| Kauai King | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Native Dancer |
| Grandsire | Polynesian |
| Dam | Sweep In |
| Damsire | Blenheim |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1963 |
| Country | United States |
| Color | Dark Bay |
| Breeder | Pine Brook Farm |
| Owner | Ford Stable (Mike Ford). Silks: White, Blue Diamonds & Braces, Blue Sleeves, Blue & White Cap |
| Trainer | Henry Forrest |
| Record | 16: 9-2-1 |
| Earnings | $381,397 |
| Major wins | |
| Prince George's Stakes (1966) Governor's Gold Cup (1966) Fountain of Youth Stakes (1966) American Triple Crown wins: | |
| Honors | |
| |
| Last updated on June 1, 2016 | |
Kauai King (April 3, 1963 – January 24, 1989) was an AmericanThoroughbredracehorse was foaled on April 3, 1963, at Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland. His sire was Native Dancer and his dam was Sweep In. In 1966, Kauai King won the first two legs of theU.S. Triple Crown. To date, Kauai King is one of only two horses born in Maryland to have crossed the Kentucky Derby finish line first, but 1968 winner Dancer's Image was later stripped of his title, leaving Kauai King as the only official Maryland-bred winner of the Derby.
Ridden byjockeyDon Brumfield, Kauai King won the 1966Kentucky Derby andPreakness Stakes but finished fourth in theBelmont Stakes atAqueduct Racetrack, two lengths behind the winner,Amberoid. With his sire (Native Dancer) and grandsire (Polynesian), three successive generations won the Preakness Stakes, a feat accomplished only one other time.[1] On June 16, the colt was sold to ahorse breeding syndicate for a then record price of $2,520,000.
Other top three-year-olds in 1966 includedGraustark and 1965Champion 2-Year-Old ColtBuckpasser. The undefeated Graustark's racing career ended with a brokencoffin bone in theBlue Grass Stakes, and an injury kept Buckpasser out of the Triple Crown races. Even after Kauai King's wins in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, there was much speculation as to which was the better horse. On June 27, 1966, Kauai King (against the advice of his trainer, Henry Forrest) and Buckpasser met in theArlington Classic. Kauai King's racing career came to an end when he pulled a ligament in his leg during the race. Following the announcement of his career-ending injury, he was retired to stand atstud atAlfred G. Vanderbilt II'sSagamore Farm inGlyndon,Maryland. Kauai King is still one of only two dual Classic winners ever bred in Maryland (the other wasCloverbrook, foaled in 1874) and one of only nine to win a Triple Crown race.
Kauai King proved less than successful as asire. Near the end of 1971, he was shipped to stand at stud in England. He remained there until 1973. He then was sent to a breeding farm inJapan where he died on January 24, 1989 of old age.[2]
| Sire Native Dancer ch. 1950 | Polynesian brown 1942 | Unbreakable | Sickle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Grass | |||
| Black Polly | Polymelian | ||
| Black Queen | |||
| Geisha gray 1943 | Discovery | Display | |
| Ariadne | |||
| Miyako | John P Grier | ||
| La Chica | |||
| Dam Sweep In bay 1942 | Blenheim bay 1927 | Blandford | Swynford |
| Blanche | |||
| Malva | Charles O'Malley | ||
| Wild Arum | |||
| Sweepesta bay 1925 | Sweep | Ben Brush | |
| Pink Domino | |||
| Celesta | Sempronius | ||
| Rezia |