To truly appreciate the significance of Bold Ruler, it’s worth noting that he is perhaps more recognized for his contributions in the breeding sphere than on the racing circuit.
While that might seem relatively insignificant, it actually conveys a great deal, as Bold Ruler had an outstanding career as a racehorse.
He emerged victorious in the 1957 Preakness Stakes. He garnered unanimous acclaim as Horse of the Year in 1957 and also as the premier 3-year-old of that year. In 1958, he earned the title of champion sprinter. He either established or equaled four track records.
Despite all that fame, the influence of Bold Ruler is better seen in the champions whose lineage could be traced back to him, rather than his own triumphs. His effect on the breeding sector was exceptionally profound and enduring.
After all, he was the progenitor of the renowned Secretariat.
The fact that Bold Ruler would become a prominent sire wasn’t altogether unexpected. His pedigree was exceptional, being a descendant of Claiborne Farm’s foundational sire, Nasrullah – a distinguished sire in both the United States and Europe – from Miss Disco, a daughter of Discovery, the 1935 Horse of the Year.
A sizable colt, standing at 16.1 hands, his connections were impeccable. He belonged to the celebrated Wheatley Stable of Mrs. Gladys Mills Phipps, was coached by the highly regarded Hall of Famer “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons, and was ridden in 27 of his 33 races by another of the sport’s legendary personalities, Eddie Arcaro.
He emerged victorious in his initial five races and subsequently, following a second-place result in an allowance race, proceeded to secure victory in the esteemed Futurity at Belmont Park.
His quest for the 2-year-old championship concluded when subpar starts resulted in unplaced finishes in the Garden State Stakes and Remsen Stakes – marking his initial ventures beyond six furlongs.
At 3, he regained his form and clinched victories in the Bahamas and Flamingo Stakes. Following a second-place outcome in the Florida Derby, he triumphed over Gallant Man by a narrow margin in the Wood Memorial and was designated as the 6-5 favorite in the Kentucky Derby.
However, on the initial Saturday in May, a swift pace and the mile-and-a-quarter distance proved too challenging to overcome, leading to a fourth-place result.
Two weeks afterward, subsequent to prevailing in an allowance race, he clinched the Preakness by a two-length margin over Iron Liege, the Kentucky Derby victor.
Bold Ruler faded to third place in the Belmont Stakes yet concluded 1957 by winning in six of his concluding seven races. A notable highlight was a triumph over Round Table and Gallant Man in the 1 ¼-mile Trenton Handicap at Garden State.
In an era preceding the Eclipse Awards, he enjoyed consensus as Horse of the Year, securing the honor from the Daily Racing Form and Turf and Sport Digest, while the third voting entity, the Thoroughbred Racing Association, favored Dedicate.
At 4, Bold Ruler clinched victories in the Toboggan, Carter, Stymie, Suburban, and Monmouth Handicaps before the injuries that had plagued him throughout his career ultimately caught up with him. He emerged from the Brooklyn Handicap with a bone splinter and was subsequently retired.
He departed the racetrack with a record showcasing 23 triumphs out of 33 races, amassing earnings of $764,204, a sum that would remarkably pale when contrasted with his extraordinary accomplishments in the subsequent stage of his life.
Relocating to Claiborne Farm, Bold Ruler achieved immediate success at stud, effectively transmitting his speed to his progeny at an astonishing success rate. Although his initial crop comprised only 17 foals, he yielded eight stakes victors and 14 winners.
He proceeded to become North America’s leading sire for a record-setting streak of seven consecutive years (1963-’69).
He sired 11 champions, commencing with Lamb Chop, the champion 2-year-old filly of 1962, and culminating with Wajima, the champion 3-year-old male of 1975. In the interim, he produced outstanding runners such as Gamely, Bold Bidder, and Vitriolic.
His sons What a Pleasure and Raja Baba transitioned into prominent sires.
Throughout his tenure at stud, 22% of his foals evolved into stakes victors.
While he reigned as the dominant sire of his era, Bold Ruler consistently grappled with a perceived inability to produce classic winners.
When cancer brought his life to a conclusion in 1971, he had yet to produce a victor of a Triple Crown race. Nonetheless, that narrative shifted dramatically in 1973 when his most celebrated son, Secretariat, achieved the distinction of becoming the first horse in 25 years to triumph in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont, thus garnering recognition as one of the sport’s most distinguished champions.
Thanks to Secretariat, Bold Ruler posthumously ascended to the position of leading sire in 1973, rendering the notion that Bold Rulers encountered obstacles in the spring of their 3-year-old season as archaic as a black and white television.
In the ensuing years, his sons and daughters upheld the prestige of their lineages. His sons engendered top-tier runners, including Kentucky Derby victors Dust Commander, Cannonade, Foolish Pleasure, Bold Forbes, and Spectacular Bid. A cumulative total of seven Kentucky Derby victors throughout the 1970s traced their lineage back to him.
In 1977, Bold Reasoning, an offspring of Bold Ruler’s son Boldnesian, sired the esteemed Seattle Slew, the 1977 Triple Crown champion and a notably prosperous sire in his own right.
In subsequent years, Seattle Slew’s son, A.P. Indy, the 1992 Horse of the Year, sustained the vibrancy and prominence of the Bold Ruler line. A.P. Indy held the position of leading sire in 2003 and 2006, and his sons, including Pulpit, Bernardini, and Malibu Moon, alongside his grandson Tapit, have ascended to the ranks of thriving sires.
His career on the racetrack may have endured for a limited span with certain noteworthy accomplishments, yet Bold Ruler’s enduring impact has persevered across time, persisting through the triumphs of the subsequent generation of his offspring.
In certain perspectives, he is regarded as North America’s greatest sire. While he may not have possessed the same level of speed or brilliance as Secretariat, he did produce him – as well as a substantial roster of other exceptional runners – hence cementing Bold Ruler’s place in any discourse concerning Thoroughbred racing’s most exceptional luminaries.
For Bold Ruler, success in the Preakness was merely an initial indicator of his broader influence.
Fun Facts
- He earned induction into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1973.
- Bold Ruler secured the 19th position on BloodHorse magazine’s compilation of the top 100 champions of the 20th Century.
- Bold Ruler finished third in the 1957 Kentucky Derby, a race notable for jockey Bill Shoemaker’s miscalculation of the finish line while riding the runner-up, Gallant Man.
- The 1957 Belmont Stakes witnessed an early prominent deployment of a “rabbit,” as trainer John Nerud entered Bold Nero with the intention of challenging Bold Ruler in the nascent stages of the race, thereby assisting stablemate Gallant Man. The strategy proved effective, with Bold Nero pressuring Bold Ruler through initial fractions of :46 4/5 and 1:10 2/5 in the 1 ½-mile race, thereby setting the stage for Gallant Man to secure victory by an eight-length margin.
