Thoroughbred facts for kids

Horse racing

A Thoroughbred is a special type of horse. These horses are mostly famous for racing very fast! Each Thoroughbred has a detailed family tree, called a pedigree, which shows all its ancestors.

Horses have been important to people for a long time. They helped with farm work, pulled carriages, and were the fastest way to travel before cars were invented. Horses were the only way to go long distances quickly.

Most horse breeds are raised for a specific purpose. Thoroughbreds were specifically bred to run fast. They originally came from Arabian horses. All Thoroughbreds can trace their family back to three main fathers, called sires: The Byerley Turk, The Darley Arabian, and The Godolphin Arabian. Thoroughbreds are known for their incredible speed. They are also good at jumping, which you can see in sports like steeplechase and show jumping. Even though they can sometimes be a bit fiery, Thoroughbreds are very smart, loyal, and can be trained well.

Thoroughbreds are usually tall and lean. They have long legs that help them run quickly on the race track. They come in many beautiful colors. Common colors include bay (brown body with a black mane and tail), chestnut (red-brown), black, and gray.

Where Thoroughbreds Come From

Thoroughbred horses get their genes from Arabian horses. The first Arabian stallions were brought to Britain in the late 1600s and early 1700s. They were bred with local mares, probably Scottish Galloways. Many of the first Thoroughbreds were born in a place called the vale of Bedale in Yorkshire, England.

The three main father horses of the Thoroughbred breed arrived in England at different times. They were the Byerley Turk (in 1689), the Darley Arabian (in 1705), and the Godolphin Arabian (in 1728). Their babies were the very first Thoroughbreds. These three sires had many offspring. But three of their descendants became especially famous: Herod, Eclipse, and Matchem. Many other amazing Thoroughbreds came from these lines. For example, Princequillo and Round Table came from Herod's family. Citation and Sir Ivor came from Eclipse's line. And the famous Man O' War was a descendant of Matchem.

The first Thoroughbred to come to America was a stallion named Bulle Rock. He was a son of the Darley Arabian. Bulle Rock was brought to Virginia in 1730. Later, in 1757, a horse named Janus arrived. He was a grandson of Godolphin Arabian. Janus became important for starting the Quarter Horse breed. Diomed, who came to America in 1800, was one of the most important early Thoroughbreds there. Lexington, born in 1850, became the greatest father horse of the 1800s.

Superstar Thoroughbreds

Here are some of the most famous Thoroughbreds in history:

• Synsonby – Born in 1902, this horse almost never lost a race! He only lost two races in his whole career.
• Colin – This horse was unbeatable in his short racing career in 1907 and 1908. He won the famous English Epsom Derby in 1908.
• Exterminator – Born in 1915, he was bought to help another horse train. But when that horse couldn't race, Exterminator, who was not expected to win, surprised everyone by winning the Derby!
• Man O' War – Born in 1917, he was bought for $5,000. He only lost one race out of 21! He was named Horse of the Year and is considered one of the greatest father horses of all time.
• Equipose – Known as the "Chocolate Soldier," he won the 1931 Preakness. After he passed away, he was still the top father horse in 1942 because his son, Shut Out, won the Derby.
• Citation – This horse was the first Thoroughbred in history to earn over a million dollars! He won the Triple Crown, a very difficult series of three races. He was born in 1945 and lived to be 25 years old.
• Tom Fool – Born in 1949, he was the second horse ever to win the Handicap Triple Crown. He was named Horse of the Year in 1953.
• Native Dancer – This beautiful silver-gray horse won 21 out of 22 races! He was the best two-year-old in 1952 and champion three-year-old in 1953. He later became the father of other famous horses like Majestic Prince.
• Kelso – This amazing horse was named Horse of the Year five times in a row, from 1960 to 1964! He won almost every important American Handicap Race. He earned nearly $2 million in his career.
• Secretariat – In 1973, he was the first horse since 1948 to win the Triple Crown. He won 16 out of 21 races and broke or tied five track records. Many people think he is the best racehorse ever, partly because his heart was unusually large, weighing 22 pounds!
• American Pharoah

Images for kids

• 

  Thoroughbreds have a well-chiseled head.

• 

  The Darley Arabian, one of the three traditional foundation sires of the Thoroughbred

• 

  Matchem, a grandson of the Godolphin Arabian, from a painting by George Stubbs

• 

  Twilight, the Thoroughbred mare who serves as the subject of the Equine Genome Project

• 

  A Thoroughbred competing in eventing

See also

In Spanish: Purasangre para niños