Genuine Risk
Encyclopedia
Genuine Risk was a chestnut
mare
who won the 1980 Kentucky Derby
and was the first filly
to ever finish in the money in all three U.S. Triple Crown races. Ridden by Jacinto Vasquez
, she finished second in the Preakness
and Belmont Stakes
. She was foaled in Kentucky
.
, winning the 1915 Derby 65 years earlier. Since then, Winning Colors
won in 1988.
Genuine Risk also raced in the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, placing 2nd in both of them; the only other filly to compete in all of the triple crown legs was Winning Colors, who won the Kentucky Derby, placed 3rd in the Preakness Stakes and then placed 6th in the Belmont Stakes.
in 1982. The resulting foal expected in 1983 would have made history as the first offspring of two Kentucky Derby winners. Genuine Risk, however, delivered a stillborn
colt. Though scheduled to be bred to Nijinsky II
in 1983, she was rebred to Secretariat without success.
Over the next 17 years, she produced only two living foals: Genuine Reward, a chestnut colt
by Rahy
in 1993, and Count Our Blessing, a chestnut colt by Chief Honcho foaled in 1996. Neither colt ever raced. Genuine Reward went to stud in 1997 and stands in Wyoming
. Count Our Blessing was eventually gelded
and is currently a show horse under the name of Westley.
in 1986. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, she is ranked #91.
Retired from breeding in 2000 after losing several foals or failing to conceive, she spent the rest of her life at the Firestone's Newstead Farm in Upperville, Virginia
. During Memorial Day Weekend in 2007, several hundred visitors visited Genuine Risk at Newstead during the annual Hunt Country Stable Tour, on what was to be her last public appearance.
At the age of 31, she died in her paddock at the Firestone family's Virginia
-based Newstead Farm on Monday, August 18, 2008.
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
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...
who won the 1980 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...
and was the first filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
to ever finish in the money in all three U.S. Triple Crown races. Ridden by Jacinto Vasquez
Jacinto Vásquez
Jacinto Vásquez is a retired Hall of Fame thoroughbred jockey. He rode two Kentucky Derby winners, Foolish Pleasure in 1975 and Genuine Risk in 1980, but may be best known as the regular jockey for the great filly Ruffian.-Biography:...
, she finished second in the Preakness
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...
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...
. She was foaled in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Kentucky Derby
Genuine Risk was only the second filly to win the Kentucky Derby. The first was RegretRegret (horse)
Regret was a famous American thoroughbred racehorse and the first of three fillies to ever win the Kentucky Derby.-Background:She was foaled at Harry Payne Whitney's Brookdale Farm in Lincroft, New Jersey...
, winning the 1915 Derby 65 years earlier. Since then, Winning Colors
Winning Colors (horse)
Winning Colors was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and one of only three fillies to ever win the Kentucky Derby. Though she was registered as roan, she was, in fact, a gray with a broad band of white on her face.Racing on the West Coast of the United States for trainer D...
won in 1988.
Genuine Risk also raced in the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, placing 2nd in both of them; the only other filly to compete in all of the triple crown legs was Winning Colors, who won the Kentucky Derby, placed 3rd in the Preakness Stakes and then placed 6th in the Belmont Stakes.
Breeding
Genuine Risk's first mating was to the Triple Crown winner SecretariatSecretariat (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 1982. The resulting foal expected in 1983 would have made history as the first offspring of two Kentucky Derby winners. Genuine Risk, however, delivered a stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
colt. Though scheduled to be bred to Nijinsky II
Nijinsky II
The racehorse Nijinsky was one of the greatest horses in Thoroughbred horse-racing history. He won the U.K. Triple Crown of racing. Retired to stud he became the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland and the Leading broodmare sire in North America.He was bred at E. P...
in 1983, she was rebred to Secretariat without success.
Over the next 17 years, she produced only two living foals: Genuine Reward, a chestnut colt
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
by Rahy
Rahy
Rahy was an Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in England and the United States. Bred by Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Lexington, he was a son of the very important sire Blushing Groom and out of the Eclipse Award winner and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame mare, Glorious Song.Rahy was purchased as a...
in 1993, and Count Our Blessing, a chestnut colt by Chief Honcho foaled in 1996. Neither colt ever raced. Genuine Reward went to stud in 1997 and stands in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Count Our Blessing was eventually gelded
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
and is currently a show horse under the name of Westley.
Honors and retirement
Genuine Risk was inducted into 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...
in 1986. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, she is ranked #91.
Retired from breeding in 2000 after losing several foals or failing to conceive, she spent the rest of her life at the Firestone's Newstead Farm in Upperville, Virginia
Upperville, Virginia
Upperville is an unincorporated community in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States, located along U.S. Route 50 fifty miles from downtown Washington, D.C.. Founded in the 1790s along Pantherskin Creek, it was originally named Carrstown by first settler Josephus Carr...
. During Memorial Day Weekend in 2007, several hundred visitors visited Genuine Risk at Newstead during the annual Hunt Country Stable Tour, on what was to be her last public appearance.
At the age of 31, she died in her paddock at the Firestone family's Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
-based Newstead Farm on Monday, August 18, 2008.