Porterhouse (horse)
Encyclopedia
Porterhouse was an American
Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. Bred by Liz Person
and raced under her Llangollen Farm banner, Porterhouse was a son of the Argentine-bred
Endeavour who also sired Corn Husker, Prove It
and Pretense, three top runners who each won the Santa Anita Handicap
. His dam was Red Stamp, a daughter of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee Bimelech
.
Conditioned for racing by Charlie Whittingham, Porterhouse was the forty-year-old trainer's first stakes winner and first Champion. En route to being voted the 1953 American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Porterhouse won East Coast
races including the National Stallion Stakes
and the then most important race for his age group, the Belmont Futurity Stakes. Porterhouse also won the 1953 Saratoga Special Stakes
but was disqualified and set back to last.
In 1954, three-year-old Porterhouse had a sub-par year in racing, with his only important win coming in the Old Knickerbocker Handicap
. The colt did not run in either of the first two races of the U.S. Triple Crown series and finished ninth in the Belmont Stakes
won by High Gun
. During the next three years in racing, Porterhouse returned to his winning ways at racetracks in California
. He captured several top events, highlighted by his win over future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Swaps
in the 1956 Californian Stakes
and the Hollywood Express Handicap
in world record time for five and a half furlongs on dirt at Hollywood Park Racetrack.
Retired to stud
duty, Porterhouse met with reasonable success, siring several good runners including Coaching Club American Oaks
winner, Our Cheri Amour, and multiple stakes winners Isle of Greece, Port Wine, and Farwell Party.
Porterhouse died at age twenty in 1971 and was buried at the The Stallion Station in Lexington, Kentucky
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
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...
. Bred by Liz Person
Liz Whitney Tippett
Mary Elizabeth Whitney Person Tippett was a wealthy American socialite and philanthropist who was a champion horsewoman and for more than fifty years, a prominent owner/breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses.Born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Elizabeth Dobson and her husband...
and raced under her Llangollen Farm banner, Porterhouse was a son of the Argentine-bred
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Endeavour who also sired Corn Husker, Prove It
Prove It (horse)
Prove It was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Rex C. Ellsworth, he was sired by Endeavour, an Argentine-bred who also sired Corn Husker, Porterhouse and Pretense...
and Pretense, three top runners who each won the Santa Anita Handicap
Santa Anita Handicap
The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season...
. His dam was Red Stamp, a daughter of the 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 Bimelech
Bimelech
Bimelech was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won two Triple Crown races, was twice named American horse of the year, and is ranked #84 among U.S. racehorses of the 20th century. After retiring to stud, he sired 30 stakes winners and his daughters produced 50 stakes winners.-Early...
.
Conditioned for racing by Charlie Whittingham, Porterhouse was the forty-year-old trainer's first stakes winner and first Champion. En route to being voted the 1953 American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Porterhouse won 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...
races including the National Stallion Stakes
National Stallion Stakes
The National Stallion Stakes was two American Thoroughbred horse races inaugurated in 1898 at Morris Park Racetrack in The Bronx, New York.The race was separated between two-year-old fillies and colts and was for a time one of the premier events for that age group...
and the then most important race for his age group, the Belmont Futurity Stakes. Porterhouse also won the 1953 Saratoga Special Stakes
Saratoga Special Stakes
The Saratoga Special Stakes is an American grade II thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is for two-year-olds willing to race six and a half furlongs on the dirt....
but was disqualified and set back to last.
In 1954, three-year-old Porterhouse had a sub-par year in racing, with his only important win coming in the Old Knickerbocker Handicap
Knickerbocker Handicap
The Knickerbocker Handicap is an American Grade III race on turf for Thoroughbred horses run each year at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The Knickerbocker is open to three-year-olds and up, and set at a distance of one mile and one furlong...
. The colt did not run in either of the first two races of the U.S. Triple Crown series and finished ninth in the 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...
won by High Gun
High Gun
High Gun was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. His sire, Heliopolis, was a two-time Leading sire in North America. His dam was Rocket Gun whose damsire was the legendary Man o' War....
. During the next three years in racing, Porterhouse returned to his winning ways at racetracks 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...
. He captured several top events, highlighted by his win over future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Swaps
Swaps (horse)
Swaps was a California bred American thoroughbred racehorse. He was the son of Khaled, a stallion imported from the Aga Khan's stud in Europe. Swaps goes back to the immortal Man o' War, via his dam, Iron Reward, through the Triple Crown winner, War Admiral. In the list of the top 100 U.S...
in the 1956 Californian Stakes
Californian Stakes
The Californian Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of June at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The Grade II event is open to horses age three and up willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt...
and the Hollywood Express Handicap
Hollywood Turf Express Handicap
The Hollywood Turf Express Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second half of November at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. Formerly a Grade III event raced at a distance of six furlongs on turf, it is open to horses age three and older. The race...
in world record time for five and a half furlongs on dirt at Hollywood Park Racetrack.
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...
duty, Porterhouse met with reasonable success, siring several good runners including Coaching Club American Oaks
Coaching Club American Oaks
The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $250,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in 2010....
winner, Our Cheri Amour, and multiple stakes winners Isle of Greece, Port Wine, and Farwell Party.
Porterhouse died at age twenty in 1971 and was buried at the The Stallion Station in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.