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Royal Orbit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Royal Orbit
SireRoyal Charger
GrandsireNearco
DamAdmirals Belle
DamsireWar Admiral
SexStallion
Foaled25 April 1956
CountryUnited States
ColourChestnut
BreederLouis B. Mayer
OwnerHalina Gregory Braunstein
TrainerReggie Cornell
Record20: 7-5-7
Earnings$239,640
Major wins
Los Feliz Stakes (1958) Triple Crown wins:
Preakness Stakes (1959)
Last updated on May 18, 2007

Royal Orbit (April 25, 1956 - c. 1980) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the winner of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown races.

Background

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Royal Orbit was a chestnut horse bred by film mogul Louis B. Mayer. He was sired by the imported British stallion Royal Charger out of Admiral's Belle, a daughter of the 1937 U.S. Triple Crown winner, War Admiral. Royal Orbit was purchased at the July Keeneland Sales by businessman Jacques Braunstein and raced by his widow, Halina Gregory Braunstein. He was trained by Reggie Cornell.

Racing career

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Royal Orbit was a top two-year-old colt racing in California, notably winning the 1958 Los Feliz Stakes and finishing second to Tomy Lee in the Del Mar Futurity. The following year he was second to the Hall of Fame filly Silver Spoon in the Santa Anita Derby. In his only out-of-the-money finish in twenty career races, Royal Orbit ran fourth to winner Tomy Lee in the 1959 Kentucky Derby under jockey William Harmatz. However, Royal Orbit and Harmatz came back to win the 85th running of the Preakness Stakes and in the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown series, he finished third to winner Sword Dancer.

Stud record

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Retired at the end of the 1959 racing season, Royal Orbit stood in Kentucky and at the Maryland branch of E.P. Taylor's Windfields Farm. His offspring would meet with modest success, the best of which was multiple stakes winner, Quicken Tree. In 1971 he was sent to a breeding farm in Ireland. Two years later he was shipped to Argentina where he spent a year before going to Brazil in 1975.

Pedigree

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Pedigree of Royal Orbit (USA), chestnut stallion, 1956[1]
Sire
Royal Charger (GB)
1942
Nearco (ITY)
1935
Pharos Phalaris
Scapa Flow
Nogara Havresac
Catnip
Sun Princess (GB)
1937
Solario Gainsborough
Sun Worship
Mumtaz Begum Blenheim
Mumtaz Mahal
Dam
Admiral's Belle (USA)
1952
War Admiral (USA)
1934
Man o'War Fair Play
Mahubah
Brushup Sweep
Annette K
Belle Cane (NZ)
1937
Beau Pere Son-in-Law
Cinna
Duck's Egg Absurd
Tame Duck (Family:7-e)[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Royal Orbit pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  2. ^ "Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Jeu des Mots - Family 7-e". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2013-01-02.