Cavalcade (1931–1940) was an AmericanHall of FameChampionThoroughbredracehorse. In a career which lasted from 1933 until 1936 he ran twenty-two times and won eight races. He was best known for his performances as a three-year-old in 1934 when his wins included theKentucky Derby, theAmerican Derby, and theArlington Classic. His subsequent career was disappointing and he failed to make a significant impact in a brief stud career.

Cavalcade was a brown horse sired by Lancegaye, a successful British racehorse who won theHardwicke Stakes and finished second inThe Derby in 1926. Cavalcade's dam, Hastily, was sold in foal to Lancegaye atNewmarket in December 1930 and exported to Meadow View Farm nearMorristown, New Jersey^[1] where she gave birth to Cavalcade the following spring. Cavalcade was sometimes described as being "English bred" but although he was conceived in Britain he was foaled in the United States, making him technically American-bred.^[2]

In the early 1930s, Bob Smith, atrainer with a history of spotting talent, had been hired by heiressIsabel Dodge Sloane to stock her newly formedBrookmeade Stable. Cavalcade was purchased as a yearling at Saratoga for $1,200. Among the other yearlings Smith bought for Brookmeade Stable that year were Time Clock for $700 andHigh Quest for $3,500. Cavalcade was ridden in most of his important races byMack Garner.^[3]

In his two-year-old racing season, Cavalcade showed promise by winning twice from eleven starts and running prominently in defeat in several important races. In July in Chicago, Cavalcade recorded an upset win in the Hyde Stakes, beating the Whitney colt Singing Wood by a neck at odds of 90/1.^[4] AtHavre de Grace Racetrack in September he finished a length second to his stablemate High Quest in the Eastern Shore Handicap.^[5] In a year when no colt dominated his age group, Cavalcade was among the best, although there were no official champions named in American racing until 1936.

Cavalcade's 1934 campaign was marked by his dominance of the future Hall of Fame coltDiscovery whom he first defeated in the Chesapeake Stakes at Havre de Grace. Cavalcade set a new race record time of 1:43.6 for one and one sixteenth of a mile to establish himself as a "Leading Derby Candidate."^[6] Four days earlier he had equaled the track record for one mile and seventy yards when winning the Shenandoah Purse at the same track.^[7]

Of their three very capable colts, for theKentucky Derby Brookmeade Stable raced Cavalcade as well as Time Clock, who had won theFlamingo Stakes. Sent off as thebettors' heavy favorite, Cavalcade was towards the back of the field before moving into contention behind Discovery and thefillyMata Hari on the final turn. He took the lead in the straight and drew away to win the race by more than three lengths over Discovery with Time Clock a disappointing seventh.^[8] After Time Clock's poor showing, his handlers replaced him in thePreakness Stakes with the third stablemate,High Quest, who had won April'sWood Memorial. High Quest won the Preakness, beating Cavalcade by a nose with Discovery in third place.

Cavalcade skipped the longerBelmont Stakes (in which High Quest was defeated byPeace Chance) running instead in theAmerican Derby in Chicago which he won by two lengths and six from Discovery and Singing Wood, conceding weight to both, in a course record time of 2:04.0. Press reports described his finishing run as "a machine-like burst" and claimed that he looked "almost unbeatable".^[9] Cavalcade then set a new track record in winning the Detroit Derby before returning to Chicago for theArlington Classic. He came from last place in the early stages to win by four lengths from Discovery in a "dramatic" performance which provoked a "delirium of cheers" from the 30,000 crowd. After the race Mack Garner described the colt as "the gamest horse I have ever ridden."^[10] During the summer of 1934 there were proposals for special international race at eitherSaratoga Springs orBelmont Park between Cavalcade, the English championWindsor Lad and the leading French coltAdmiral Drake (Brantôme, probably the best European three-year old of 1934 was a sick horse during the summer) but the plans did not come to fruition.^[11]

Cavalcade's later career was a disappointment as he became increasingly difficult to train. At age four, he missed his early season target when he was withdrawn from theSanta Anita Handicap and did not appear until late May when he finished second to the five-year-oldHead Play at Belmont.^[12] Smith struggled to return Cavalcade to peak condition and he finished unplaced on his only other start of the year in theSuburban Handicap. After an absence of fifteen months, Cavalcade returned to action in September 1936 in an allowance race atNarragansett Park where he finished sixth of the seven runners.^[13] Two days later, he finished last of the nine runners behindSun Teddy in what was intended to be a final warm-up for theNarragansett Special. He was then retired to stud.

Cavalcade was retired tostud duty at Sloane'sBrookmeade Stud inUpperville, Virginia. In October 1940, at the age of nine, he was being transferred to stand at Shandon Farm nearLexington, Kentucky when he contracted "Shipping fever" and died.^[1] Of his limited number of offspring, the most notable was thegeldingDinner Party, who won 37steeplechase races. Cavalcade was interred at the Brookmeade Stud.^[14]

Cavalcade ended the 1934 racing season with six wins and a second in his seven starts and as the highest money earner was recognised as theChampion 3-Year-old Colt andHorse of the Year^[15] although there was no formal award.

On August 20, 1934, Cavalcade was featured on the cover ofTime.^[16]

Cavalcade was inducted in the United States'National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1993.^[17]

• 1931 racehorse births
• 1940 racehorse deaths
• Racehorses bred in New Jersey
• Racehorses trained in the United States
• Kentucky Derby winners
• American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year
• American Champion racehorses
• United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
• Thoroughbred family 12-g

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata