John scored in the grade one Hollywood Gold Cup
at Hollywood Park Racetrack. In the final race of his career, Blushing John started the 1989 Breeders' Cup Classic
in what many race experts call "a racing epic." In that race he broke well sitting at fourth in a tight pack. Going into the first turn he rushed up on his own in second to put some pressure on Slew City Slew who set a blazing first quarter down at 22.2. With three eighths a mile to go, Blushing John over took the leader coming out of the far turn. He was clocked at 1:10.2 in the first 3/4 of a mile under jockey Angel Cordero and quickly opened to a clear advantage. In the stretch he fought on gamely but was no match for the winner Sunday Silence
and runner-up Easy Goer
but finished third by only a length. He was ten lengths in front of the rest of the field in the $4,00,000 grade one race. Blushing John's 1989 performances with four wins including two grade one stakes races and a third in the World Championship earned him the Eclipse Award
for American Champion Older Male Horse.
, in the United States Blushing John notably sired the filly Blushing K.D., a multiple stakes winner including the Grade I Kentucky Oaks
. He eventually was exported to Japan
where he stood at Maruzen Hashimoto Farm until 2004 when he was pensioned.
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 competed in France
France
The 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...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was bred by Frank Groves' North Ridge Farm near 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...
and ran under the banner of Allen E. Paulson
Allen E. Paulson
Allen Eugene Paulson was an American aviation entrepreneur, philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse breeder and owner, and a self-made multi-millionaire.-Business career in aviation:Born in Clinton, Iowa, Allen E...
as his owner. Out of the mare La Griffe, he was a son of the very influential Champion sire
Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The list below shows the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1751. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
, Blushing Groom
Blushing Groom
Blushing Groom was a French Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by American businessman John McNamee Sullivan and was raced by HH Aga Khan IV. A descendant of Nearco, Blushing Groom was sired by Red God and out of the mare Runaway Bride....
.
Early career
Blushing John was purchased by American horseman Allen E. PaulsonAllen E. Paulson
Allen Eugene Paulson was an American aviation entrepreneur, philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse breeder and owner, and a self-made multi-millionaire.-Business career in aviation:Born in Clinton, Iowa, Allen E...
who maintained racing operations both in France and the United States. Paulson sent the colt to trainer Francois Boutin
François Boutin
François Boutin was a French Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young age and competed in show jumping and cross-country equestrianism...
at the Chantilly Racecourse
Chantilly Racecourse
Chantilly Racecourse is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris....
training center in France. Sent to the track as a two-year-old, Blushing John won his debut in September 1987 at Longchamp Racecourse under regular jockey Freddy Head
Freddy Head
Freddy Head is a retired champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing and currently a horse trainer. Known also as "Freddie", his grandfather was a jockey as was his father Alec Head who also became a successful trainer and owner of Haras du Quesnay near Deauville...
. His most important win of 1987 came next under substitute jockey Yves Saint-Martin
Yves Saint-Martin
Yves Saint-Martin is a retired champion jockey in French Thoroughbred horse racing. He is widely considered one of the greatest riders in French racing history....
in the Prix Saint-Roman
Prix Saint-Roman
The Prix Saint-Roman was a Group 3 flat horse race in France which was open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. For much of its history it was run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,800 metres , and it was scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.-History:The event was...
. He then ran third for Freddy Head in the Critérium de Saint-Cloud
Critérium de Saint-Cloud
The Critérium de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in November....
.
Three year-old season
At age three in France, Blushing John won the Group 3Group 3
Group 3 may refer to:*Group 3 element, chemical element classification*Group 3 , FIA classification for auto racing* Group 3 image format, Group 3 & Group 4 are digital technical standard for compressing and sending faxes...
Prix de Fontainebleau
Prix de Fontainebleau
The Prix de Fontainebleau is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in April.-History:...
at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) in April. He then duplicated that feat when he stepped up in class and won the Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
Poule d'Essai des Poulains
Poule d'Essai des Poulains
The Poule d'Essai des Poulains, sometimes referred to as the French 2,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts...
, sometimes referred to as the French 2,000 Guineas. The Guineas, held in may was also at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile).
In the late summer of 1988 he was then sent to the United States to prepare for the first Saturday of November at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
in Louisville, Kentucky
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...
. Paulson opted to compete in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Mile. With his regular jockey Freddy Head riding stablemate Miesque
Miesque
Miesque was a champion Thoroughbred racemare, best known as the first horse to win two consecutive Breeders' Cups and racing awards in Europe and America. She was a Group one winner at two, three and four-years-old, for a total of 10 G1 wins. She produced five stakes winners.-Breeding:Miesque was...
, Blushing John was ridden by American jockey Pat Day
Pat Day
Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...
. As a coupled entry Mesque and Blushing John went off at post time as the even money favorite. As the gates opened John was forced back into ninth in a field of twelve. At the halfway point in the race he was completely taken out of his game as an up close stalker and was placed in the back of the back. Around the far turn and into the stretch he was never in contention, the colt finished a very disappointing tenth place. Following the Breeders' Cup, Blushing John was freshened for the winter.
Four year-old season
In the spring of his Blushing John's owner decided to leave him to race in the United States and turned him over to trainer Dick Lundy. Racing on dirt for the first time on the first Saturday in March, Blushing John responded by winning the Razorback HandicapRazorback Handicap
The Razorback Handicap is a race for Thoroughbred horses run at Oaklawn Park each year. The race is open to four-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt...
at Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park is an American thoroughbred racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to The Racing Festival of the South.In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Oaklawn was ranked...
in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Then he won again in the Washington Park Handicap
Washington Park Handicap
The Washington Park Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of September at Arlington Park Racetrack in Arlington Heights, Illinois. A Grade III event open to horses age three and older, it is contested on Polytrack synthetic dirt over a distance of a...
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...
in Chicago, Illinois.
Blushing John had his breakthrough moment during the third week of May in the $750,000 Grade I
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...
Pimlico Special
Pimlico Special
The 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...
Handicap at "Old Hilltop" in Baltimore, Maryland. He was listed at post time as the third choice in a field of twelve graded stakes winners at 7-1. All broke well in the field and Blushing John was a factor early being forwardly placed. He held back in fourth under patient Pat Day
Pat Day
Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...
going into that famous "club house turn" 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...
. Slew City Slew and local favorite Little Bold John
Little Bold John
Little Bold John is a multi-millionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Maryland by Hal C.B. Clagett and raced under the Hidden Hill Farm's banner as his owner. He finished racing with a record of 38-16-14 in 105 starts with career earnings of $2,056,406...
led down the back stretch. Then Blushing John made his patented move on the far turn and rode up into contention challenging Laffit Pincay, Jr.
Laffit Pincay, Jr.
Laffit Alejandro Pincay, Jr. is a flat racing's all-time winningest jockey. He competed primarily in the United States.-Career:...
on Slew. In the stretch Blushing John passed Slew City Slew but Proper Reality passed them all with Jerry Bailey
Jerry Bailey
Jerry D. Bailey is a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. He began his racing career in November 1974. His first mount was on a horse named Pegged Rate, who ran off the board. He notched his first career win the next day on his second career mount, Fetch, at New Mexico's Sunland Park, and has...
aboard. Blushing John bore down on Proper Reality and passed him with a sixteenth to go and won by two lengths.
Later that summer, Blushing John scored in the grade one Hollywood Gold Cup
Hollywood Gold Cup
The 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...
at Hollywood Park Racetrack. In the final race of his career, Blushing John started the 1989 Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
in what many race experts call "a racing epic." In that race he broke well sitting at fourth in a tight pack. Going into the first turn he rushed up on his own in second to put some pressure on Slew City Slew who set a blazing first quarter down at 22.2. With three eighths a mile to go, Blushing John over took the leader coming out of the far turn. He was clocked at 1:10.2 in the first 3/4 of a mile under jockey Angel Cordero and quickly opened to a clear advantage. In the stretch he fought on gamely but was no match for the winner Sunday Silence
Sunday Silence
Sunday Silence was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, earning distinction as 1989 American Horse of the Year over American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse Easy Goer. He was foaled in 1986, sired by Halo out of Wishing Well by Understanding. Though he was registered as a dark bay/brown, he was in...
and runner-up Easy Goer
Easy Goer
Easy Goer was an American Champion Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse, famous for earning American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors in 1988, and defeating 1989 American Horse of the Year Sunday Silence in the Belmont Stakes by 8 lengths. The victory deprived Sunday Silence of the Triple Crown...
but finished third by only a length. He was ten lengths in front of the rest of the field in the $4,00,000 grade one race. Blushing John's 1989 performances with four wins including two grade one stakes races and a third in the World Championship earned him 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 American Champion Older Male Horse.
Retirement
Retired to studStud (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...
, in the United States Blushing John notably sired the filly Blushing K.D., a multiple stakes winner including the Grade I Kentucky Oaks
Kentucky Oaks
The 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...
. He eventually was exported to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where he stood at Maruzen Hashimoto Farm until 2004 when he was pensioned.