Golden Act (1976–2000) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse .
19-650: Golden Act was sired by Gummo, a grandson of Nasrullah who was a son of the extremely important sire, Nearco . he was out of the mare Golden Shore. He was trained in California by Loren Rettele. At age two Golden Act's most important stakes results were a win in the El Camino Stakes and a second to Flying Paster in the Norfolk Stakes . At age three, he was a standout in American racing but
38-561: A multiple stakes winner from France . At age four, Golden Act returned to racing, with his best results coming in two Grade I races, the 1980 Turf Classic Invitational Stakes , where he finished second, and the Man o' War Stakes , where he ran third. Retired to stud duty, Golden Act sired a number of winners, notably Silver Circus, a winner of the Grade I Hollywood Derby , and the successful steeplechase runner Almost Golden. Golden Act died at
57-660: Is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in September. The event was founded by William Blenkiron , and it is named after his stud at Eltham . It was established in 1866, and was initially titled the Middle Park Plate. It was originally open to horses of either gender. The race was formerly staged during Newmarket's Cambridgeshire Meeting in late September or early October. It
76-435: The 12 runners behind the filly Herringbone . On his final appearance of the year, Nasrullah showed his best form as he won the 10-furlong Champion Stakes from Kingsway and Umiddad in what was described as "the smoothest race of his career". In 1944, he was purchased by the bloodstock agent Bertie Kerr . Kerr kept him for three weeks before selling him for 19,000 guineas to Joseph McGrath , who subsequently stabled him at
95-616: The Brownstown Stud in County Kildare . This deal was allegedly done over an afternoon cup of tea at Bewley's in Westmoreland Street . Nasrullah was an immediate success as a breeding stallion, and in his six seasons, his fee rose from 198 guineas to 500 guineas. He was champion sire in 1951. The best of his European progeny included: In 1950, Nasrullah was sold for $ 370,000 to Arthur B. Hancock, Jr. He
114-730: The age of twenty-four on May 8, 2000, at Cardiff Stud Farm in Creston, California . Nasrullah (horse) Nasrullah (March 2, 1940 – May 26, 1959) was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was bred in Ireland and trained in the United Kingdom before becoming a champion sire in both Europe and North America. As a two-year-old, he won the Coventry Stakes and finished second in the Middle Park Stakes , ending
133-613: The future Derby winner Straight Deal . In July, he won the Great Bradley Stakes, beating a single opponent. Nasrullah was then rested until the autumn, when he ran in Britain's most prestigious race for two-year-olds, the six- furlong Middle Park Stakes . In a closely run contest, he finished second, beaten a neck by the filly Ribbon. In the Free Handicap, a rating of the season's best two-year-olds, Nasrullah
152-516: The lead in the last quarter-mile. In the closing stages, however, he was overtaken and finished third to Straight Deal and Umiddad. In August, Nasrullah went some way towards restoring his reputation when he won the Cavenham Stakes, although Richards had to "persuade" the colt to keep going when he began to idle after taking the lead. In autumn, Nasrullah was disappointing in the "New St Leger" over 14 furlongs, in which he finished sixth of
171-428: The outsider Kingsway . The "New" Derby of 1943 was run over Newmarket's July Course, and Nasrullah started at odds of 9/1 in a field of 23 runners. Richards, who had the choice of several rides, elected to ride Nasrullah despite his bad behaviour and that he had been labeled a "rogue". Richards struggled to keep the colt on a straight course, but eventually succeeded, and Nasrullah looked the likely winner when he took
190-413: The race caused concern. He was extremely unwilling to leave the pre-race paddock and gave Richards several problems on the way to the start. On his next appearance, he was fitted with blinkers when he was started 13/8 favourite for the 2,000 Guineas . Despite his headgear, he was again reluctant to go down to the start, and after leading for five furlongs, he faded to finish fourth of the 19 runners behind
209-600: The restrictions imposed as a result of the Second World War , many British races were adapted both in distance and venue, and Nasrullah's entire racing career was confined to Newmarket Racecourse . On his racecourse debut, Nasrullah finished third in the Wilburton Stakes, but was then moved up in class and contested the Coventry Stakes (usually run at Royal Ascot ) on 12 June. Ridden by the champion jockey Gordon Richards , he won at odds of 7/4, beating
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#1732771816103228-796: The second leg of the Triple Crown, Hawley brought Golden Act from the back of the field to finish second to Spectacular Bid in the Preakness Stakes . In New York's Belmont Stakes , the final leg of the Triple Crown, Golden Act used another strong stretch drive to overtake Spectacular Bid and finish second to upset winner Coastal . Golden Act went on to win 1979's Secretariat Stakes and Lawrence Realization Stakes . In November's prestigious Canadian International Stakes on turf at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario , Canada , he defeated an international field that included Trillion ,
247-676: The year as the top-rated colt of his generation. In the following season, he became increasingly difficult to manage, and his temperament compromised his racing career. He was the beaten favourite in the 2,000 Guineas and finished a close third in the Derby Stakes before winning the Champion Stakes . As a breeding stallion he stood in England, Ireland, and the United States and had great success in each location. Nasrullah
266-815: Was a big, handsome bay horse with a white star , bred in Ireland by his owner the Aga Khan . He was sired by Nearco , an undefeated Italian racehorse that became one of the most important stallions of the 20th century. Apart from numerous major winners, he sired the influential stallions Nearctic and Royal Charger . His dam, Mumtaz Begum, was a daughter of the outstanding racehorse and broodmare Mumtaz Mahal and became an influential broodmare in her own right: her other descendants have included Royal Charger, Habibti , Octagonal , Oh So Sharp , and Risen Star . The Aga Khan sent Nasrullah into training with Frank Butters at his Fitzroy House stable in Newmarket . Because of
285-579: Was exported to stand at stud in the United States at Hancock's Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky . Nasrullah became one of the most important North American sires of the 20th century, leading the sire list five times. Among his American progeny were: Nasrullah died on May 26, 1959. He is buried at Claiborne Farm. Middle Park Stakes The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts . It
304-555: Was given a weight of 136 lb , making him the top-rated colt, a pound behind the filly Lady Sybil. Before the start of the 1943 season, bookmakers offered prices for the season's leading races despite wartime restrictions, and Nasrullah was made the early favourite for the Derby ahead of his stable companion Umiddad. On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Nasrullah won the Chatteris Stakes easily, but his conduct before
323-958: Was overshadowed by Spectacular Bid , a future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee and a horse ranked No.10 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century . In the leadup to the 1979 U.S. Triple Crown series, Golden Act finished second in the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields in the San Francisco Bay Area . He then won the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans and in April
342-624: Was restricted to colts in 1987. It became part of a new fixture called Future Champions Day in 2011. From 2015, the Middle Park Stakes was moved from Future Champions Day and brought forward two weeks, returning to the Cambridgeshire meeting, to avoid a clash with the similar Dewhurst Stakes. The Middle Park Stakes was added to the Breeders' Cup Challenge series in 2012. The winner earned an automatic invitation to compete in
361-796: Was sent to Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas where he won the Arkansas Derby . Golden Act was ridden by future U.S. and Canadian Hall of Fame jockey Sandy Hawley . In the Kentucky Derby , they were up against a strong field that was led by the overwhelming favorite, Spectacular Bid, and included the second betting choice, Flying Paster , and the well-regarded General Assembly . Sent off at 19:1 odds, Golden Act finished third behind General Assembly and winner Spectacular Bid. At Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland for
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