First Landing (horse)
Encyclopedia
First Landing was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. Sired by Turn-To
, a grandson of the great Nearco
, he was out of the mare
Hildene, whose sire was the 1926 Kentucky Derby
winner, Bubbling Over
. Hildene was completely blind and died when First Landing was a yearling.
Nicknamed "Lazy Bones", First Landing was the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt but did not achieve the same success racing at age three. In the 1959 racing season, he finished second in the Wood Memorial Stakes
. Then, after winning the Derby Trial
, he was made the betting
favorite for the Kentucky Derby
. However, ridden by Eddie Arcaro
, he finished a well-beaten third behind Sword Dancer and the winner: English-bred Tomy Lee
.
Retired to Christopher Chenery's
stud farm
, First Landing sired a number of Graded stakes race
winners including Jim J. (1964), Ballustrade (1965), Artfully (b.1973), Stutz Bearcat (b.1975), and his most important, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee Riva Ridge
, who won the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes
.
First Landing died at the age of 31 in 1987.
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...
. Sired by Turn-To
Turn-To
Turn-To was a British Thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by the great British stakes winner Royal Charger, out of the French mare Source Sucree, whose sire, Admiral Drake, was third on the French sire list in 1949....
, a grandson of the great Nearco
Nearco
Nearco was an Italian bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by Thoroughbred Heritage as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He was not only unbeaten, winning 14 races at distances from 5 furlongs to 1 mile 7 furlongs ,...
, he was out of the mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
Hildene, whose sire was the 1926 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, Bubbling Over
Bubbling Over (horse)
Bubbling Over was an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. Bred in Kentucky, he was sired by English stakes winner North Star out of the mare, Beaming Beauty, who in turn was sired by the great Belmont Stakes champion, Sweep....
. Hildene was completely blind and died when First Landing was a yearling.
Nicknamed "Lazy Bones", First Landing was the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt but did not achieve the same success racing at age three. In the 1959 racing season, he finished second in the Wood Memorial Stakes
Wood Memorial Stakes
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
. Then, after winning the Derby Trial
Derby Trial
The Derby Trial Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the end of April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Held one week before the Kentucky Derby, it was first run in 1924 and every year since, with the exception of 1928...
, he was made the betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
favorite for the 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...
. However, ridden by Eddie Arcaro
Eddie Arcaro
George Edward Arcaro , known professionally as Eddie Arcaro, was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice...
, he finished a well-beaten third behind Sword Dancer and the winner: English-bred Tomy Lee
Tomy Lee
Tomy Lee was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1959 Kentucky Derby defeating Sword Dancer, First Landing, Royal Orbit and the filly Silver Spoon....
.
Retired to Christopher Chenery's
Christopher Chenery
Christopher Tompkins Chenery was an American engineer, businessman, and owner/breeder of Thoroughbred horse racing's U.S. Triple Crown champion Secretariat....
stud farm
Horse 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...
, First Landing sired a number of 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...
winners including Jim J. (1964), Ballustrade (1965), Artfully (b.1973), Stutz Bearcat (b.1975), and his most important, U.S. 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...
inductee Riva Ridge
Riva Ridge
Riva Ridge was a thoroughbred racehorse, the winner of the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. A son of First Landing out of Iberia , he was owned and bred by the Meadow Stable of Christopher Chenery. The horse's name came from Chenery's son-in-law, John Tweedy, who was a soldier in World War...
, who won the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
.
First Landing died at the age of 31 in 1987.