Ruffian (horse) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ruffian
Ruffian at Belmont Park in 1975
Sire	Reviewer
Grandsire	Bold Ruler
Dam	Shenanigans
Damsire	Native Dancer
Sex	Filly
Foaled	April 17, 1972 Paris, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	July 7, 1975(1975-07-07) (aged 3) Elmont, New York, U.S.
Country	United States
Colour	Dark bay
Breeder	Stuart & Barbara Janney
Owner	Stuart & Barbara Janney
Trainer	Frank Y. Whiteley Jr.
Record	11: 10-0-0 (1 DNF)
Earnings	$313,428
Major wins
Fashion Stakes (1974) Astoria Stakes (1974) Spinaway Stakes (1974) Sorority Stakes (1974) Comely Stakes (1975) Acorn Stakes (1975) Mother Goose Stakes (1975) Coaching Club American Oaks (1975)
Awards
American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly (1974) 4th U.S. Triple Tiara Champion (1975) American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly (1975)
Honours
American Racing Hall of Fame (1976) #35 – Top 100 American Racehorses of the 20th Century Top Ranked American Female Racehorse of the 20th Century Ruffian Stakes at Belmont Park TV Film: Ruffian (2007)
Last updated on September 21, 2021

Ruffian (born April 17, 1972 – died July 7, 1975) was an amazing American Thoroughbred racehorse. She won ten races in a row, including the Acorn, Mother Goose, and Coaching Club American Oaks. These races were known as the American Triple Tiara for fillies.

Ruffian was always in the lead during her races. She set new records in all eight of the big stakes races she won. Because she was so dominant, she was named the best American filly at both two and three years old. In July 1975, she raced against Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure. During this exciting race, she suffered a serious injury. Vets tried surgery, but Ruffian reacted badly while waking up and made her injuries worse. Sadly, she had to be put down.

Ruffian was added to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1976. The Blood-Horse magazine called her the best female racehorse of the 20th century. She was ranked 35th overall among all American racehorses. Her story was even made into a movie in 2007 called Ruffian.

About Ruffian

Ruffian was born on April 17, 1972, in Paris, Kentucky. She was bred by Stuart S. Janney Jr. and Barbara Phipps Janney. Her father was a horse named Reviewer, and her mother was Shenanigans. Her trainer was Frank Y. Whiteley Jr..

Ruffian was a dark bay filly, which means she was a young female horse. People often described her as looking black. She was very tall for a filly, standing about 16.2 hands high. A sportswriter named Joe Hirsch said she was the most impressive young filly he had ever seen. She used her speed, size, and strength to win her races.

Ruffian's Racing Career

Two-Year-Old Races

Ruffian's first race was at Belmont Park on May 22, 1974. It was a race for horses who had never won before, called a maiden special weight race. She started strong and quickly took the lead. She won by a huge 15 lengths and tied the track record.

On June 12, Ruffian raced in the Fashion Stakes. She was still the favorite to win. Again, she went straight to the front and won by almost seven lengths. She even tied her own track record from her first race!

Her third race was the Astoria Stakes on July 10. She was the favorite again, with only three other horses to beat. She led from the start and won by nine lengths. She set a new record for that race.

Next, she faced a tough opponent named Hot n Nasty in the Sorority Stakes. Ruffian started a bit slow but quickly took the lead. Hot n Nasty stayed close, even getting ahead for a moment. Her jockey, Jacinto Vásquez, had to use his whip for the first time. Ruffian responded and pulled ahead to win, setting another stakes record.

On August 23, Ruffian raced in the Spinaway Stakes. She won easily by almost 13 lengths. Her time broke a record that had stood since 1945. Even Secretariat's trainer said Ruffian might be better than Secretariat!

Ruffian was supposed to race again in September, but she got a fever. Vets then found a small crack in her right back ankle. This meant she couldn't race for the rest of the year. Even with this injury, she was still named the best two-year-old filly of 1974.

Three-Year-Old Races

Ruffian started her three-year-old season on April 14. She won an allowance race easily, even after a long break from racing.

She then won the Comely Stakes on April 30. She had a bad start but still won by almost eight lengths. She set a new record for that race.

Ruffian then aimed for the Triple Tiara, which is like the Triple Crown for fillies. The races were the Acorn Stakes, Mother Goose Stakes, and Coaching Club American Oaks.

In the Acorn Stakes on May 10, Ruffian was the favorite. She quickly took the lead and won by over eight lengths. She set another stakes record.

On May 31, Ruffian raced in the Mother Goose Stakes. She led the whole way and won by over 13 lengths. She set yet another stakes record.

Finally, in the Coaching Club American Oaks on June 21, she raced for the first time at 1.5 miles. She had a big lead, but other horses caught up for a bit. In the end, Ruffian pulled away again to win. Her time tied the race record.

Ruffian won all ten of her first races. She won by an average of over eight lengths. She also set new records in every major stakes race she entered.

Ruffian's Final Race

Ruffian's eleventh race was on July 6, 1975, at Belmont Park. It was a special "match race" against Foolish Pleasure, who had won the Kentucky Derby that year. People had been asking for Ruffian to race against colts for a while. Her owners felt they had to agree to this big race.

Both horses had the same jockey, Jacinto Vásquez, before this race. Vásquez chose to ride Ruffian because he thought she was the better horse. Over 50,000 people came to watch, and 20 million more watched on TV.

As Ruffian left the starting gate, she hit her shoulder. She quickly recovered and was ahead by a nose. A little later, she was ahead by half a length when she suddenly changed how she was running. Both bones in her right front leg snapped. Her jockey tried to stop her, but Ruffian kept trying to run. She badly damaged her leg. Videos later showed that a bird startled her, causing her to take a bad step.

Vets and a surgeon immediately helped Ruffian. She had a long, difficult surgery. When she woke up from the anesthesia, she thrashed around in her recovery stall. She acted like she was still running in the race. She hit her leg against her elbow, breaking her elbow too. The cast on her leg also slipped, reopening the surgery wound. The medical team knew she couldn't survive more surgery. Sadly, she was put to sleep early on July 7 to prevent more suffering.

Her surgeon later said that vets have learned a lot since then. They are now much better at handling these kinds of serious injuries.

Racing Statistics

An asterisk (*) after the odds means Ruffian was the favorite to win.

What Happened After

Ruffian's injury and death made people want better care for racehorses. Because horses often thrash when waking up from anesthesia, a "recovery pool" was created. This pool lets horses wake up in warm water, so they don't hurt themselves again. Also, new medicines for pain and swelling became more common. These changes helped horses, but also meant some horses raced while already injured.

Ruffian's Legacy

Ruffian is buried at Belmont Park, with her nose pointing towards the finish line.

After she passed away, Ruffian received the 1975 Eclipse Award for best three-year-old filly. In 1976, she was added to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The Blood-Horse magazine ranked her as the best female racehorse of the 20th century. She was also listed as 35th among all top U.S. thoroughbreds. Sports Illustrated even included her as the only non-human on their list of the top 100 female athletes of the century.

A folk singer named Joan Baez dedicated a song called "Stewball" to Ruffian in 1975.

Since 1976, a race called the Ruffian Handicap has been held in her honor. It is now held at Belmont Park.

The Ruffian Equine Medical Center, now called Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists, opened in 2009. It's a special hospital for horses located near Belmont Park. It helps horses with injuries and offers preventative care.

Ruffian has many nicknames, like "Queen of the Fillies" and "Filly of the Century." Many books have been written about her life.

In Lexington, Kentucky, a road is named "Ruffian Way." There is also a monument for her in Masterson Station Park. It says, "This memorial erected in memory of Ruffian, dark bay thoroughbred filly. We were young when she died, too young to remember her with the greats of other eras. Yet to love grace and perfection is ours because we are human and none felt her loss more painfully than we. The Children of Lexington – 1975."

Ruffian's Family Tree

Ruffian's father was Reviewer, a talented racehorse who had injuries during his career. He had two amazing daughters, Ruffian and Revidere.

Ruffian's mother, Shenanigans, also won races. She became a great mother horse. Besides Ruffian, she had other successful offspring, including Icecapade and Laughter. Shenanigans was named the best mother horse of 1975.

See also

• List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses
• List of historical horses