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Milkmaid (horse)
Encyclopedia
Milkmaid was an American
two-time Champion
Thoroughbred
filly
racehorse
. She was bred by J. Hal Woodford at his farm in Bourbon County, Kentucky
. Woodford had bred and raced the 1907 Kentucky Derby
winner, Pink Star
. Out of the mare, Nell Olin, her sire was the British import, Peep o' Day, a son of the great Ayrshire
who won the 1888 2,000 Guineas Stakes and Epsom Derby
then just missed winning the British Triple Crown when he ran second in the St. Leger Stakes
.
Purchased at age two in 1918 by owner/trainer John E. Madden
, after winning the September 18th Hopeful Purse at Havre de Grace Racetrack
he sold Milkmaid to Canadian
, J.K.L. Ross. Her race conditioning was then turned over to future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
trainer, Guy Bedwell
.
, Milkmaid won races at both sprint
and longer distances. At age three and four her success against other fillies and mares resulted in her being saddled with high weight for most of her career. On April 21, 1919, Milkmaid won the Wilmington Purse at Havre de Grace Racetrack, defeating a field of colts with Kentucky Derby
and Preakness Stakes
aspirations in a time that was just one-fifth of a second off the track record. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9E01E6D71238EE32A25751C2A9629C946896D6CF In May, Milkmaid and her Kentucky Derby-winning stablemate Sir Barton
were entered in the Preakness Stakes. Milkmaid finished eighth but according to a June 27, 1994 Sports Illustrated
article, jockey Earl Sande was "told to veer Milkmaid in at the start, break up the alignment of the field and allow Sir Barton time to get a good position." http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005326/index.htm Sir Barton proved he didn't need Milkmaid's help to win the Preakness and went on to capture that year's U.S. Triple Crown
. However, on an equal footing as demonstrated in the Wilmington Purse, Milkmaid had great success against colt
s including a win in the 1919 Kenner Stakes
at Saratoga Race Course
in which she beat Sam Hildreth's
top colt, Cirrus. Burdened with fourteen more pounds than Harry Payne Whitney's
winning filly Vexatious, Milkmaid ran second in the 1919 Alabama Stakes
at Saratoga. Milkmaid's 1919 performances resulted in her being voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
track record for seven furlong
s. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE1DB1F31E03ABC4851DFBE66838B639EDE A few weeks later on September 3rd, she set another track record against males in winning the Great Neck Handicap at a distance of a mile and a sixteenth at Belmont Park
. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C00E1D81E31E433A25757C0A96F9C946195D6CF For 1920, Milkmaid earned American Champion Older Female Horse honors.
, Milkmaid produced two foals from J.K. L. Ross's stallion, Cudgel
. Her colt, Lactarius, was born in 1924 and raced for J.K. L. Ross, notably winning the Connaught Cup Stakes
. Financial problems resulted in J.K.L. Ross liquidating his racing stable and in August of 1926 Milkmaid was sold at a Saratoga auction. Her second foal was born to her new owners in 1927. Named Milkman, the colt had modest success racing but as a sire did produce a number of successful runners.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
two-time Champion
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...
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....
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...
. She was bred by J. Hal Woodford at his farm in Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the remnant of what was previously a much larger Bourbon County, established as part of Virginia in 1785, and comprising what are now thirty-four modern Kentucky counties...
. Woodford had bred and raced the 1907 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, Pink Star
Pink Star
Pink Star was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and was the winner of the 1907 Kentucky Derby. He was a grandson of 1883 Kentucky Derby winner Leonatus and his sire, Pink Coat, was an American Derby winner....
. Out of the mare, Nell Olin, her sire was the British import, Peep o' Day, a son of the great Ayrshire
Ayrshire (horse)
Ayrshire was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1883 to 1885 he ran sixteen times and won eleven races. After winning five races as a two-year-old he became the leading British three-year-old colt of 1884 when he won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Derby...
who won the 1888 2,000 Guineas Stakes and 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...
then just missed winning the British Triple Crown when he ran second in the St. Leger Stakes
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
.
Purchased at age two in 1918 by owner/trainer John E. Madden
John E. Madden
John Edward Madden was a prominent AmericanThoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky and bred five Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winners.He was inducted into the National...
, after winning the September 18th Hopeful Purse at Havre de Grace Racetrack
Havre de Grace Racetrack
The Havre de Grace Racetrack was an American horse racing track on Post Road in Havre de Grace, Harford County, Maryland which operated from August 24, 1912 to 1950...
he sold Milkmaid to 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...
, J.K.L. Ross. Her race conditioning was then turned over to future 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...
trainer, Guy Bedwell
H. Guy Bedwell
Harvey Guy Bedwell was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and owner who was the first trainer to win the U.S. Triple Crown.Born in Roseburg, Oregon he was known by his middle name...
.
1919 racing season
During an illustrious career in which she was frequently ridden by the great Hall of Fame jockey, Earl SandeEarl Sande
Earl H. Sande was an American Hall of Fame jockey and thoroughbred horse trainer.Born in Groton, South Dakota, Earl Sande started out as a bronco buster in the early 1900s but then became a successful American quarter horse rider before switching to thoroughbred horse racing in 1918...
, Milkmaid won races at both sprint
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
and longer distances. At age three and four her success against other fillies and mares resulted in her being saddled with high weight for most of her career. On April 21, 1919, Milkmaid won the Wilmington Purse at Havre de Grace Racetrack, defeating a field of colts with 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 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...
aspirations in a time that was just one-fifth of a second off the track record. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9E01E6D71238EE32A25751C2A9629C946896D6CF In May, Milkmaid and her Kentucky Derby-winning stablemate Sir Barton
Sir Barton
Sir Barton, , was a chestnut thoroughbred colt who in 1919 became the first winner of the American Triple Crown.He was sired by leading stud Star Shoot out of the Hanover mare Lady Sterling. His grandsire was the 1893 English Triple Crown champion, Isinglass.Sir Barton was bred in Kentucky by...
were entered in the Preakness Stakes. Milkmaid finished eighth but according to a June 27, 1994 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...
article, jockey Earl Sande was "told to veer Milkmaid in at the start, break up the alignment of the field and allow Sir Barton time to get a good position." http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005326/index.htm Sir Barton proved he didn't need Milkmaid's help to win the Preakness and went on to capture that year's U.S. Triple Crown
United 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...
. However, on an equal footing as demonstrated in the Wilmington Purse, Milkmaid had great success against 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....
s including a win in the 1919 Kenner Stakes
Kenner Stakes
The Kenner Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run from 1870 through 1942 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to three-year-old horses, it was last contested at a distance of a mile and three sixteenths on dirt. It was run as the Miller Stakes from 1920 through...
at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
in which she beat Sam Hildreth's
Sam Hildreth
Samuel Clay Hildreth was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.Born in Independence, Missouri, Sam Hildreth began his training career in 1887, competing at racetracks in the Midwestern United States with such horses as the good racemare Hurley Burley, the dam of...
top colt, Cirrus. Burdened with fourteen more pounds than Harry Payne Whitney's
Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney was an American businessman, thoroughbred horsebreeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.- Early years :...
winning filly Vexatious, Milkmaid ran second in the 1919 Alabama Stakes
Alabama Stakes
The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, it currently offers a purse of $500,000...
at Saratoga. Milkmaid's 1919 performances resulted in her being voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
1920 racing season
On August 19, 1920, racing against males, four-year-old Milkmaid set a new Saratoga Race CourseSaratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
track record for 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....
s. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE1DB1F31E03ABC4851DFBE66838B639EDE A few weeks later on September 3rd, she set another track record against males in winning the Great Neck Handicap at a distance of a mile and a sixteenth 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...
. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C00E1D81E31E433A25757C0A96F9C946195D6CF For 1920, Milkmaid earned American Champion Older Female Horse honors.
As a broodmare
Retired to broodmare duty at her owner's Yarrow Brae Stud farm in MarylandMaryland
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...
, Milkmaid produced two foals from J.K. L. Ross's stallion, Cudgel
Cudgel (horse)
Cudgel was an American two-time Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.Owned by J. K. L. Ross and trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee H. Guy Bedwell, Cudgel is probably best remembered for his win in the 1919 Havre de Grace Handicap in which he defeated two future Hall of Fame inductees,...
. Her colt, Lactarius, was born in 1924 and raced for J.K. L. Ross, notably winning the Connaught Cup Stakes
Connaught Cup Stakes
The Connaught Cup Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Run in late May, the Grade III race is open to horses aged four and older. Raced over a distance of seven furlongs on turf, it currently offers a purse of $150,000.The Connaught...
. Financial problems resulted in J.K.L. Ross liquidating his racing stable and in August of 1926 Milkmaid was sold at a Saratoga auction. Her second foal was born to her new owners in 1927. Named Milkman, the colt had modest success racing but as a sire did produce a number of successful runners.