Chris Evert (horse)

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Chris Evert
Sire Swoon's Son
Grandsire The Doge
Dam Miss Carmie
Damsire T.V. Lark
Sex Filly
Foaled 1971
Country United States Flag of the United States
Colour Chestnut
Breeder Echo Valley Farm
Owner Carl Rosen
Trainer Joseph A. Trovato
Record 15: 10-2-2
Earnings $679,475
Major Racing Wins, Awards and Honours
Major Racing Wins
Demoiselle Stakes (1973)
Acorn Stakes (1974)
Mother Goose Stakes (1974)
Coaching Club American Oaks (1974)
La Canada Stakes (1975)
Racing Awards
3rd U.S. Filly Triple Crown Champion (1974)
U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Filly (1974)
Honours
United States Racing Hall of Fame (1988)
Infobox last updated on: November 25, 2006.

Chris Evert (1971-2001) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred filly racehorse. Carl Rosen (1918-1983), owner of clothing manufacturer Puritan Fashions Corp., purchased the filly at a Keeneland yearling sale. He named her for the rising young star tennis player, Chris Evert, whom he had signed to endorse his company's line of sportswear.

Chris Evert began racing at age two. Of her five races entered, she won four and finished second in the other. At age three, she dominated her class, winning the U.S. Filly Triple Crown and earning the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Filly

[edit] The Match Race

In 1974, Aaron Jones, the owner of West Coast based filly Miss Musket, issued a challenge to Chris Evert's owner for their horses to meet in a match race. Miss Musket's record included winning the Hollywood Oaks and her confident owner offered to put up $100,000 if Chris Evert's owner would match it. The Hollywood Park Racetrack offered another $150,000 to the winner-take-all race that they would host and would bill as the Hollywood Special Stakes. Carl Rosen could not pass up that kind of money and as such accepted the offer for a match race to be held on July 20, 1974. Chris Evert won by an astounding 50 lengths, the large purse significantly contributing to her becoming 1974's leading money earner in U.S. Thoroughbred racing.

At age four, Chris Evert won two more times but was retired early after competing in only four races. Owner Carl Rosen decided to use her as the foundation mare to establish his own horse breeding operation at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. As a broodmare, Chris Evert produced graded stakes race winners Wimbledon Star and the filly Six Crowns who was sired by the great Secretariat. Six Crowns in turn produced Eclipse Award and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Chief's Crown.

Chris Evert was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1988. Pensioned in 1990, at age 30 she was humanely euthanized on January 8, 2001 due to the infirmities of old age. She was buried at Three Chimneys Farm's broodmare cemetery.


[edit] References