Forego’s best racing years began in his second year of racing (1974) and continued through his fourth year. His long career proved that he was a versatile racehorse and earned him the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse for four years in a row (1974 to 1977) and the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year for three years in a row (1974 to 1976). He was also inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1979.
Forego started his racing career at three years old and ran until he was eight. He registered 24 stakes victories, including 14 Grade 1 wins. His wins had him frequently handicapped to carry more than 130 pounds (59 kg), and he still won races like he wasn’t carrying anything at all. His career record includes 57 races, with 34 wins, 9 seconds, and 7 thirds.
In his first year of racing at three years old, Forego had 18 starts resulting in 9 wins, 3 seconds, and 3 thirds for $188,909 in earnings. In his second year, he won 8 races, with 2 seconds, 2 thirds, and 1 fourth. In his third year, he won 6 races, with 1 second, 1 third, and 1 fourth. In his fourth year of racing, he won 6 races, with 1 second and 1 third. He won 4 races, with 2 seconds in his fifth year. He raced twice as an eight-year-old before his chronic fetlock problems ended his racing career.
Horse Profile
- Foaled: April 30, 1970
- Bred: USA
- Sex: Stallion
- Debuted: 1973
- Retired: 1978
- Death: August 27, 1997 (He broke his near (left) hind leg in a paddock accident at the age of 27)
- Color and Markings: Bay
- Sire: Forli
- Dam: Lady Golconda
- Owner: Lazy F Ranch
- Breeder: Martha Farish Gerry
- Trainer: Sherrill W. Ward; Eddie Hayward; Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. & David A. Whiteley
- Main Jockeys: Bill Shoemaker and Heliodoro Gustines.
Characteristics
Forego was a late-developing bay gelding that matured to 17 hands and ½ inch, with a long body and a massive build. He was gelded because of his difficult temper and to keep his forehand from gaining extra weight, which would have placed an unacceptable strain on his fragile underpinnings. His girth measured 77½ inches.
Historical Achievements, Honors Received, and Recognitions
- Eclipse Award, American Horse of the Year (1974-1976)
- Eclipse Award, American champion handicap male (1974-1977)
- Eclipse Award, American champion sprinter (1974)
- National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1979)
- Monmouth Park Hall of Champions
Rankings
- Rated #8 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005).
- Rated at 127 pounds on The Blood-Horse's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1973, 9 pounds below Horse of the Year Secretariat and tied for second with Sham.
- Rated at 129 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1973, 7 pounds below Horse of the Year Secretariat and tied with Sham for the second.
Fun Facts
- Forego was the second horse to win Horse of the Year titles for two different trainers since official polling began in 1936.
- Forego made 24 starts carrying 130 pounds or more and won 13 of them; he was unplaced only three times while carrying that much weight.
- Forego loved bananas as snacks.
- Races that honor Forego are the Forego Stakes at Saratoga (a Grade 1 sprint over 7 furlongs for horses aged 3 and up) and the Forego Stakes at Turfway Park (for horses aged 4 and up).
- Forego is in the sixth book in the Thoroughbred Legends series from Eclipse Press. It was written by Bill Heller and published in 2001.
- Forego is one of 50 thoroughbreds profiled in Royal Blood: Fifty Years of Classic Thoroughbreds.
Racing Career
| Record | Earnings |
|---|---|
57: 34-9-7 | $1,938,957 |
| WON RACES | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Distance | Race | Grade | Track | Finish | Winning Time | Winning Margin | Jockey |
1973 – three-year-old season | ||||||||
January 29, 1973 | 6 furlongs | Maiden Special Weight | Hialeah Park | 1 | 1:10.40 | Pete Anderson | ||
February 10, 1973 | 6 furlongs | Allowance Race | Hialeah Park | 1 | 1:10.40 | Pete Anderson | ||
March 24, 1973 | 1 mile | Allowance Race | Gulfstream Park | 1 | 1:36.60 | Pete Anderson | ||
June 9, 1973 | 6 furlongs | Allowance race | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:11.20 | Heliodoro Gustines | ||
September 1, 1973 | 7 furlongs | Allowance race | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:22.20 | Heliodoro Gustines | ||
September 15, 1973 | 1 mile | Allowance race | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:36.00 | Heliodoro Gustines | ||
October 8, 1973 | 1 mile | Allowance race | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:35.60 | Heliodoro Gustines | ||
November 24, 1973 | 1 3/16 miles | Roamer Handicap | II | Aqueduct racetrack | 1 | 1:54.40 | 5 lengths | Heliodoro Gustines |
December 8, 1973 | 1 ⅛ miles | Discovery | III | Aqueduct racetrack | 1 | 1:47.20 | ¾ length | Heliodoro Gustines |
1974 – four-year-old season | ||||||||
February 9, 1974 | 1 ⅛ miles | Donn Handicap | III | Gulfstream Park | 1 | 1:48.60 | Nose | Heliodoro Gustines |
February 23, 1974 | 1 ¼ miles | Gulfstream Park Handicap | II | Gulfstream Park | 1 | 1:59.80 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
March 23, 1974 | 1 ¼ miles | Widener Handicap | I | Hialeah Park | 1 | 2:01.20 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
May 18, 1974 | 7 furlongs | Carter Handicap | II | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:22.20 | 2¼ lengths | Heliodoro Gustines |
July 4, 1974 | 1 3/16 miles | Brooklyn Handicap | I | Aqueduct racetrack | 1 | 1:54.80 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
September 28, 1974 | 1 ½ miles | Woodward Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 2:27.40 | neck | Heliodoro Gustines |
October 19, 1974 | 7 furlongs | Vosburgh Handicap | II | Aqueduct racetrack | 1 | 1:21.60 | 3½ lengths | Heliodoro Gustines |
November 9, 1974 | 2 miles | Jockey Club Gold Cup | I | Aqueduct racetrack | 1 | 3:21.20 | 2½ length | Heliodoro Gustines |
1975 – five-year-old season | ||||||||
February 1, 1975 | 1 ⅛ miles | Seminole Handicap | II | Hialeah Park | 1 | 1:47.20 | ¾ length | Heliodoro Gustines |
February 15, 1975 | 1 ¼ mile | Widener Handicap | I | Hialeah Park | 1 | 2:01.80 | 1¼ length | Heliodoro Gustines |
May 17, 1975 | 7 furlongs | Carter Handicap | II | Aqueduct racetrack | 1 | 1:21.60 | Head | Heliodoro Gustines |
July 4, 1975 | 1 ¼ miles | Brooklyn Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:59.80 * | Heliodoro Gustines | |
July 19, 1975 | 1 ½ miles | Suburban Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 2:27.80 | Head | Heliodoro Gustines |
September 27, 1975 | 1 ½ miles | Woodward Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 2:27.00 | (1¾) lengths | Heliodoro Gustines |
1976 – six-year-old season | ||||||||
May 20, 1976 | Allowance race | Allowance race | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:22.00 | Length | Heliodoro Gustines | |
May 31, 1976 | 1 mile | Metropolitan Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:34.80 | Head | Heliodoro Gustines |
June 13, 1976 | 1 ⅛ miles | Nassau County Handicap | III | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:48.60 | Jacinto Vasquez | |
July 24, 1976 | 1 ¼ miles | Brooklyn Handicap | I | Aqueduct racetrack | 1 | 2:01.20 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
September 18, 1976 | 1 ⅛ miles | Woodward Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:45.80 ** | 1 ¼ length | Bill Shoemaker |
October 2, 1976 | 1 ¼ miles | Marlboro Cup Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 2:00.00 | Head | Bill Shoemaker |
1977 – seven-year-old season | ||||||||
May 23, 1977 | 7 furlongs | Allowance Race | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:22.80 | Bill Shoemaker | ||
May 30, 1977 | 1 mile | Metropolitan Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:34.80 | 2 lengths | Bill Shoemaker |
June 13, 1977 | 1 ⅛ miles | Nassau County Handicap | III | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:48.20 | ½ Length | Bill Shoemaker |
September 17, 1977 | 1 ⅛ miles | Woodward Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:48.00 | 1 ½ length | Bill Shoemaker |
1978 – eight-year-old season | ||||||||
June 19, 1978 | 7 furlongs | Allowance race | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:21.60 | Bill Shoemaker | ||
Legend: ** just two‐fifths of a second slower than the track record set by Secretariat under 124 pounds in 1973. | ||||||||
| LOST RACES | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Distance | Race | Grade | Track | Placement | Time | Losing Margin | Jockey |
1973 – three-year-old season | ||||||||
January 17, 1973 | 6 furlongs | Maiden Special Weight | Hialeah Park | 4 | 1:12.60 | Pete Anderson | ||
March 7, 1973 | 7 furlongs | Hutcheson Stakes | III | Gulfstream Park | 2 | 1:20.80 | Pete Anderson | |
March 31, 1973 | 1 ⅛ miles | Florida Derby | I | Gulfstream Park | 2 | 1:47.40 | Pete Anderson | |
April 26, 1973 | 1 ⅛ miles | Blue Grass Stakes | I | Keeneland | 5 | 1:49.60 | Pete Anderson | |
May 5, 1973 | 1 ¼ miles | Kentucky Derby | I | Churchill Downs | 4 | 1:59.40 | Pete Anderson | |
May 30, 1973 | 1 mile | Withers | II | Belmont Park | 3 | 1:34.8 | Pete Anderson | |
August 24, 1973 | 7 furlongs | Allowance race | Saratoga Racetrack | 3 | 1:21.00 | Pete Anderson | ||
October 20, 1973 | 1 mile | Jerome | II | Aqueduct racetrack | 2 | 1:34.0 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
November 10, 1973 | 1 ⅛ miles | Allowance race | Aqueduct racetrack | 3 | 1:22.60 | Heliodoro Gustines | ||
1974 – four-year-old season | ||||||||
May 27, 1974 | 1 mile | Metropolitan Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 2 | 1:34.40 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
June 26, 1974 | 7 furlongs | Nassau County Handicap | III | Aqueduct racetrack | 2 | 1:21.20 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
July 20, 1974 | 1 ¼ miles | Suburban Handicap | I | Aqueduct racetrack | 3 | 2:01.40 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
September 2, 1974 | 1 ⅛ miles | Governor Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 4 | 1:46.20 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
September 14, 1974 | 1 ⅛ miles | Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 3 | 1:46.60 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
1975 – five-year-old season | ||||||||
May 26, 1975 | 1 mile | Metropolitan Handicap | I | Aqueduct racetrack | 3 | 1:33.60 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
September 1, 1975 | 1 ⅛ miles | Governor Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 4 | 1:47.20 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
September 13, 1975 | 1 ¼ miles | Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 2 | 2:00.00 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
1976 – six-year-old season | ||||||||
July 5, 1976 | 1 3/16 miles | Suburban Handicap | I | Aqueduct racetrack | 2 | 1:55.40 | Heliodoro Gustines | |
August 21, 1976 | 1 ¼ miles | Amory L. Haskell Handicap | I | Monmouth Park | 3 | 2:00.60 | ||
1977 – seven-year-old season | ||||||||
July 4, 1977 | 1 ¼ miles | Suburban Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 2 | 2:03.00 | Bill Shoemaker | |
July 23, 1977 | 1 ½ miles | Brooklyn Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 2 | 0:22.62 | Bill Shoemaker | |
August 6, 1977 | 1 ⅛ miles | Whitney Handicap | II | Saragota Racecourse | 7 | 1:49.40 | Bill Shoemaker | |
1978 – eight-year-old season | ||||||||
July 4, 1978 | 1 ¼ miles | Suburban Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 5 | 2:01.40 | Bill Shoemaker | |