Assault (horse)
| Assault | |
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Suburban Handicap (1947)
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| Last updated on September 16, 2006 |
Assault (March 28, 1943 – September 1, 1971) [1] was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the seventh winner of the American Triple Crown and the only Texas-bred winner of the Triple Crown.
Early life
Foaled at King Ranch in Texas, Assault was sired by Bold Venture, who had won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 1936.[2] His dam was the unraced Igual, by Horse of the Year Equipoise. Assault's third dam was Masda, who was a full sister to Man o' War. His full-brother was Air Lift, who broke a leg in his debut race and was destroyed.[2]
Described as being "on the delicate side" by his later jockey, Eddie Arcaro, Assault was plagued with injuries and illnesses from the start. As a youngster, he stepped on what is believed to have been a surveyor's stake, driving it through his front right hoof. The hoof was permanently deformed, and the colt developed a limp to accommodate the odd shape of his foot;[3] however, the "Club-footed Comet", as he was later dubbed, showed no signs of abnormality when he was at a full gallop. Throughout his career, Assault also overcame kidney, splint bone, fetlock, knee and bleeding problems.
Aside from his physical troubles, Assault faced another major hurdle. He had been foaled and bred at King Ranch, a Texas ranch that primarily raised cattle and
Racing career
Under
The handicappers saw this as a stamina issue and made Lord Boswell the favorite in the 1½-mile Belmont Stakes. After stumbling at the start, Assault trailed the field throughout much of the race. In the final 200 yards, he moved past the leaders to win the Belmont by three lengths. He was the seventh Triple Crown winner ever, and the third during the 1940s.
Two weeks after his Belmont victory, Assault won the
Over the winter, Assault developed into a mature four-year-old. The colt was constantly hungry, charging grooms if he was not fed on time. He paid such close attention to his exercise riders that when it seemed that they were gazing off or not fully attentive, he would leap to the side, leaving them mid-air, and gallop around the track riderless.
As a four-year-old, Assault won five of seven races and never finished worse than third. He was victorious in some of the biggest handicap races in history, including the
Assault returned to the track as a five-, six-, and seven-year-old, although he did not display the same sort of winning form he showed as a three- and four-year-old.
Assault raced 42 times, with 18 victories (15 in stakes races), 6 second-place finishes, and 7 third-place finishes. He earned $675,470. In 1946, he was voted Horse of the Year, the most prestigious honor in American thoroughbred racing, and won
Retirement
Assault was originally intended to be retired after his four-year-old season and stand
Honors
Assault was inducted into the
Pedigree
| Sire Bold Venture Ch. 1933 |
St. Germans
B. 1921 |
Swynford | John o' Gaunt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury Pilgrim | |||
| Hamoaze | Torpoint | ||
| Maid of the Mist | |||
| Possible
Ch. 1920 |
Ultimus | Commando | |
| Running Stream | |||
| Lida Flush | Royal Flush III | ||
| Lida H. | |||
| Dam Igual Ch. 1937 |
Equipoise
ch. 1928 |
Pennant | Peter Pan
|
| Royal Rose | |||
| Swinging | Broomstick | ||
| Balancoire II | |||
| Incandescent
B. 1931 |
Chicle | Spearmint | |
| Lady Hamburg II | |||
| Masda | Fair Play | ||
| Mahubah |
See also
Notes
- ^ a b "'46 Triple Crown winner, Assault, dies at age 28", Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal, September 2, 1971, p. C-5
- ^ a b Heinz, W.C. (29 July 1949). "Death of a Racehorse" (PDF). The Sun. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- )
- ^ "Assault is Named Horse of the Year". Edmonton Journal. 1946-12-06. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ "Assault Put To Sleep", Wilmington (DE) Evening Journal, September 2, 1971, p. 42
