Determine
Determine | |
---|---|
Sire | Alibhai |
Grandsire | Hyperion |
Dam | Koubis |
Damsire | Mahmoud |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | 1951 |
Country | United States |
Colour | Gray |
Breeder | Dr. Eslie Asbury |
Owner | Andrew J. Crevolin |
Trainer | William Molter |
Record | 44: 18-7-9 |
Earnings | US$573,360 |
Major wins | |
San Franciscan Handicap (1953) Robert O'Brien Handicap (1953) Santa Anita Derby (1954) Bay Meadows Derby (1954) Golden Gate Handicap (1954) Debonair Stakes (1954) San Felipe Handicap (1954) San Gabriel Handicap (1954) San Jose Handicap (1954) Oakland Handicap (1954) Peter Clark Handicap (1954) Santa Anita Maturity (1955) Golden Gate Mile Handicap (1955) Malibu Sequet Stakes (1955) Inglewood Handicap (1955) American Classic Race wins: Kentucky Derby (1954) | |
Last updated on September 9, 2008 |
Determine (April 7, 1951 – September 27, 1972), was an American Thoroughbred race horse. In a racing career which lasted from 1953 through 1955, the California-trained colt ran forty-four times and won eighteen races. His best season was 1954 when he became the first gray horse to win the Kentucky Derby.
Background
Determine was sired by the British stallion Alibhai a son of the 1933 Epsom Derby and St. Leger Stakes winner Hyperion. Alibhai's other progeny included Your Host and Flower Bowl. Determine's dam was Koubis, born with a cleft palate. Her breeder, Dr. Eslie Asbury, used specially designed instruments to repair her palate in a unique operation, but she was never raced. Koubis was a granddaughter of the mare Swing On, the dam of Seabiscuit, and was also related to Equipoise and Intentionally.[1]
Bred to Alibhai, Koubis produced a colt so small that the man who bought him for $12,000, a California automobile dealer named Andrew J. Crevolin, said he "…must have been standing in a hole when he inspected the colt." His breeder offered to take him back, but Crevolin refused, explaining that he might be letting a Kentucky Derby winner get away. The colt was sent into training with William Molter in California.
Determine, a soft gray in color, grew to a little over fifteen hands and never weighed more than 900 pounds. At the time of his Derby win he was described in the press as being a "pint-sized colt"[2] and "a little package of dynamite".[3]
Racing career
In his two-year-old season Determine won prize money which totaled more than double his purchase price. Overall, it was a modest year, but when he turned three, with no break in training from the year before, Determine was always in stakes company and was never out of the money. In more than one race, his small size got him through holes, and his light weight made him nimble in cramped situations.
After Determine won the Santa Anita Derby as well as a few other important West Coast stakes races, Crevolin wanted to send him to Kentucky for the Derby. But his trainer, Wille Molter, with a large stable to manage, was reluctant to take the risk, believing that the race was too hard on a young horse so early in the year. Trainer and owner went back and forth over this decision until Determine made it for them by winning more races. He was flown to Kentucky, and in the space of four days ran in two races. On April 27, 1954, he competed in the Derby Trial, running side by side with Hasty Road in the stretch. Determine matched the much larger Hasty Road stride for stride, although Hasty Road won by a head in a new track record time of 1:35 for the mile.[2] The show horse was eleven lengths back.
On May 1, Determine, who had been flown in from California shortly before the race,[4] was ridden by Ray York in the 1954 Kentucky Derby. He was the second choice of the 100,000 crowd at odds of 4/1 with Correlation, another Californian colt, starting the 3/1 favourite.[3] Right out of the gate, York was almost unseated. Timely Tip, who had won the Arkansas Derby, cut over badly from the outside. In what Churchill Downs describes as one of the roughest Derbys ever run, Determine stayed on his feet, and York stayed in the saddle. Hasty Road was well in the lead, but Determine caught him 1/16 of a mile from the finish and won by a length and a half, becoming the first gray to win the Derby.[2] As the colt had never been entered in the Belmont Stakes there was no hope of completing the Triple Crown, and shortly after the Derby it was announced that Determine would miss the Preakness Stakes, which was won in his absence by Hasty Road. Molter had explained that as Determine was a late foal and had already run nine times in 1954, he did not want to risk over-racing him.[4]
Back in California, Determine was sent out against older horses. Losing a few races, he was found to have an abscessed jaw and was taken out of training. When he came back, he was heavily weighted, which took its toll on him. Even so, he won four stakes races and retired with winnings of $573,360.
Stud record
Determine proved to be a good sire. His son Decidedly won the 1962 Kentucky Derby. Warfare, out of War Whisk, was a solid campaigner. Also, Determine was damsire to Hall of Fame filly Bold 'n Determined.
Determine died in September 1972 and is buried at Rancho Jonata, Buellton, California.[5]
Pedigree
Sire Alibhai ch. 1938 | Hyperion ch. 1930 | Gainsborough | Bayardo |
---|---|---|---|
Rosedrop | |||
Selene | Chaucer | ||
Serenissima | |||
Teresina ch. 1920 | Tracery | Rock Sand | |
Topiary | |||
Blue Tit | Wildfowler | ||
Petit Bleu | |||
Dam Koubis gr. 1946 | Mahmoud gr. 1933 | Blenheim | Blandford |
Malva | |||
Mah Mahal | Gainsborough | ||
Mumtaz Mahal | |||
Brown Biscuit br. 1936 | Sir Andrew | Sir Gallahad III | |
Gravitate | |||
Swing On | Whisk Broom II | ||
Balance (Family: 5-j)[1] |
References
- ^ a b "Miami - Family 5-j". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
- ^ a b c "Determine makes history winning Kentucky Derby". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. May 3, 1954. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
- ^ a b "Determine wins Kentucky Derby with fast stretch run". Reading Eagle. May 2, 1954. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
- ^ a b "Determine, Derby victor, skips Preakness". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 4, 1954. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
- ^ "Grave Matters Thoroughbreds". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
- ^ "Determine pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
- The History of Thoroughbred Racing in America, by William H.P. Robertson, Bonanza Books, New York
- 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