Polynesian (horse)
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| Polynesian | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Unbreakable |
| Grandsire | Sickle |
| Dam | Black Polly |
| Damsire | Polymelian |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1942 |
| Country | United States  |
| Colour | Brown |
| Breeder | Elmendorf Farm |
| Owner | Gertrude T. Widener |
| Trainer | Morris Dixon |
| Record | 58: 27-10-10 |
| Earnings | $310,410 |
| Major Racing Wins, Awards and Honours | |
| Major Racing Wins | |
| Withers Stakes (1945) Roseben Handicap (1946) Toboggan Handicap (1946) Long Branch Stakes (1947) Camden Handicap (1947) Oceanport Handicap (1947) American Classic Race wins: |
|
| Racing Awards | |
| United States Champion Sprint Horse (1947) | |
| Infobox last updated on: July 27, 2007. | |
Polynesian (1942-1959) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse owned by Gertrude T. Widener, of the prominent Widener family of Philadelphia, and bred by her father-in-law Joseph E. Widener at his Elmendorf Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
[edit] 1945 Triple Crown races
Trained by Morris Dixon, at age three Polynesian won the one mile Withers Stakes then, after not competing in the Kentucky Derby won by Hoop Jr, defeated the Derby winner in the mile and three sixteenths second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the Preakness Stakes. Because of its demanding one and a half miles, Polynesian was not entered in the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes.
Polynesian developed into a champion sprinter, winning a number of important sprint races in 1946 and in 1947 and was named the U.S. Champion Sprint Horse.
Retired to stud duty, Polynesian sired several very good horses plus one of the greatest horses in American racing history, Native Dancer. Some of Polynesian's offspring were:
- Barbizon (1954-1983) - U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, 1956
- Imbros (f. 1950) - multiple stakes winner who set or equaled five track records including a world record for 7 furlongs
- Native Dancer - U.S. Racing Hall of Fame, rated No. 7 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, sired Raise a Native, damsire of Northern Dancer
Polynesian was also the damsire of 1963 Kentucky Derby winner, Chateaugay, and 1978 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, Primonetta.
At age seventeen, Polynesian died in 1959 from colic and was buried at Gallaher Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
