Castle Forbes
By: Walter Lazary /// March 2024 /// 5,150 Words
Back in the day, one of the most powerful stables in North American horse racing was the Wheatley Stable, owned by Mrs. Gladys Mills Phipps, who was eventually joined by her brother Ogden Livingston Mills. Mrs. Phipps purchased her first thoroughbred at the Saratoga Yearling Sales in 1925, a filly named Sturdy Stella, which would become the stable’s first winner in 1926.
Over the years, Mrs. Phipps employed three of the greatest trainers in the sport: “Sunny” Jim Fitzsimmons, Bill Winfrey, and Eddie Neloy, all three members of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. It was Mister Fitz who trained Wheatley Stable’s Seabiscuit, who in 1936, after making his 47th career start, proved to be little more than a claimer and low-level allowance performer and was sold to Charles Howard. Another that got away was Bold Bidder, who was a co-champion handicap horse in 1966, the same year that he won the one-mile Washington Park Handicap in 1:32 4/5. Bold Bidder eventually sired Spectacular Bid.
Horses that ran in the gold and purple silks of the Wheatley Stable won many of America’s most important stake races over the years, and the stable peaked in the 1950s and 1960s when Mrs. Phipps bred and raced several champions: Bold Ruler, Bold Lad, Bold Lad II, High Voltage, Misty Morn, Queen Empress, and Successor. There was another champion that would make her mark in 1963, the same year that the two-year-old filly division was dominated by Tosmah, a filly that would eventually be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Castle Forbes was a daughter of the Aga Khan’s Epson Derby winner, Tuylar, and she was out of Mrs. Phipps’ Longford, a daughter of Menow. Born on May 4th, 1961, at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, she was a rich cherry bay in color, eventually standing 15.2 hands tall with a short back, breedy neck, and 70-inch girth, the same height and girth as the top two-year-old gelding Roman Brother. Her running style often put her at the mercy of the pace-setters, for she wasn’t fast in the early part of her races, but she had a quick burst of speed that would often see her come charging from off the pace at the end and set up a dramatic finish.
In the early part of her career, Castle Forbes was trained by ‘Sunny’ Jim Fitzsimmons and was one of the last horses to be conditioned by the great Hall of Fame trainer, who would officially retire on June 15th. Mr. Fitz didn’t waste any time getting Castle Forbes to the races. With four Wheatley Stable two-year-old fillies ready to run, he entered them all in a five-furlong Maiden Special Weight (MSW) at Aqueduct on April 11th. With so many entries, the race was split, and Castle Forbes joined her stablemate, Britannic, a Bold Ruler-sired daughter of Striking. The two ran in the first division as an entry and were sent off as the 3-5 favorite. Castle Forbes, who was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Johnny Sellers, didn’t let the public down as she wired the field, drawing off to a convincing six-length victory in a rapid 58 4/5 seconds, the only time in her career that she would win a race while setting the pace. One race later, Mr. Fitz saddled the second Wheatley Stable entry in the split MSW and saw his Bold Empress also wire the field and draw off on her way to a ten-length romp in 59 seconds flat with her stablemate, Stride, finishing third.
Two weeks later, on April 25th, Mr. Fitz had Castle Forbes out again, this time in a five-furlong allowance race at Aqueduct. Sent off as the 1-2 favorite by the 25,000 in attendance, Castle Forbes broke fourth and was outrun early on by Grey Scandal before taking over just before she entered the stretch. From then on it was no contest as Sellers guided her to an easy five-length victory in 59 3/5 seconds.
As the season was about to turn into May, Castle Forbes looked like she was the best of the Wheatley Stable two-year-old fillies, though Beautiful Day was also drawing attention. Mr. Fitz was still calling the shots and decided it was time to test Castle Forbes’ mettle. He entered her in the five-furlong Fashion Stakes on May 15 at Aqueduct, the first of three consecutive races she would run against Behaving Deby, a daughter of Ambehaving.
Behaving Deby was an early-season sensation. After finishing second in a pair of three-furlong MSWs at Hialeah in February, she broke her maiden in a third MSW on March 8th at Gulfstream Park. Then, she won the three-furlong Gulfstream Park Dinner Stakes against colts, a perfect prep race for the upcoming Fashion Stakes.
Unfortunately for Castle Forbes, her next three starts were all against Behaving Deby, and the daughter of Ambehaving would win them all. Off as the 3-5 favorite in the Fashion Stakes, while running as an entry with Beautiful Day, the best that Castle Forbes and her new jockey Ron Ferraro could do was finish fourth while Behaving Deby wired the field and crossed the line a length-and-one-half in front of Trilogy in 59 1/5. One week later, on May 22nd, it was the five-furlong Rancocas Stakes at Garden State, and this time Behaving Deby, the 2-1 second favorite, led all the way and hung on to defeat Castle Forbes, who was the surprise 7-5 favorite, by three parts of a length in a reasonable 59 2/5.
Nine days later, on June 1st, it was the five-furlong Poly Drummond Stakes at Delaware. Wood Nymph, the undefeated daughter of C.V. Whitney’s new stallion Deerlands, had tied the Churchill Downs’ five-furlong track record when she won the Debutante Stakes in 58 2/5 seconds. That effort was enough to entice the crowd into making her the 2-1 favorite, while both Behaving Deby and Castle Forbes were the co-second choices at 3-1.
When the starting gates sprung open, Behaving Deby started fast and was immediately tracked by Wood Nymph who followed her until the eighth pole, which was where Behaving Deby shook loose. Then, once again she had to withstand a furious charge by Castle Forbes. Jockey Charles Burr had been told to be patient with her and not make his move until midway in the far turn. Back in sixth place in the turn, Castle Forbes made a big move but couldn’t get any closer than a length and a quarter as Behaving Deby got the distance in 59 1/5 seconds.
A New Trainer
Heading back to Aqueduct, Castle Forbes’ life was about to change. The only trainer she had known in her career was Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons. But he was now retired, and with that, Bill Winfrey took over. Born in 1916 in Detroit, Winfrey was a jockey early in his career but soon gave it up because of a weight problem. Wanting desperately to remain in the sport, he applied for his trainer’s license in 1932 and, at age sixteen, became the youngest trainer in the United States. It took a while for him to become established, but when Albert Vanderbilt hired him to handle his stable, which included Native Dancer, Next Move, and Bed o’ Roses, his career took off.
Winfrey was fond of Castle Forbes. He liked her tenacity and determination. She wasn’t big, but she was tough, and what was most important – she was sound. But like all the trainer’s two-year-olds, she had to prove herself.
The filly’s first start for her new trainer was a winning one. It was a five-and-one-half furlong allowance race at Aqueduct on June 25th, and despite her record, two wins and two seconds in five starts, there was some classy fillies running that day and Castle Forbes wasn’t the betting favorite. That honor was bestowed upon Sa Vet with Bob Ussery riding. Ussery was having a fantastic meet and was the runaway leader in the jockey standings with thirty wins, fourteen more than second place Hedley Woodhouse who had the mount on Castle Forbes.
Sa Vet was a Harbor View Farm filly and was a stablemate of the outstanding colt, Raise a Native. By the British-bred stallion Cavan, which upset Tim Tam in the 1958 Belmont Stakes, Sa Vet was made the 6-5 favorite after running away from the field in her last at Aqueduct, a five-furlong allowance in which she set a new track record when she got the distance in 57 3/5 seconds while winning by five lengths. Mrs. Moody Jolly’s Trilogy, a dashing winner of a five-furlong allowance race at Aqueduct in her last start in 58 1/5 seconds, was the second choice at 5-2.
Winfrey was still trying to determine which Wheatley Stable filly was best. With Bold Empress, a resounding ten-length winner of her only start having been retired for the year, many considered Beautiful Day the Wheatly Stable’s best two-year-old filly after she romped to a twelve-length victory in the five-and-one-half furlong National Stallion Stakes (filly division) the previous week. However, Winfrey wouldn’t think twice about which filly was best after Castle Forbes’ performance in her allowance race. Off at 7-2, she was last away in the seven-horse field, and Woodhouse allowed her to settle in stride while Trilogy and Sa Vet stalked the early pacesetter, Whanemi. When it was time, Hedley Woodhouse turned her loose, and she made a big move and rushed by the two favorites while on her way to a two-length victory over longshots ‘Taint Funny and Miss Twist in 1:04 3/5.
Castle Forbes’ performance so impressed Winfrey that he ranked her with the best of her age group, but her next start would illustrate the inconsistency of this talented young filly. Miss Twist had defeated Beautiful Day by two lengths in an allowance race before finishing third to Castle Forbes in her last start on June 25th. Now, with the entry of Castle Forbes and Beautiful Day opposing her in the five-and-one-half furlong Astoria Stakes at Aqueduct on July 15th, Miss Twist improved somewhat from her last start and dominated Castle Forbes. The Wheatley Stable filly, who was bet down to 3-5 with Braulio Baeza up, was unable to duplicate her performance in her June 25th allowance race and came up empty, finishing second by three lengths in a loss that was difficult for Winfrey to take.
Next up was the six-furlong $100,000 added Sorority Stakes on July 27th at Monmouth Park, which drew a large field of thirteen. Not originally nominated, Castle Forbes was supplemented at a cost of $5,000, as was Miss Twist, whose owner, the Nanuet Farm, felt confident that she could get the job done. Others in the field included Behaving Deby, who had defeated Castle Forbes all three times they had previously met, and an improving Petite Rouge, which, before the summer racing was complete, would be considered one of the best two-year-old fillies, along with an improving Tosmah.
Beautiful Day was running coupled with Castle Forbes, and the public showed their confidence by sending them off as the 9-5 favorite while Behaving Deby, Miss Twist, and George Widener’s Magna Mater, which recently broke her maiden in her only lifetime start, were all at 5-1.
In this race, the Wheatley Stable fillies ran with a plan that would see one of them go out and ensure a fast pace and set it up for the other half. Beautiful Day, who had natural speed, would be the pacesetter, and she did her job. Ridden by Hedley Woodhouse, she flew away from the gate along with Behaving Deby and Redpoll and ran a blistering opening quarter in 21 3/5 seconds. The fast-opening quarter proved to be too much for Redpoll, who began to drop back, while Beautiful Day continued on and pushed Behaving Deby to a punishing half in 44 4/5. At this point, Castle Forbes and her new rider, Bill Hartack, were on the move. Closing from sixth place, they turned into the stretch and moved up to be third at the eighth pole. Hartack had done his job, which was to put his filly in position to win the race by the eighth pole. Smiling, he gave Castle Forbes a tap on the shoulder to remind her that there was still work to do. Then the smile suddenly disappeared. Petite Rouge, who was also making a big move from off the pace, surprised everyone when she suddenly stormed by and took the lead by a length and a half. From there, it was a frantic run to the wire that saw Castle Forbes, who was being expertly pushed along by Bill Hartack, find another gear and blow by Petite Rouge on her way to a length-and-one-half victory in 1:11 3/5.
Full of confidence after easily rolling by a good field in the Sorority Stakes, next up for Castle Forbes was one of the year’s most important races for two-year-old fillies. It was the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes at Arlington Park on August 31st, a six-and-one-half furlong sprint around one turn, with the added distance benefitting Castle Forbes because of her strong closing ability. The field of nine wasn’t as deep as one might think, but it included Sari’s Song, a daughter of Spy Song, the sire of Crimson Satan.
Sari’s Song began her career on the West Coast, where she won the Hollywood Lassie Stakes at Hollywood Park. After running fifth to the classy colt Malicious in the Hollywood Juvenile, she came east to Arlington Park and ran second in the Majorette Stakes to Bride of Note. She then won her last, the six-furlong Princess Pat Stakes, by six lengths over Ye-Cats in 1:11 1/5.
When they left the gate in the $186,505 Lassie, Bill Hartack got Castle Forbes out ninth and let her settle as she moved up to be eighth after an opening quarter timed in 23 1/5 seconds. But any thoughts that he had about winning the race were pretty well dashed at the start because Willie Shoemaker got Sari’s Song out first, and she was never headed, leading the way by about two lengths to the top of the stretch before opening up and cruising to the finish line six lengths in front of Ye Cats. Hartack, who could bring a horse from off the pace with the best of them, worked hard on Castle Forbes, and she closed to be third a half-length out of second, though she was totally thrashed by the winner, as was her stablemate Bold Queen who finished fourth. The time was 1:18 1/5, and with the victory, Sari’s Song joined Tosmah as the co-leaders in the two-year-old filly division.
A Difficult Fall Campaign
Losing an important race is always tough when you have a horse that, on many days, might have been good enough to win it. But when the winner is a horse with a lot of quality, like Sari’s Song, there should be no reason to doubt your own horse’s ability. However, when Castle Forbes lost her next race, a six-furlong allowance at Aqueduct on September 17th, many began to wonder just how good she was because Sari’s Song, the emphatic winner of the Lassie, and the odds on 2-5 favorite to win the allowance race, was solidly thumped herself, finishing third, seven-and-one-half lengths behind the winner and a half-length better than Castle Forbes.
The winner was Miss Cavendish, a lightly raced daughter of Cavan. She would make her mark the following year, winning four stakes, among them the Coaching Club of America Oaks and the Alabama Stakes, and in every one of them she would defeat Castle Forbes. This allowance score was her second win in a row and third in four races. What was worse, Miss Cavendish would line up against Castle Forbes in the first division of the seven-furlong Astarita Stakes at Aqueduct on September 25th, a race in which Tosmah would head the second division.
The surprise 2-1 co-favorite with Miss Cavendish in the first division of the Astarita was Cain Hoy Stable’s Baraka, an Ambiorix sired filly that had won her first two starts convincingly before finishing a close second to Hasty Matelda in the Matron Stakes, a race in which Ye-cats finished all the way back in eleventh. The Astarita was a prep for the more important Frizette Stakes on October 5th, but it was still a stake race, and winning it would be important on a filly’s resume when her career was over and she would become a broodmare.
Castle Forbes and Petite Rouge carried the highest weight in the race, 122 pounds, as both fillies gave the field between three and ten pounds. Castle Forbes was the 4-1 third favorite, and leaving from post four, her new jockey, Ismael Valenzuela, let her come out of the gate in fifth position, while Petite Rouge was seventh. As expected, Baraka came out fast. Running head-and-head with Miss Red Belle, she put up fast fractions, streaking past the quarter pole in 22 2/5 seconds, then reaching the half in 45. As they approached the top of the stretch with Castle Forbes still in fifth place and Petite Rouge even further back, Valenzuela cut his eager filly loose and she rolled up to challenge the new leader, Miss Red Belle. At the eighth pole, she was still a length and a half behind, but she kept coming, and though she wore Miss Red Belle down and finished a neck in front of her, she failed to hold off a charging Petite Rouge, who closed on the outside and got up to win the race by half a length in 1:23 3/5.
With the first division now history, it was time to see if Sari’s Song and Beautiful Day, who was running as an entry with Ogden Phipps’ Title Seeker, could compete with Tosmah. The answer was a simple one……..a resounding NO. The race was a total mismatch as Tosmah, a close second to Gallatia after the opening quarter, took over from there and went on to a resounding six-length victory as the 2-5 favorite. Winfrey did get some solace out of the fact that Beautiful Day, off at 7-1, came from behind to nip Teo Pepi by a head for second place, while Sari’s Song, apparently suffering an injury that would put her out for the balance of the year, finished sixth behind fifth-place finisher Hasty Matelda. The time was faster, too, as Tosmah stopped the teletimer in 1:23 after doing the first six furlongs in 1:09 1/5.
After dominating yet again in the Astarita, virtually everyone considered Tosmah, which had won all five of her starts by a total of twenty-six and one-half lengths, the best two-year-old filly in the country, and as far as many were concerned, it wasn’t even close. For those still having doubts, and there were a few, the chance to prove the experts wrong was the one mile Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct on October 5th. This was a $119,000 race with $81,700 to go to the winner. And even if Tosmah should win, the $22,000 second-place money was encouraging enough that the owners of eight fillies instructed their trainers to at least take a shot at second place.
The crowd left no doubt as to who the best filly was when they bet Tosmah down to 2-5. Winfrey knew that he was facing insurmountable odds, but he still decided to take his best shot by entering four fillies, and all would be guided by big-name jockeys. Beautiful Day was getting better every time out, and Winfrey hoped that Bill Shoemaker would make her even better. Castle Forbes would have Ismael Valenzuela up, while John Rotz would ride Title Seeker, and Manny Ycaza had the mount on Bold Queen. This was enough for the crowd to send them off as the 5-1 second favorite, while Hasty Matelda and Petite Rouge were both 6-1.
Despite Tosmah being the most dominant filly in the race, many in the crowd would have an anxious moment. Breaking fourth, the daughter of Tim Tam blasted her way into the lead and, running fast fractions in the one-turn race, took the field through an opening quarter in 22 2/5 seconds. Not letting up, she continued on and opened up by two and one-half lengths at the half in a rapid 44 4/5, her second quarter time exactly equal to her first quarter.
Winfrey looked on perplexed. His strategy was simple – keep the pressure on. The only problem was that none of his horses could get close enough to apply the taxing head-and-head pressure he envisioned. First, it was Beautiful Day who tracked Tosmah through the opening quarter, the filly then giving way to her stablemate Bold Queen who took up the chase to the half. Further back, waiting his turn, Valenzuela had been instructed not to let Tosmah get too far in front, even if it meant making his own move prematurely. After the swift first quarter and the fact that Tosmah was showing no signs of slowing down, Valenzuela, who had Castle Forbes in sixth place, moved her up into fourth place at the half.
Up front, it was all Tosmah, and she was still not showing any signs of slowing down. Speeding around the far turn she ran past the three-quarter pole in an eye-popping 1:09 1/5, the same time she put up in the Astarita. But unlike the Astarita, when she had only a furlong left to run, there was still a quarter of a mile remaining in the Frizette.
Turning into the stretch, the crowd of 44,000 was up and cheering. Castle Forbes had already moved up to be third, three and one-half lengths off the lead and a half-length in front of Beautiful Day. But Beautiful Day still had something left and continued on, though when Tosmah opened up a four-length lead with an eighth of a mile to go she looked home free. In the end the speedy filly did get to the wire first, but she gave her fans heart failure as that big lead dissipated in the final furlong. Puffing hard, and with her tail wagging back and forth, Tosmah crossed the line only a length in front of Beautiful Day while Castle Forbes was a head back in third and well clear of fourth-place finisher Petite Rouge.
Encouraged by Beautiful Day’s and Castle Forbes’ performances in the Frizette, even though they both lost, Winfrey thought they might have a pretty good shot at winning the rich mile and one-sixteenth Gardenia Stakes at Garden State Park on October 26th. To get them there he entered them in the Trial, a one-mile, two-turn prep race on the 18th. The field in the Trial was stakes quality. Headed by Tosmah, who would carry the high weight of 119 pounds, it also included Miss Cavendish and Petite Rouge, while Castle Forbes and Beautiful Day would once again be coupled.
There was also one other entry, this one coupling Blue Norther with Petite Cricket. Blue Norther, who would win three stakes the following year, including the Kentucky Oaks, was the stronger of the two. She had done most of her racing in California and was coming into the Trial a five-time winner, including the Junior Miss Stakes at Del Mar. This would be her second start in the east, all at Garden State, and though she had been impressive in California, in her first start at Garden State, a six-furlong allowance, she was let go at 12-1 in a race that she won easily by three lengths.
As they lined up in the Trial, Tosmah was once again a heavy favorite, this time at 1-2, with Castle Forbes and Beautiful Day the second favorites at 5-1, while the ever-dangerous Petite Rouge was 8-1, and the entry of Blue Norther and Petite Cricket was 9-1. And where the finish in the Frizette was a little dicey as Tosmah opened up a big lead before stopping at the end, her finish in the Trial would strike panic in the minds of her supporters as once again she opened up a big lead, and once again she would stop badly in the stretch.
In the Frizette, the Wheatley Stable entry had pushed the pace, while in the Trial, it would be Blue Norther. The daughter of Windy City II ran second throughout, at one point as much as four lengths off the lead, before closing resolutely with a dramatic stretch run that saw her come within a head of an upset. Castle Forbes, who possibly waited too long, rallied to finish a non-threatening third, three lengths further back, and Beautiful Day threw in a clunker and finished eighth.
The Gardenia Stakes
Tosmah’s desperate victory in the Gardenia Trial suddenly changed the complexion of the Gardenia Stakes itself. Even though she won, she no longer gave off that feeling of invincibility. And with the added distance, and suddenly looking like she might be distance challenged, fourteen other fillies were entered in the race, including the three-horse entry of Castle Forbes, Beautiful Day, and Bold Queen. They were the third choice at 4-1 behind the entry of Blue Norther and Petite Cricket at 7-2, while Tosmah was still the favorite, though her 8-5 odds were the highest so far in her career.
When they broke from the gate, everyone expected Tosmah to charge out and take the lead, but this time she didn’t, as it was Blue Norther who took over early and battled with Ye-Cats and Is Ours through an opening quarter in 23 1/5 seconds. And though she didn’t have the lead and was back in fifth place after the first call, jockey Sam Boulmetis let his stubborn filly have her way, and Tosmah rushed up to challenge Blue Norther and stuck her head in front after a half mile in 46 3/5 seconds.
With many in the field jockeying for position, jockey Ismael Valenzuela was patient with Castle Forbes. As planned, he had her running eighth early on, and he didn’t respond when Petite Rouge suddenly ran by on his outside. Being patient was a good strategy, and Valenzuela watched as Tosmah and Blue Norther continued to go at it as they moved into the far turn, their lively head-and-head battle keeping them three lengths in front of the trio of Is Ours, Busy Jill, and a closing Petite Rouge, when they reached the three-quarter pole in 1:11 1/5.
When the field reached the top of the stretch, Valenzuela decided it was time, and he suddenly swung his eager filly off the rail and they began to close on the outside, though not many in the crowd were noticing. Their eyes were glued to Tosmah, who was in trouble. When the two front-runners turned into the stretch shock waves were rolling throughout the grandstand. Blue Norther was resilient, digging in and pulling away as Tosmah’s tail was pin wheeling as she struggled to go on. In no time, that head-and-head battle was over, and Blue Norther had opened up a length-and-a-half lead with an eighth of a mile to go. This was one tough filly, but she, too, had paid the price, and as a quartet of charging fillies closed quickly and surrounded her, it was all she could do to hang in there for a second.
The winner was Castle Forbes. The filly ran the greatest race of her career, coming from eighth place and then ranging up between horses. She then fought adversity when Petite Rouge suddenly leaned on her as they approached the wire. Undaunted, she extended her neck to get the win by a head. It was a tough loss for Blue Norther, who had her nose in front of Miss Cavendish for second, while Petite Rouge was another head back in fourth.
This was a crushing defeat for Tosmah, the once unbeatable filly who faded badly and finished eighth. Always a clear leader of the division, there were now chinks in her armor, the main one being whether or not she could get the longer distances that she would be faced with when she turned three in races such as the Kentucky Oaks, the Triple Tiara, and the ten-furlong Alabama Stakes. One thing was for sure……..her connections needed to rethink her running style and decide whether she was a pure sprinter or would she gain the necessary fortitude to win at longer distances.
Castle Forbes would have no such problem. She was a good closer, though at times she would languish too far back and often have difficulty catching the leader because she would leave herself with too much to do. She still had a great year, winning five of her fourteen starts with four seconds and three thirds. And though she won only two stakes, they were important ones, the Sorority and the rich Gardenia Stakes, which accounted for much of her $237,690 in earnings. This was enough for her to be voted the champion two-year-old filly by the Thoroughbred Racing Association and share the division championship with Tosmah, who was the choice of the Daily Racing Form and the Turf and Sport Digest. She would also tie Tosmah as the highest-rated filly in Tommy Trotter’s Experimental Free Handicap, with each receiving 115 pounds, one more than Blue Norther.
Aftermath
As with many two-year-olds who would be really good in their first year on the track but be unable to compete with the best when they entered their second season, Castle Forbes’ career would slowly fizzle away when she turned three. She was good enough to win the Acorn Stakes over Secree, finish second in both the Coaching Club of America Oaks and Monmouth Oaks to Miss Cavendish, finish third in the Delaware Oaks and Alabama Stakes to Miss Cavendish, and also come in third in the Beldame to Tosmah; but she would never again reach the lofty heights she reached when she was two and was right up there with a really tough group of fillies. And though she won just a single stake, she still finished with a 3-3-4 record from 13 starts and earned $117,052.
Brought back to the race at four, Castle Forbes was but a shadow of her younger self, managing just three third place finishes from nine starts and earning a paltry $4,624. She was retired with career numbers of 8-7-10 from 36 starts and earnings of $359,366.
Castle Forbes had a successful career at stud. Of her four foals, Irish Castle by Bold Ruler would win the 1969 Hopeful Stakes and eventually sire Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Bold Forbes. Irish Castle’s full brother, Irish Stronghold, was stakes placed, and Alpine Lass, a daughter of bold Ruler, won the Matron and the Busanda Stakes.
(NOTE: All photos are from American Race Horses and were published by the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association, Inc.)
