Vagrant (horse)
Encyclopedia
Vagrant, was an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse that is best known for his 1876 Kentucky Derby
win. Vagrant was the first of nine gelding
s to win the Kentucky Derby and was a white-stockinged
bay colt sired by Virgil
out of the mare Lazy (by Scythian (GB)). Virgil was notable for breeding successful nineteenth century race horses and stood at Milton H. Sanford's Elmendorf Stud
in Kentucky. Vagrant is related, through his sire, to two other early Kentucky Derby winners, Hindoo
(1881) and Ben Ali
(1886).
while owned by T.J. Nichols, and sharing the title of U.S. Champion 2-Year-Old Colt with Parole
that year.
As a three-year old, Vagrant won five of his six starts at up to a mile, and was clearly the top juvenile of 1876. That year, Vagrant won the Phoenix Hotel Stakes
by 50 yards and also won the Grand Exposition Stakes in Philadelphia.[3],[4}
The second Kentucky Derby was run on a fast track with a field of 11 horses.[2] Vagrant won the Derby, with Robert Swim up, by two lengths over the betting favorite, Parole, winning a total of $2,950.[2]
After the Kentucky Derby and the Phoenix Stakes
win, millionaire William B. Astor, Jr.
purchased Vagrant for $7,000, an impressive figure for a thoroughbred of that era.[4] Vagrant injured his leg at the 1876 Philadelphia Grand Exposition Stakes and was rested for a season in 1877 until his leg healed in 1878.
Vagrant was sold to J.J Bevin in the 1880s and raced under his name until 1882, when at the Jerome Park race track, Vagrant became very lame after a race. His racing stats list only one start in 1883, indicating that Vagrant, at age ten, was permanently retired from racing.
Vagrant was widely rumored to have been a vegetable cart horse in Lexington
after his racing career, having been sold into this service sometime after 1883.
A 1910 Daily Racing Form
article states that Vagrant died at around 17 years of age (c. 1890) while being used as a saddle horse for a woman that lived in Long Island.
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 that is best known for his 1876 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...
win. Vagrant was the first of nine gelding
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...
s to win the Kentucky Derby and was a white-stockinged
Horse markings
Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life...
bay colt sired by Virgil
Virgil (horse)
Virgil was an American thoroughbred racehorse that was bred in Kentucky by Hyman C. Gratz. He was a brown to dark bay stallion, was approximately 16 hands high and had a prominent white star on his forehead.[2] His sire, Vandal, was the second leading sire of the time, behind the great Lexington...
out of the mare Lazy (by Scythian (GB)). Virgil was notable for breeding successful nineteenth century race horses and stood at Milton H. Sanford's Elmendorf Stud
Elmendorf Farm
Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, and has been involved with horse racing since the early 19th century...
in Kentucky. Vagrant is related, through his sire, to two other early Kentucky Derby winners, Hindoo
Hindoo (horse)
Hindoo was an outstanding American Thoroughbred race horse who won 30 of his 35 starts, including the Kentucky Derby, the Travers Stakes and the Clark Handicap. He later sired the Preakness Stakes winner Buddhist and the Belmont Stakes winner and Leading sire in North America, Hanover.He was a bay...
(1881) and Ben Ali
Ben Ali (horse)
Ben Ali was the winner of the 1886 Kentucky Derby and was named after his owner James Ben Ali Haggin, a man of Turkish heritage that had struck gold in the California Gold Rush of 1849. Ben Ali was foaled in Kentucky and was a large bay colt sired by Virgil. His damsire was also the great...
(1886).
Racing career
Vagrant was a promising two-year old, winning the 1875 Belle Meade Stakes, Alexander Stakes and Sanford StakesSanford Stakes
The Sanford Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of July at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A six furlong sprint race, the Grade II event is open to two-year-old horses....
while owned by T.J. Nichols, and sharing the title of U.S. Champion 2-Year-Old Colt with Parole
Parole (horse)
Parole was a Thoroughbred race horse bred by Pierre Lorillard, a scion of the tobacco family. Lorillard and his brother George were both horsemen and competed throughout their careers...
that year.
As a three-year old, Vagrant won five of his six starts at up to a mile, and was clearly the top juvenile of 1876. That year, Vagrant won the Phoenix Hotel Stakes
Phoenix Stakes (United States)
The Phoenix Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of six furlongs and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
by 50 yards and also won the Grand Exposition Stakes in Philadelphia.[3],[4}
The second Kentucky Derby was run on a fast track with a field of 11 horses.[2] Vagrant won the Derby, with Robert Swim up, by two lengths over the betting favorite, Parole, winning a total of $2,950.[2]
After the Kentucky Derby and the Phoenix Stakes
Phoenix Stakes (United States)
The Phoenix Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of six furlongs and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
win, millionaire William B. Astor, Jr.
William Backhouse Astor, Jr.
William Backhouse Astor, Jr. was a businessman and a member of the prominent Astor family.He was the ancestor of the U.S. branch of the Astor family, which came to an end in the male line at the end of the 20th century....
purchased Vagrant for $7,000, an impressive figure for a thoroughbred of that era.[4] Vagrant injured his leg at the 1876 Philadelphia Grand Exposition Stakes and was rested for a season in 1877 until his leg healed in 1878.
Vagrant was sold to J.J Bevin in the 1880s and raced under his name until 1882, when at the Jerome Park race track, Vagrant became very lame after a race. His racing stats list only one start in 1883, indicating that Vagrant, at age ten, was permanently retired from racing.
Vagrant was widely rumored to have been a vegetable cart horse in Lexington
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...
after his racing career, having been sold into this service sometime after 1883.
A 1910 Daily Racing Form
Daily Racing Form
The Daily Racing Form is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race horses as a statistical service for bettors on horse racing in the United States....
article states that Vagrant died at around 17 years of age (c. 1890) while being used as a saddle horse for a woman that lived in Long Island.
Vagrant Total Race Record
| Year | # of Starts | # of Firsts | # of Seconds | # of Thirds | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | $3,800 |
| 1876 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | $6,540 |
| 1878 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| 1879 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 2 | $1,175 |
| 1880 | 23 | 7 | 3 | 3 | $1,500 |
| 1881 | 21 | 2 | 5 | 2 | $875 |
| 1882 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | $75 |
| 1883 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Totals | 88 | 20 | 12 | 12 | $13,875 |