Devil's Bag
Encyclopedia
Devil's Bag was an American Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who was syndicated as a two-year-old for US$
36 million, the highest price for any 2-year-old in racing history.
Bred by Canadian
E. P. Taylor
at his Windfields Farm
Maryland
division, Devil's Bag was out of the mare
Ballade and sired by Halo
, making him a full brother to both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
inductee Glorious Song
and Arlington Classic
winner and very successful sire Saint Ballado
.
Devil's Bag was purchased as a yearling
for $325,000 at the 1982 Keeneland July Selected Yearling Sale
by the Hickory Tree Stable of James and Alice Mills
.
inductee Woody Stephens
, Devil's Bag was ridden by Eddie Maple
. The colt won all five starts at age two by an average of five and a half lengths and was voted the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1983. His wins included the seven furlong
Cowdin Stakes
in a stakes record time of 1:21.40 at Belmont Park
. He set another stakes record at Belmont Park in winning the one mile Champagne Stakes by six lengths, breaking Seattle Slew's
1976 record time. In his final race as a two-year-old, Devil's Bag won the 11/16 mile Laurel Futurity Stakes by five and a quarter lengths in a time of 1:42.20 that broke the track record set by Spectacular Bid
. Scheduled to run in December's Remsen Stakes
at Aqueduct Racetrack
, while in training the colt stepped on a stone. Although the injury was very minor, his handlers chose not to race him again that year.
paid $36 million for Devil's Bag, the highest price for any 2-year-old in racing history, and the third highest for any race horse ever. Hancock said that the colt would be retired to stud
at Claiborne Farm after his three-year-old racing season with his 1985 fee set at $1 million for his first stallion
year. http://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/21/sports/devil-s-bag-syndicated.html http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921463,00.html
series. Such was his fame that a January 2, 1984, TIME
magazine article led with: "Devil's Bag, the next Secretariat." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921463,00.html
Devil's Bag made his three-year-old debut on February 20, 1984, at Hialeah Park Race Track
, scoring an impressive seven-length win. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j5oTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XwYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3603,2837096&dq=devil%27s+bag+flamingo However, on March 7 he suffered the first loss of his career in the 1⅛ mile Flamingo Stakes
at Hialeah Park. After taking the lead heading for home, Devil's Bag suddenly slowed down and finished fourth. A March 12 article in Sports Illustrated
called it "one of the most stunning surprises in recent racing history, for no 3-year-old since Secretariat
, in 1973, had stirred the imagination more than Devil's Bag."
On April 19, Devil's Bag returned with an fifteen-length victory in the seven-furlong Forerunner Stakes
at Keeneland Race Course and then won his next start on April 28 at Churchill Downs
in the one-mile Derby Trial Stakes. He was the pre-race favorite for the May 5 Kentucky Derby
. Then, on May 1, trainer Woody Stephens announced that Devil's Bag would not run in the Derby but that he might start in the Preakness Stakes
. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y-YNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G24DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6312,393588&dq=devil%27s+bag+flamingo
On May 7, it was announced that veterinarian Dr. Alex Harthill had discovered a small fracture in Devil's Bag's right front knee and that the colt would be retired from racing.
At age twenty-four, Devil's Bag was euthanized
on February 3, 2005, after he broke his right hind leg in his stall. He was buried in Claiborne Farm's Marchmont cemetery.
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...
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 was syndicated as a two-year-old for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
36 million, the highest price for any 2-year-old in racing history.
Bred by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
E. P. Taylor
E. P. Taylor
Edward Plunket Taylor was a Canadian business tycoon and famous breeder of thoroughbred race horses. Known to his friends as "Eddie", he is universally recorded as "E. P...
at his Windfields Farm
Windfields Farm
Windfields Farm is a six square kilometre thoroughbred horse breeding farm founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor originated with a property near the city of Toronto known as Parkwood Stable when it was owned by...
Maryland
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...
division, Devil's Bag was out of the mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
Ballade and sired by Halo
Halo (horse)
Halo was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and an important Champion sire. Bred in Kentucky by John R. Gaines, founder of the Breeders Cup, Halo was out of the mare Cosmah , which made him a half-brother to the Hall of Fame filly Tosmah. His sire was Hail To Reason, the U.S...
, making him a full brother to both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
inductee Glorious Song
Glorious Song
Glorious Song was a Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who was a Champion in Canada and the United States and became an important broodmare. Bred by the prominent horseman E. P. Taylor at his Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, she was sired by Halo and out of the mare Ballade, who also produced...
and Arlington Classic
Arlington Classic
The Arlington Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-old horses held annually at the end of June at Arlington Park race track near Chicago, Illinois...
winner and very successful sire Saint Ballado
Saint Ballado
Saint Ballado was a thoroughbred racehorse born 1989 who later became a Leading North American Sire. Being the son of the Halo, sire of the great racer and sire Sunday Silence, and out of the Herbager mare Ballade, dam of Canadian Horse of the Year Glorious Song and Champion Two-Year-Old Devil's...
.
Devil's Bag was purchased as a yearling
Yearling (horse)
A yearling is a young horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. Yearlings are comparable in development to a very early adolescent, they are not fully mature physically, and while they may be in the earliest stages of sexual maturity, they are considered too young to be breeding...
for $325,000 at the 1982 Keeneland July Selected Yearling Sale
Keeneland Sales
The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...
by the Hickory Tree Stable of James and Alice Mills
Alice du Pont Mills
Alice Francis du Pont Mills was an American aviatrix, thoroughbred race horse breeder and owner, environmentalist, philanthropist and a member of the prominent du Pont family....
.
At Two
Conditioned for racing by future U.S. Racing 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...
inductee Woody Stephens
Woody Stephens
Woody Stephens was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer.Born Woodford Cefis Stephens in Stanton, Kentucky, his younger brother William Ward Stephens also became a successful trainer. Woody Stephens first started in racing as a jockey at age 16 but within a few years switched...
, Devil's Bag was ridden by Eddie Maple
Eddie Maple
Edward Retz "Eddie" Maple is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. One of eight brothers and sisters, he was an older brother to jockey Sam Maple who won more than 2,500 races. He began riding horses at age 12 and won his first race as a professional at 17...
. The colt won all five starts at age two by an average of five and a half lengths and was voted the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1983. His wins included the seven furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
Cowdin Stakes
Cowdin Stakes
The Cowdin Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack and at Belmont Park. First run in 1923 as the Junior Champion Stakes, it was renamed the Cowdin Stakes in 1941 to honor to John Cheever Cowdin, former president of Aqueduct Racetrack.The race was for...
in a stakes record time of 1:21.40 at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
. He set another stakes record at Belmont Park in winning the one mile Champagne Stakes by six lengths, breaking Seattle Slew's
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
1976 record time. In his final race as a two-year-old, Devil's Bag won the 11/16 mile Laurel Futurity Stakes by five and a quarter lengths in a time of 1:42.20 that broke the track record set by Spectacular Bid
Spectacular Bid
Spectacular Bid was an American Thoroughbred race horse. "The Bid" as he was known was one of the most dominant gallopers of his time...
. Scheduled to run in December's Remsen Stakes
Remsen Stakes
The Remsen Stakes is an American Grade II race for Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York...
at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
, while in training the colt stepped on a stone. Although the injury was very minor, his handlers chose not to race him again that year.
A $36 Million Colt
On December 20, 1983, it was announced that a syndicate led by Seth Hancock's Claiborne FarmClaiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...
paid $36 million for Devil's Bag, the highest price for any 2-year-old in racing history, and the third highest for any race horse ever. Hancock said that the colt would be retired to stud
Stud (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...
at Claiborne Farm after his three-year-old racing season with his 1985 fee set at $1 million for his first stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
year. http://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/21/sports/devil-s-bag-syndicated.html http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921463,00.html
At Three
Devil's Bag was the winterbook favorite for the U.S. Triple CrownUnited States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In 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...
series. Such was his fame that a January 2, 1984, TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine article led with: "Devil's Bag, the next Secretariat." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921463,00.html
Devil's Bag made his three-year-old debut on February 20, 1984, at Hialeah Park Race Track
Hialeah Park Race Track
The Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic site in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
, scoring an impressive seven-length win. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j5oTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XwYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3603,2837096&dq=devil%27s+bag+flamingo However, on March 7 he suffered the first loss of his career in the 1⅛ mile Flamingo Stakes
Flamingo Stakes
The Flamingo Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in March at the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida. Run over a distance of nine furlongs, the inaugural race took place in 1926 at the Tampa, Florida racetrack...
at Hialeah Park. After taking the lead heading for home, Devil's Bag suddenly slowed down and finished fourth. A March 12 article in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
called it "one of the most stunning surprises in recent racing history, for no 3-year-old since Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
, in 1973, had stirred the imagination more than Devil's Bag."
On April 19, Devil's Bag returned with an fifteen-length victory in the seven-furlong Forerunner Stakes
Forerunner Stakes
The Forerunner Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the third week of April at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on turf over a distance of one and one-eighth miles .Inaugurated in 1950, the Forerunner Stakes...
at Keeneland Race Course and then won his next start on April 28 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 the one-mile Derby Trial Stakes. He was the pre-race favorite for the May 5 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...
. Then, on May 1, trainer Woody Stephens announced that Devil's Bag would not run in the Derby but that he might start in the 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...
. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y-YNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G24DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6312,393588&dq=devil%27s+bag+flamingo
On May 7, it was announced that veterinarian Dr. Alex Harthill had discovered a small fracture in Devil's Bag's right front knee and that the colt would be retired from racing.
At Stud
Devil's Bag sired more than forty stakes race winners. His best known runners were:- Twilight Agenda (b. 1986) - raced for Walter HaefnerWalter HaefnerWalter Haefner is a businessman and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder in Ireland. He was born in Switzerland.As a young man, Walter Haefner went to work in the auto industry as an employee of the Swiss division of General Motors Corporation...
in Ireland and the United States. Career earnings of US$2,177,843 - Devil His DueDevil His DueDevil His Due was multimillionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse and successful sire. Bred in Kentucky by Peter E. Blum and raced under the Blue Ribbon Farm banner, he had a record of 41: 11-12-3 with career earnings of $3,920,405. At the time of his retirement he was fourth on the all time...
(b. 1989) - a multiple Grade I winner with career earnings of $3,920,405 - Taiki ShuttleTaiki ShuttleTaiki Shuttle is a Japanese Thoroughbred race horse who was voted Japanese Horse of the Year in 1998. He was bred and owned by Taiki Farm and trained by Kazuo Fujisawa....
(b. 1994) - 1998 Japanese Horse of the YearJapanese Horse of the YearThe Japanese Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in Japanese thoroughbred horse racing. It is awarded annually by the Japan Racing Association ....
, Japan Racing Association Hall of FameJapan Racing Association Hall of FameThe Horse Racing Hall of Fame is a Japanese horse racing memorial hall which was installed on September 2, 1985, in JRA Horse Racing Museum, Fuchu, Tokyo... - Buy the Sport (b. 2000) - 1st Gazelle H.(G1,9F), International Trial S.(GB-L,8FT), 3rd Beldame S.(G1,9F), 03'BC Distaff 6th
At age twenty-four, Devil's Bag was euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
on February 3, 2005, after he broke his right hind leg in his stall. He was buried in Claiborne Farm's Marchmont cemetery.