High Gun
| High Gun | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Heliopolis |
| Grandsire | Hyperion |
| Dam | Rocket Gun |
| Damsire | Brazado |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1951 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Brown |
| Breeder | Kellar M. & W. Paul Little & Cary C. Boshamer |
| Owner | King Ranch |
| Trainer | Max Hirsch |
| Record | 24: 11-5-4 |
| Earnings | US$486,025 |
| Major wins | |
| Peter Pan Handicap(1954) Dwyer Stakes(1954) Manhattan Handicap(1954) Jockey Club Gold Cup(1954) Sysonby Handicap(1954, 1955) Metropolitan Handicap(1955) Brooklyn Handicap(1955)
U.S. Triple Crownwins: | |
| Awards | |
| American Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse(1954) American Champion Older Male Horse(1955) | |
High Gun(foaled 1951 inKentucky) was an AmericanChampionThoroughbredracehorse.
Background
[edit]High Gun's sire,Heliopolis,was a two-timeleading sire in North America.His dam was Rocket Gun whose damsire wasMan o' War.TrainerMax Hirschpurchased High Gun for Robert J. Kleberg'sKing Ranchat the 1952Keeneland Yearling Salefor $10,200 ($117,032 in 2023).
Racing career
[edit]In 1954, High Gun was the best three-year-old colt in the United States, winning thePeter Pan Handicap,Dwyer Stakes,the third leg of theU.S. Triple Crownseries, theBelmont Stakes,and then beat older horses in theManhattan Handicap,Sysonby Handicap,andJockey Club Gold Cup.In November of that year, an injury kept High Gun out of the prestigiousWashington, D.C. International Stakeswon byFisherman,a colt High Gun had beaten in June's Belmont Stakes and October's Jockey Club Gold Cup.[1]High Gun was voted the 1954American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse.[2]
Racing at age four in 1955, High Gun continued his winning ways, capturing two of theNew York Handicap Tripleraces, theMetropolitanandBrooklyn,and was second in the third, theSuburban.That year he followedTom Foolas the only horses to ever win the Sysonby Handicap twice, doing it by defeating the greatNashua.High Gun was voted his second Champion's title as the 1955American Champion Older Male Horse.
High Gun was regularly ridden byAnthony DeSpirito,the 1952United States Champion Jockey.[3]
Stud record
[edit]After three years of racing, High Gun was retired tostudduty but was not successful.
References
[edit]- ^"Trainer Hirsch Withdraws High Gun From International Because of Injury".The New York Times.November 2, 1954 – via nytimes.com.
- ^"American Champion Three-Year-Old Male".tbheritage.com.RetrievedApril 21,2024.
- ^McIntyre, Bill (July 9, 1978)."His father's son".The Times.Shreveport, Louisiana.p. 2-D.RetrievedApril 21,2024– via newspapers.com.
Further reading
[edit]- Tower, Whitney (October 3, 1955)."Max Hirsch and High Gun, An Old Winning Combination, Last Week Teamed Up to Beat Mr. Fitz and Nashua in the Sysonby".Sports Illustrated– via si.com/vault.