Fight my ignorance.
Rich Strike just barely even qualified for the Kentucky Derby; he was only in because of a late scratch.
Does he automatically qualify for the Preakness because he won the Derby?
They are called ponies because they “pony”, that being the verb for leading another horse while mounted.
Outrider “ponies” are usually rather massive, due to their job of controlling excitable half ton animals. They are also typically very steady-minded, for similar reasons. Yes, they are a different breed – Thoroughbreds are neither notably massive nor steady-minded. They are usually Quarter Horses (like the one ponying Rich Strike).
They are virtually always geldings. Geldings are not going to excite stallions like a mare might, and are the same every day (mares are more changeable due to hormones). Almost all male horses are gelded. Over 95%. Racehorse stallions are gelded as soon as they get off the track, unless they have won enough to make them worth breeding to. A stallion requires special training, handling, and facilities his entire life, he has to be worth all that trouble.
Pony is a very fluid term. It most commonly refers to a horse which is a specific degree of shortness, 14.2 hands and under in the US (a hand is 4" so 58" at the top of the shoulder). Although some popular breeds like Arabians and Morgans are often pony sized they are never referred to as ponies. Other short breeds with Pony in their name are called ponies even when they grow bigger than pony size. So it’s confusing right there. I ride a Morgan who is 14.2, pony-sized, who will never be a pony, and one of my riding buddies rides a Dales Pony who is 15.2, built like a brick shithouse, and who will always be a pony. Makes perfect sense to somebody …
Polo Ponies for example aren’t particularly short, and aren’t a breed either, just horses who are used in that game. Perhaps historically it was played on very short horses? I believe it was invented in Persia. Anyway, try not to think too hard about equine nomenclature. Makes you dizzy.
No it doesn’t. I think it’s all in the eye of the beholder now. If you want to take your horse to pony shows then it’s a pony. If some pony show organization says your pony doesn’t qualify they are clearly wrong and there are plenty of other pony organizations to try.
I am reminded of this scene from Newhart featuring the world’s smallest horse.
The discussion of ponies and sizes reminded me of a question I had when seeing Rich Strike next to other horses: he doesn’t look particularly big, seemingly a tad smaller than the pony that was trying to lead him. How tall is he in hands? I don’t see a number listed anywhere.
And btw in the Paulick report link posted by @Railer13 his trainer calls him “Richie”.
That simple, eh?
Thanks for the very informative answer.
Come to think of it, that’s the rule for a lot of domesticated mammals. Some you let the males get sexually mature before neutering for size reasons, like oxen, but as a rule, nobody but breeders want to bother with intact males if they don’t have to. If you only need 1 male per 20 females to keep enough babies coming, then I guess that’s how it goes. (Hah! One time when it’s better to be a girl.)
That’s right – it came up in an episode of the “All Creatures” remake, with Heriot wielding a pony stick at the local fair, and arguing with a bunch of owners who insisted their too tall horses WERE TOO ponies.
I don’t show, but I understand that being a pony for a all-breed pony show means being measured and found to be the right size. But that right size varies depending on the organization and country.
And that is just one way to define pony.
On a farm, it’s almost always better to be a girl. Males mostly get eaten. Horses are one of the few exceptions, males get gelded and live out their whole lifespan.
Just trying to be helpful! 
Wow, it looked like somebody set fire to that horse’s tail!! He was flying!
The Kentucky Derby is the shortest of the 3 races, and I think that makes it more problematic for the favorites. If they get hung in traffic, or if somebody in back somehow has a clear path to the front, an upset can occur.
I saw a documentary bio of Secretariat on TV once, and it showed all three of his races. He won the Belmont Stakes by a mile and the Preakness very easily, but he only won the Kentucky Derby by 3 lengths.
The drug test results for the Derby are in. Rich Strike was cleared.
His jockey is currently serving a four-day suspension for “careless riding” during a race before the Kentucky Derby. He’s had quite a few suspensions in his career.
Glad to hear it. We live in a world now where any great athletic performance will give rise to the question.
I consider that ironic because I thought other jockeys were careless in leaving a lane open for Rich Strike to run through at full speed,
No. A horse has to be entered in the race. There are various rules on qualifying, but the Kentucky Derby is a special case. So many horses are entered that they limit the field to 20, based on earnings. Most other races don’t have that problem.
To enter, there are a series of fees that increase as the race nears. If you don’t enter and pay the fees, you are not eligible but there are exceptions for supplementary entries, who can enter just before the race. Those fees are more expensive, though.
No Triple Crown winner this year: Rich Strike will not run in the Preakness.
A pity. That’s what makes the Preakness interesting to me, seeing what the Derby winner does.
How many times has it happened that the Derby winner has skipped the trip to Baltimore?
Nitpick: the Derby is in the middle of the three Triple Crown races, in terms of distance. The Preakness is slightly shorter, at 1 3/16 miles (or 9.5 furlongs), while the Derby is 1 1/4 miles (or 10 furlongs). The Belmont is 1 1/2 miles (12 furlongs).
I have no interest at all in seeing the Preakness or the Belmont. They’re only known now as the 2nd and 3rd legs of the Triple Crown for a Derby winner to attempt. Without a Derby winner moving on there is no Triple Crown.
Grindstone in 1996
Spend a Buck in 1985
Gato Del Sol in 1982
Tomy Lee in 1959
There were certainly others. The term “Triple Crown” didn’t come into common use until 1930, so there were many years before that where the three races were not considered as a unit.
The jockey had been told not to let Secretariat run as fast as he wanted to in the Derby. The Belmont was so spectacular because the jockey was told it was okay to let Secretariat run as fast as he wanted to.
I wish I could remember where I learned that, though.
Secretariat set a course record in the Derby which still stands today. And while it’s true he only won by three lengths, he was running away. Best estimates are that he finished about 1/3-second ahead. Watch the entire race and you’ll see that Secretariat started his drive about midway through the race. Also Secretariat and the second-place horse (Sham) were way ahead of the rest of the pack. Sham would run another close race to Secretariat in the Preakness, still finishing second, although Secretariat broke last from the gate and went from last to first around the first turn. But when Secretariat opened up the huge lead in the Belmont, Sham’s jockey eased up.
I just re-discovered that Sham suffered a hairline fracture of his right front cannon bone during the race, which obviously also contributed to his fading down the stretch. He finished fifth in a five-horse field.
Only one horse has finished second in all three triple-crown races: Alydar, in 1978, who finished second to triple-crown winner Affirmed.