Gun Bow
Encyclopedia
Gun Bow was an American
Thoroughbred
Hall of Fame
racehorse
. Owned and bred by cosmetics
tycoon Elizabeth Arden
at her Maine Chance Farm
, Gun Bow was sired by Gun Shot, a son of Hyperion
, the 1933 Epsom Derby
winner and a six-time leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
. He was out of the mare Ribbons and Bows, a daughter of 1937 U.S. Triple Crown
champion War Admiral
.
Lameness kept Gun Bow out of racing at age two and as a result of American tax laws at the time, Arden sold Gun Bow in December 1962 to Harry Albert and Mrs. John Stanley of New Jersey
, who raced him under the name Gedney Farms. Conditioned by future Hall of Fame trainer
Edward A. Neloy
, on the track at age three he won six of his eighteen starts. The colt's most significant 1963 win came in the Narragansett Special
at the Narragansett Race Track
in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
. However, by age four he had developed into a powerful runner and a major rival for the now legendary Kelso
.
In his 1964 season, Gun Bow traveled across the United States to compete. He raced in California
as well as at Arlington Park
in the Midwest
, plus at tracks on the East Coast
, from New York
thorough Florida
. He won eight of his sixteen starts, including three important graded stakes race
s on the West Coast
, and had wins in major East Coast races such as the Woodward Stakes
. He defeated Kelso by twelve lengths in the Brooklyn Handicap
while setting a new track record for 10 furlong
s. He gave the U.S. a one-two finish against an international field when he came in second to Kelso in record time in the Washington, D.C. International. In September, his owners syndicated 60% of Gun Bow to a group led by John R. Gaines, which included former owner, Elizabeth Arden. For the 1964 racing year, Gun Bow had earnings of more than $580,000.
Racing at age five, Gun Bow won three of eight starts, claiming his second straight San Antonio Handicap
in California plus the Metropolitan
and Donn Handicap
s in the East. Retired to stud
duty after his 1965 racing season, his offspring met with modest racing success. Notably, his outstanding daughter Pistol Packer won several Group One
races in France
, including the 1971 Prix de Diane
. In 1974, Gun Bow was sold to a breeding farm in Japan
.
In 1999, Gun Bow was inducted in the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
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...
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...
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...
. Owned and bred by cosmetics
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
tycoon Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Arden
Florence Nightingale Graham , who went by the business name Elizabeth Arden, was a Canadian-American businesswoman who built a cosmetics empire in the United States. At the peak of her career, she was one of the wealthiest women in the world.-Biography:Arden was born in 1884 at Woodbridge, Ontario,...
at her Maine Chance Farm
Maine Chance Farm
Maine Chance Farm was an American Thoroughbred horse racing stable in Lexington, Kentucky owned by cosmetics tycoon, Elizabeth Arden.Elizabeth Arden raced under the nom de course "Mr. Nightingale" until 1943 when she adopted the name Maine Chance Farm from her health spa in Mount Vernon, Maine...
, Gun Bow was sired by Gun Shot, a son of Hyperion
Hyperion (horse)
Hyperion was a British bred Thoroughbred, a dual classic winner and an outstanding sire. Owned by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, Hyperion won £29,509 during his career - a considerable sum at the time. His victories included the Epsom Derby and St...
, the 1933 Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winner and a six-time leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
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:...
. He was out of the mare Ribbons and Bows, a daughter of 1937 U.S. Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
champion War Admiral
War Admiral
War 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...
.
Lameness kept Gun Bow out of racing at age two and as a result of American tax laws at the time, Arden sold Gun Bow in December 1962 to Harry Albert and Mrs. John Stanley of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, who raced him under the name Gedney Farms. Conditioned by future Hall of Fame trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
Edward A. Neloy
Edward A. Neloy
Edward Albert "Eddie" Neloy was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. At age fourteen, he began working at a racetrack then joined the United States Army during World War II...
, on the track at age three he won six of his eighteen starts. The colt's most significant 1963 win came in the Narragansett Special
Narragansett Special
The Narragansett Special was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Narragansett Race Track in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. At the time of its inaugural running in 1935, the Narragansett Special offered a purse of $25,000 making it New England's richest horse race Open to horses age three...
at the Narragansett Race Track
Narragansett Race Track
Narragansett Park was an American race track for Thoroughbred horse races in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. On May 18, 1934 a special election was held, where by a 4-1 margin, pari-mutual wagering was made legal. Walter E. O'Hara formed the Narragansett Racing Association and was named president and...
in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
. However, by age four he had developed into a powerful runner and a major rival for the now legendary Kelso
Kelso (horse)
Kelso was an American thoroughbred race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War , Secretariat and Citation...
.
In his 1964 season, Gun Bow traveled across the United States to compete. He raced in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as well as 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 the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
, plus at tracks on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
thorough Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He won eight of his sixteen starts, including three important 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...
s on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, and had wins in major East Coast races such as the Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
. He defeated Kelso by twelve lengths in the Brooklyn Handicap
Brooklyn Handicap
The Brooklyn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to three-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-half miles on dirt....
while setting a new track record for 10 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....
s. He gave the U.S. a one-two finish against an international field when he came in second to Kelso in record time in the Washington, D.C. International. In September, his owners syndicated 60% of Gun Bow to a group led by John R. Gaines, which included former owner, Elizabeth Arden. For the 1964 racing year, Gun Bow had earnings of more than $580,000.
Racing at age five, Gun Bow won three of eight starts, claiming his second straight San Antonio Handicap
San Antonio Handicap
The San Antonio Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
in California plus the Metropolitan
Metropolitan Handicap
The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile," is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile .The Met Mile was first...
and Donn Handicap
Donn Handicap
The Donn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late January/early February at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.The race is named after the Donn family, who for many years owned and operated the racetrack....
s in the East. Retired to stud
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...
duty after his 1965 racing season, his offspring met with modest racing success. Notably, his outstanding daughter Pistol Packer won several 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...
races 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...
, including the 1971 Prix de Diane
Prix de Diane
The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies...
. In 1974, Gun Bow was sold to a breeding farm in 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...
.
In 1999, Gun Bow was inducted in the United States' National Museum of Racing and 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...
.