Ponder (horse)
Ponder | |
---|---|
Sire | Pensive |
Grandsire | Hyperion |
Dam | Miss Rushin |
Damsire | Blenheim |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | April 14, 1946[1] |
Country | USA |
Colour | Dark Brown |
Breeder | Calumet Farm |
Owner | Calumet Farm |
Trainer | Ben A. Jones |
Record | 41 Starts: 14 – 7 - 4 |
Earnings | $542,275 |
Major wins | |
Kentucky Derby (1949) American Derby (1949) Arlington Classic (1949) Jockey Club Gold Cup (1949) Lawrence Realization Stakes (1949) Peter Pan Stakes (1949) Santa Anita Maturity (1950) Arlington Handicap (1950) San Antonio Handicap (1950) Tanforan Handicap (1950) Marchbank Handicap (1950) | |
Last updated on September 16, 2008 |
Ponder (April 14, 1946 – October 10, 1958) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Kentucky Derby in 1949.
Background
Ponder was the son of the 1944 Kentucky Derby winner, Pensive, and sire of the winner of the 1956 Kentucky Derby, Needles. Pensive, Ponder, and Needles are the second family of grandfather, father, and son to win the Kentucky Derby (the first were Reigh Count in 1928, 1943 Triple Crown winner Count Fleet, and Count Turf in 1951). His dam Miss Rushin was descended from the Irish broodmare Orris (foaled 1917) whose other descendants included Souverain.[2]
A Calumet Farm foal, trained by the Hall of Fame conditioner Ben Jones, Ponder was a closer. Jones claimed that if the horse had given himself more time to catch up more often, he would have won a lot more of his races.
Racing career
Ponder ran in the same years as his stable mates Coaltown and Citation, but they were both one year older. He also competed against the very good Greentree Stable's Capot, who took the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in 1949. Ponder lost all four of his two-year-old starts. On January 3, 1949, at age three, he broke his maiden at Tropical Park and then won two more races, but Jones still thought of him as a lesser contender for Calumet in the '49 Derby. His other possibility was a colt called De Luxe. Then Ponder finished a fast-closing second by a length to Olympia in the Derby Trial. He left Capot five lengths behind. Considering that Olympia was a winner on both coasts and the odds-on favorite to win the Derby, Jones was impressed.
In the Derby, Olympia led for the first mile with Capot on his heels. Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Steve Brooks, Ponder was last. He was twelfth after six furlongs and sixth as the field turned for home. Then Ponder began to rally. His gain was described as "relentless," sweeping him past the rest of the field to win the Derby by three lengths. Capot held on for second, while Olympia faded to sixth. Ponder ran the last quarter in about :23 4/5.
At that time, the Preakness Stakes was more suited to a speed horse with its short home stretch. Capot was a front runner, and the Preakness fit him well. In the race, Ponder was gaining momentum but ran out of racing room. In their next encounter, the Peter Pan Stakes, the turns were wider and when Ponder got going from his usual slow start, he beat Capot by ten lengths. In the Belmont Stakes, Ponder began it as he did in the Kentucky Derby, but by now Capot's jockey Ted Atkinson knew his rival. Instead of forcing the pace, he kept it slow, allowing Capot to have just enough left to withstand Ponder's fast late charge.
Ponder lost his next two races, as did Capot. On July 30, they met for the last time in the Arlington Classic. Capot finished 14 lengths behind Ponder, whose late kick was perfect for the track. Next Ponder came in second to the older Coaltown, both running a world record mile, and then he won the American Derby over Kentucky Colonel and John's Joy and came in third by a head and a neck in the Narragansett Special, with additional wins in the Lawrence Realization Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup (ridden by Eddie Arcaro). Because of his Belmont and Preakness victories, Capot edged out Ponder as American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse for 1949.
In California on February 11, 1950, in his four-year-old season, Ponder took the San Antonio Handicap from the older Citation. Third was the Irish-bred Noor, another "come-from-behind" runner, imported from the United Kingdom after modest success. In an overnight prep, Ponder lost to Your Host but beat Hill Prince, who came in third and later won 1950 American Horse of the Year honors.
Stud record
When Ponder went to stud at Calumet, he produced Needles in his first crop. Ponder died in 1958.
Pedigree
Sire Pensive (USA) 1941 | Hyperion (GB) 1930 | Gainsborough | Bayardo |
---|---|---|---|
Rosedrop | |||
Selene | Chaucer | ||
Serenissima | |||
Pencuik (GB) 1934 | Buchan | Sunstar | |
Hamoaze | |||
Pennycomequick | Hurry On | ||
Plymstock | |||
Dam Miss Rushin (USA) 1942 | Blenheim (GB) 1927 | Blandford | Swynford |
Blanche | |||
Malva | Charles O'Malley | ||
Wild Arum | |||
Lady Erne (USA) 1934 | Sir Gallahad | Teddy | |
Plucky Liege | |||
Erne | White Eagle | ||
Orris (Family: 23)[2] |
References
- ^ a b "Ponder pedigree". Equineline.
- ^ a b "Piping Peg's Dam - Family 23". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
- The History of Thoroughbred Racing in America, by William H.P. Robertson, Bonanza Books, New York
External links
- Ponder at Find a Grave
- v
- t
- e
- 1875 Aristides
- 1876 Vagrant
- 1877 Baden-Baden
- 1878 Day Star
- 1879 Lord Murphy
- 1880 Fonso
- 1881 Hindoo
- 1882 Apollo
- 1883 Leonatus
- 1884 Buchanan
- 1885 Joe Cotton
- 1886 Ben Ali
- 1887 Montrose
- 1888 Macbeth II
- 1889 Spokane
- 1890 Riley
- 1891 Kingman
- 1892 Azra
- 1893 Lookout
- 1894 Chant
- 1895 Halma
- 1896 Ben Brush
- 1897 Typhoon II
- 1898 Plaudit
- 1899 Manuel
- 1900 Lieut. Gibson
- 1901 His Eminence
- 1902 Alan-a-Dale
- 1903 Judge Himes
- 1904 Elwood
- 1905 Agile
- 1906 Sir Huon
- 1907 Pink Star
- 1908 Stone Street
- 1909 Wintergreen
- 1910 Donau
- 1911 Meridian
- 1912 Worth
- 1913 Donerail
- 1914 Old Rosebud
- 1915 Regret ♥
- 1916 George Smith
- 1917 Omar Khayyam
- 1918 Exterminator
- 1919 Sir Barton ₩
- 1920 Paul Jones
- 1921 Behave Yourself
- 1922 Morvich
- 1923 Zev
- 1924 Black Gold
- 1925 Flying Ebony
- 1926 Bubbling Over
- 1927 Whiskery
- 1928 Reigh Count
- 1929 Clyde Van Dusen
- 1930 Gallant Fox ₩
- 1931 Twenty Grand
- 1932 Burgoo King
- 1933 Brokers Tip
- 1934 Cavalcade
- 1935 Omaha ₩
- 1936 Bold Venture
- 1937 War Admiral ₩
- 1938 Lawrin
- 1939 Johnstown
- 1940 Gallahadion
- 1941 Whirlaway ₩
- 1942 Shut Out
- 1943 Count Fleet ₩
- 1944 Pensive
- 1945 Hoop Jr.
- 1946 Assault ₩
- 1947 Jet Pilot
- 1948 Citation ₩
- 1949 Ponder
- 1950 Middleground
- 1951 Count Turf
- 1952 Hill Gail
- 1953 Dark Star
- 1954 Determine
- 1955 Swaps
- 1956 Needles
- 1957 Iron Liege
- 1958 Tim Tam
- 1959 Tomy Lee
- 1960 Venetian Way
- 1961 Carry Back
- 1962 Decidedly
- 1963 Chateaugay
- 1964 Northern Dancer
- 1965 Lucky Debonair
- 1966 Kauai King
- 1967 Proud Clarion
- 1968 Forward Pass (Dancer's Image disqualified)
- 1969 Majestic Prince
- 1970 Dust Commander
- 1971 Canonero II
- 1972 Riva Ridge
- 1973 Secretariat ₩
- 1974 Cannonade
- 1975 Foolish Pleasure
- 1976 Bold Forbes
- 1977 Seattle Slew ₩
- 1978 Affirmed ₩
- 1979 Spectacular Bid
- 1980 Genuine Risk ♥
- 1981 Pleasant Colony
- 1982 Gato Del Sol
- 1983 Sunny's Halo
- 1984 Swale
- 1985 Spend a Buck
- 1986 Ferdinand
- 1987 Alysheba
- 1988 Winning Colors ♥
- 1989 Sunday Silence
- 1990 Unbridled
- 1991 Strike the Gold
- 1992 Lil E. Tee
- 1993 Sea Hero
- 1994 Go for Gin
- 1995 Thunder Gulch
- 1996 Grindstone
- 1997 Silver Charm
- 1998 Real Quiet
- 1999 Charismatic
- 2000 Fusaichi Pegasus
- 2001 Monarchos
- 2002 War Emblem
- 2003 Funny Cide
- 2004 Smarty Jones
- 2005 Giacomo
- 2006 Barbaro
- 2007 Street Sense
- 2008 Big Brown
- 2009 Mine That Bird
- 2010 Super Saver
- 2011 Animal Kingdom
- 2012 I'll Have Another
- 2013 Orb
- 2014 California Chrome
- 2015 American Pharoah ₩
- 2016 Nyquist
- 2017 Always Dreaming
- 2018 Justify ₩
- 2019 Country House (Maximum Security disqualified)
- 2020 Authentic
- 2021 Mandaloun (Medina Spirit disqualified)
- 2022 Rich Strike
- 2023 Mage
- 2024 Mystik Dan
Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown winners, ♥ = Filly