Little Current
Little Current | |
---|---|
Sire | Sea-Bird |
Grandsire | Dan Cupid |
Dam | Luiana |
Damsire | My Babu |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | 1971 |
Country | United States |
Colour | Chestnut |
Breeder | Darby Dan Farm |
Owner | Darby Dan Farm |
Trainer | Lou Rondinello |
Record | 16: 4-3-1 |
Earnings | $354,704 |
Major wins | |
Everglades Stakes (1974) Triple Crown race wins: Preakness Stakes (1974) Belmont Stakes (1974) | |
Awards | |
United States Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt (1974) | |
Last updated on April 24, 2007 |
Little Current (April 5, 1971 – January 19, 2003) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the final two legs of the 1974 U.S. Triple Crown both the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.
Background
Owned and bred by John W. Galbreath's Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, he was out of the mare Luiana and sired by the great European champion Sea-Bird, whose Timeform rating at 145 is the second highest in racing history, surpassed only by Frankel's 147.
John Galbreath and his wife owned a summer retreat at Manitoulin Island on the north shore of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada. In 1969, they named one of their new foals Manitoulin. Sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Tom Rolfe, the colt raced for the Galbreaths in Ireland, where at the famous Curragh Racecourse he won the 1972 Royal Whip Stakes and Blandford Stakes. In 1971, the Galbreaths named another new foal for their summer home, this time for the island's town of Little Current.
1973: Two-Year-Old Season
Trained by Lou Rondinello and ridden by Ángel Cordero Jr., Little Current made four starts at age two but despite his breeding, showed little promise. Wintered in Florida, at age three Little Current prepared for the 1974 Kentucky Derby. He won two of his first five races that spring, including the 1⅛ miles Everglades Stakes at Hialeah Park. Entered in the Blue Grass Stakes, under new rider Miguel Rivera he finished fourth to Claiborne Farm's Judger. Trained by Woody Stephens, Judger went to the gate in the Kentucky Derby as the betting favorite.
1974 U.S. Triple Crown Series
Kentucky Derby
One year earlier, Thoroughbred racing had witnessed Secretariat captivate much of the American public with his record-breaking performances en route to becoming the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years. One of the spillovers from Secretariat's enormous popularity was the record crowd of 163,628 who showed up at Churchill Downs on May 4, 1974, for the 100th running of the Kentucky Derby. Among those in attendance were Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret and her husband, Lord Snowden.
In light of Little Current's performances leading up to the 1¼-mile Derby, he was given little consideration by the betting public and was sent off at more than 22:1 odds. Because jockey Miguel Rivera had earlier committed to ride Rube The Great in the Derby, Bobby Ussery was aboard Little Current in the twenty-three-horse field, the largest in the race's history. Complicating matters for Little Current was that trainer Lou Rondinello was in hospital recovering from surgery.
Leaving from post position 10, Little Current was last at the quarter pole and at the mile mark was still trapped behind the large field in seventeenth place. Despite a strong drive after the mile pole, he finished fifth, more than six lengths back of winner Cannonade, who was ridden by Ángel Cordero Jr. Little Current in the homestretch had run down the middle of the track and passed numerous horses to finish fifth. As a result of the difficulties experienced by many entrants due to the large field, Churchill Downs officials, including Chairman of the Board and owner of Little Current John W. Galbreath, adopted a new rule limiting the field to twenty horses beginning in 1975.
Preakness Stakes
Notwithstanding Little Current's off-the-board showings in the Blue Grass Stakes and the Derby, his handlers believed the colt was in part a victim of circumstances and a much better racehorse than his record showed. As such, he was entered in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Ridden by Miguel Rivera, Little Current was again given little chance by bettors and was sent off at 13-1 odds. Near the back of the pack for much of the 1 3/16 mile race, he raced close to the inner rail until a hole opened between horses. Launching an explosive drive, the colt drove through the narrow opening, quickly caught the leaders, then stormed past them to win by seven lengths over Neapolitan Way and Derby winner Cannonade. Little Current's winning margin was the largest in twenty-three years.
Belmont Stakes
The third and final leg of the American Classic Races is the 1½ l-mile-long Belmont Stakes. Over the years, many great horses have won the Derby and Preakness only to fall short in the longer race. However, Little Current's sire, Sea Bird, had established himself as one of Europe's greatest runners with dominating victories at 1½ miles in the 1965 Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
In a nine-horse field, Little Current sat nine lengths back in eighth place while Kentucky Derby winner Cannonade and Jolly Johu dueled for the lead. Making the turn for home, again Little Current came storming through to run away from the pack and score another seven-length win.
After capturing the Belmont, Little Current only raced three times. He did not start again until August's Monmouth Invitational Handicap where, after being nearly 20 lengths behind the leader, he put on another explosive drive to finish second by a nose to Holding Pattern. These two horses then met in the Travers Stakes with the same result.
John Galbreath, Little Current's owner, had also raced successfully in Europe. In 1972, his colt Roberto won England's most prestigious race, The Derby. He wanted to win France's most important race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and because of Little Current's easy victory at 1½ miles in the Belmont Stakes, Galbreath believed the horse had a chance in the Arc. In order to first see how the colt could handle the grass surface he would run on in France, Galbreath entered him in the Lawrence Realization Stakes on Belmont Park's turf course. However, Little Current chipped a bone in his right front ankle and was retired from racing. Despite his shortened racing season, he was voted the 1974 Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse.
Stud career
With owner John W. Galbreath maintaining a 25% interest, Little Current was syndicated for $4 million. He stood at stud for the first time in 1975 at his owner's Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He was eventually sent to stand at Buck Pond Farm in nearby Versailles, whose owners, Doug and Karen Arnold, acquired an interest in him. He was later sent for stud duty at Good Guys Farm in Folsom, Louisiana then in 1995 was purchased by equine veterinarian Dr. Ann Hansen and her husband, Mark, who brought him to their farm near Monroe, Washington.
Little Current met with modest success as a stallion. He sired thirty-five stakes winners including 1983 Flamingo Stakes winner Current Hope, 1990 James F. Lyttle Memorial Handicap winner Little Raisin, as well as Curribot (Little Current—Ameribot, by Ribot), who won 22 stakes races and placed in 16 others with lifetime earnings of $491,527. In 1997 he was pensioned and lived at the Hansen's farm for another six years, the oldest living winner of a Triple Crown race. At age thirty-two, Little Current had to be euthanized as a result of an intestinal tumor. His remains were sent to Buck Pond Farm for burial in their equine cemetery.
Pedigree
Sire Sea Bird | Dan Cupid | Native Dancer | Polynesian |
---|---|---|---|
Geisha | |||
Vixenette | Sickle | ||
Lady Reynard | |||
Sicalade | Sicambre | Prince Bio | |
Sif | |||
Mamelade | Maurepas | ||
Couleur | |||
Dam Luiana | My Babu | Djebel | Tourbillon |
Loika | |||
Perfume | Badruddin | ||
Lavendula | |||
Banquet Bell | Polynesian | Unbreakable | |
Black Polly | |||
Dinner Horn | Pot Au Feu | ||
Tophorn |
References
- Little Current's pedigree and partial racing stats
- Website dedicated to Little Current with photos and magazine and newspaper writings
- Churchill Downs article on the 1974 Kentucky Derby
- Little Current's 1974 Kentucky Derby official statistics and race video
- v
- t
- e
- 1873 Survivor
- 1874 Culpepper
- 1875 Tom Ochiltree
- 1876 Shirley
- 1877 Cloverbrook
- 1878 Duke of Magenta
- 1879 Harold
- 1880 Grenada
- 1881 Saunterer
- 1882 Vanguard
- 1883 Jacobus
- 1884 Knight of Ellerslie
- 1885 Tecumseh
- 1886 The Bard
- 1887 Dunboyne
- 1888 Refund
- 1889 Buddhist
- 1890 Montague
- 1894 Assignee
- 1895 Belmar
- 1896 Margrave
- 1897 Paul Kauvar
- 1898 Sly Fox
- 1899 Half Time
- 1900 Hindus
- 1901 The Parader
- 1902 Old England
- 1903 Flocarline ♥
- 1904 Bryn Mawr
- 1905 Cairngorm
- 1906 Whimsical ♥
- 1907 Don Enrique
- 1908 Royal Tourist
- 1909 Effendi
- 1910 Layminster
- 1911 Watervale
- 1912 Colonel Holloway
- 1913 Buskin
- 1914 Holiday
- 1915 Rhine Maiden ♥
- 1916 Damrosch
- 1917 Kalitan
- 1918 War Cloud
- 1918 Jack Hare Jr.
- 1919 Sir Barton ₩
- 1920 Man o' War
- 1921 Broomspun
- 1922 Pillory
- 1923 Vigil
- 1924 Nellie Morse ♥
- 1925 Coventry
- 1926 Display
- 1927 Bostonian
- 1928 Victorian
- 1929 Dr. Freeland
- 1930 Gallant Fox ₩
- 1931 Mate
- 1932 Burgoo King
- 1933 Head Play
- 1934 High Quest
- 1935 Omaha ₩
- 1936 Bold Venture
- 1937 War Admiral ₩
- 1938 Dauber
- 1939 Challedon
- 1940 Bimelech
- 1941 Whirlaway ₩
- 1942 Alsab
- 1943 Count Fleet ₩
- 1944 Pensive
- 1945 Polynesian
- 1946 Assault ₩
- 1947 Faultless
- 1948 Citation ₩
- 1949 Capot
- 1950 Hill Prince
- 1951 Bold
- 1952 Blue Man
- 1953 Native Dancer
- 1954 Hasty Road
- 1955 Nashua
- 1956 Fabius
- 1957 Bold Ruler
- 1958 Tim Tam
- 1959 Royal Orbit
- 1960 Bally Ache
- 1961 Carry Back
- 1962 Greek Money
- 1963 Candy Spots
- 1964 Northern Dancer
- 1965 Tom Rolfe
- 1966 Kauai King
- 1967 Damascus
- 1968 Forward Pass
- 1969 Majestic Prince
- 1970 Personality
- 1971 Canonero II
- 1972 Bee Bee Bee
- 1973 Secretariat ₩
- 1974 Little Current
- 1975 Master Derby
- 1976 Elocutionist
- 1977 Seattle Slew ₩
- 1978 Affirmed ₩
- 1979 Spectacular Bid
- 1980 Codex
- 1981 Pleasant Colony
- 1982 Aloma's Ruler
- 1983 Deputed Testamony
- 1984 Gate Dancer
- 1985 Tank's Prospect
- 1986 Snow Chief
- 1987 Alysheba
- 1988 Risen Star
- 1989 Sunday Silence
- 1990 Summer Squall
- 1991 Hansel
- 1992 Pine Bluff
- 1993 Prairie Bayou
- 1994 Tabasco Cat
- 1995 Timber Country
- 1996 Louis Quatorze
- 1997 Silver Charm
- 1998 Real Quiet
- 1999 Charismatic
- 2000 Red Bullet
- 2001 Point Given
- 2002 War Emblem
- 2003 Funny Cide
- 2004 Smarty Jones
- 2005 Afleet Alex
- 2006 Bernardini
- 2007 Curlin
- 2008 Big Brown
- 2009 Rachel Alexandra ♥
- 2010 Lookin At Lucky
- 2011 Shackleford
- 2012 I'll Have Another
- 2013 Oxbow
- 2014 California Chrome
- 2015 American Pharoah ₩
- 2016 Exaggerator
- 2017 Cloud Computing
- 2018 Justify ₩
- 2019 War of Will
- 2020 Swiss Skydiver ♥
- 2021 Rombauer
- 2022 Early Voting
- 2023 National Treasure
- 2024 Seize the Grey
Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly