Pleasant Colony

Pleasant Colony
Sire His Majesty
Grandsire Ribot
Dam Sun Colony
Damsire Sunrise Flight
Sex Stallion
Foaled 1978
Country United States
Colour Dark Bay
Breeder Thomas Mellon Evans
Owner Buckland Farm
Trainer John P. Campo
Record 14: 6-3-1
Earnings $965,383
Major wins

Remsen Stakes (1980)
Wood Memorial Stakes (1981)
Woodward Stakes (1981)

American Classic Race wins:
Kentucky Derby (1981)
Preakness Stakes (1981)
Awards
American Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt (1981)
Honours
Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame (1982)
Horse (Equus ferus caballus)
Last updated on January 23, 2010

Pleasant Colony (May 4, 1978 - December 31, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the first two legs of the 1981 U.S. Triple Crown series.

A big, gangly horse, standing just under seventeen hands, Pleasant Colony was a grandson of the great Ribot. Bred by Wall Street financier Thomas Mellon Evans and raced under his Buckland Farm banner, at age two Pleasant Colony won two of his five starts including the Remsen Stakes. At age three, in the spring of 1981 he was second in the Fountain of Youth Stakes. Pleasant Colony lost 3 of 4 races to Akureyri. He lost the Fountain of Youth Stakes, Pilgrim Stakes, and finished behind Akureyri in the Florida Derby. He also was defeated by Akureyri in the Remsen Stakes, but was placed first through disqualification. After a fifth place finish in March's Florida Derby, his owner dismissed his trainer and replaced him with John P. Campo. Pleasant Colony responded to the change and ridden by jockey Jeffrey Fell won April's Wood Memorial Stakes by three lengths.

In the 1981 Kentucky Derby under regular jockey Jorge Velasquez, Pleasant Colony held off a powerful stretch drive by Woodchopper to win by three-quarters of a length. The expected rivalry with Woodchopper never materialized in the Preakness Stakes. Pleasant Colony came from behind to win by a full length over Arkansas Derby winner Bold Ego with Woodchopper far back in eleventh place. In the third and final leg of the Triple Crown series, the Belmont Stakes, Pleasant Colony fell short, finishing third to winner, Summing.

Pleasant Colony went on to win the Grade I Woodward Stakes and after a fourth place finish in the Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap he was retired to stud duty at Buckland Farm. At year's end, he was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse.

As a sire

From 1982 to 1998, Pleasant Colony stood at Thomas Mellon Evans's historic Buckland Farm in Buckland, Virginia. He became a very significant sire, producing seventy-three stakes race winners including more than a dozen Grade I winners and the Champions:

Pleasant Colony’s daughters have produced a number of Grade 1 stakes race winners. He is the damsire of Forestry, sire of The Green Monkey sold at the February 2006 Fasig-Tipton Florida auction for a world record price of $16-million. The Green Monkey had almost no success at the racetrack and is now standing at stud.

Following his owner's death in 1997, Pleasant Colony was sent to Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. In 2000 he was pensioned and sent to Blue Ridge Farm in Upperville, Virginia where he died in 2002 at age 24.

Pleasant Colony returned to Buckland Farm, now owned by the Blake family, after his death and is buried on the farm overlooking the fields where his mares were.

References

1875 Aristides • 1876 Vagrant • 1877 Baden-Baden • 1878 Day Star • 1879 Lord Murphy • 1880 Fonso • 1881 Hindoo • 1882 Apollo • 1883 Leonatus • 1884 Buchanan • 1885 Joe Cotton • 1886 Ben Ali • 1887 Montrose • 1888 Macbeth II • 1889 Spokane • 1890 Riley • 1891 Kingman • 1892 Azra • 1893 Lookout • 1894 Chant • 1895 Halma • 1896 Ben Brush • 1897 Typhoon II • 1898 Plaudit • 1899 Manuel • 1900 Lieut. Gibson • 1901 His Eminence • 1902 Alan-a-Dale • 1903 Judge Himes • 1904 Elwood • 1905 Agile • 1906 Sir Huon • 1907 Pink Star • 1908 Stone Street • 1909 Wintergreen • 1910 Donau • 1911 Meridian • 1912 Worth • 1913 Donerail • 1914 Old Rosebud • 1915 Regret ♥ • 1916 George Smith • 1917 Omar Khayyam • 1918 Exterminator • 1919 Sir Barton ₩ • 1920 Paul Jones • 1921 Behave Yourself • 1922 Morvich • 1923 Zev • 1924 Black Gold • 1925 Flying Ebony • 1926 Bubbling Over • 1927 Whiskery • 1928 Reigh Count • 1929 Clyde Van Dusen • 1930 Gallant Fox ₩ • 1931 Twenty Grand • 1932 Burgoo King • 1933 Brokers Tip • 1934 Cavalcade • 1935 Omaha ₩ • 1936 Bold Venture • 1937 War Admiral ₩ • 1938 Lawrin • 1939 Johnstown • 1940 Gallahadion • 1941 Whirlaway ₩ • 1942 Shut Out • 1943 Count Fleet ₩ • 1944 Pensive • 1945 Hoop Jr. • 1946 Assault ₩ • 1947 Jet Pilot • 1948 Citation ₩ • 1949 Ponder • 1950 Middleground • 1951 Count Turf • 1952 Hill Gail • 1953 Dark Star • 1954 Determine • 1955 Swaps • 1956 Needles • 1957 Iron Liege • 1958 Tim Tam • 1959 Tomy Lee • 1960 Venetian Way • 1961 Carry Back • 1962 Decidedly • 1963 Chateaugay • 1964 Northern Dancer • 1965 Lucky Debonair • 1966 Kauai King • 1967 Proud Clarion • 1968 Forward Pass • 1969 Majestic Prince • 1970 Dust Commander • 1971 Canonero II • 1972 Riva Ridge • 1973 Secretariat ₩ • 1974 Cannonade • 1975 Foolish Pleasure • 1976 Bold Forbes • 1977 Seattle Slew ₩ • 1978 Affirmed ₩ • 1979 Spectacular Bid • 1980 Genuine Risk ♥ • 1981 Pleasant Colony • 1982 Gato Del Sol • 1983 Sunny's Halo • 1984 Swale • 1985 Spend A Buck • 1986 Ferdinand • 1987 Alysheba • 1988 Winning Colors ♥ • 1989 Sunday Silence • 1990 Unbridled • 1991 Strike the Gold • 1992 Lil E. Tee • 1993 Sea Hero • 1994 Go For Gin • 1995 Thunder Gulch • 1996 Grindstone • 1997 Silver Charm • 1998 Real Quiet • 1999 Charismatic • 2000 Fusaichi Pegasus • 2001 Monarchos • 2002 War Emblem • 2003 Funny Cide • 2004 Smarty Jones • 2005 Giacomo • 2006 Barbaro • 2007 Street Sense • 2008 Big Brown • 2009 Mine That Bird • 2010 Super Saver • 2011 Animal Kingdom
Legend - ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly

1873 Survivor • 1874 Culpepper • 1875 Tom Ochiltree • 1876 Shirley • 1877 Cloverbrook • 1878 Duke of Magenta • 1879 Harold • 1880 Grenada • 1881 Saunterer • 1882 Vanguard • 1883 Jacobus • 1884 Knight of Ellerslie • 1885 Tecumseh • 1886 The Bard • 1887 Dunboyne • 1888 Refund • 1889 Buddhist • 1890 Montague • 1894 Assignee • 1895 Belmar • 1896 Margrave • 1897 Paul Kauvar • 1898 Sly Fox • 1899 Half Time • 1900 Hindus • 1901 The Parader • 1902 Old England • 1903 Flocarline • 1904 Bryn Mawr • 1905 Cairngorn • 1906 Whimsical • 1907 Don Enrique • 1908 Royal Tourist • 1909 Effendi • 1910 Layminster • 1911 Watervale • 1912 Colonel Holloway • 1913 Buskin • 1914 Holiday • 1915 Rhine Maiden • 1916 Damrosch • 1917 Kalitan • 1918 War Cloud • 1918 Jack Hare Jr. • 1919 Sir Barton • 1920 Man o' War • 1921 Broomspun • 1922 Pillory • 1923 Vigil • 1924 Nellie Morse • 1925 Coventry • 1926 Display • 1927 Bostonian • 1928 Victorian • 1929 Dr. Freeland • 1930 Gallant Fox • 1931 Mate • 1932 Burgoo King • 1933 Head Play • 1934 High Quest • 1935 Omaha • 1936 Bold Venture • 1937 War Admiral • 1938 Dauber • 1939 Challedon • 1940 Bimelech • 1941 Whirlaway • 1942 Alsab • 1943 Count Fleet • 1944 Pensive • 1945 Polynesian • 1946 Assault • 1947 Faultless • 1948 Citation • 1949 Capot • 1950 Hill Prince • 1951 Bold • 1952 Blue Man • 1953 Native Dancer • 1954 Hasty Road • 1955 Nashua • 1956 Fabius • 1957 Bold Ruler • 1958 Tim Tam • 1959 Royal Orbit • 1960 Bally Ache • 1961 Carry Back • 1962 Greek Money • 1963 Candy Spots • 1964 Northern Dancer • 1965 Tom Rolfe • 1966 Kauai King • 1967 Damascus • 1968 Forward Pass • 1969 Majestic Prince • 1970 Personality • 1971 Canonero II • 1972 Bee Bee Bee • 1973 Secretariat • 1974 Little Current • 1975 Master Derby • 1976 Elocutionist • 1977 Seattle Slew • 1978 Affirmed • 1979 Spectacular Bid • 1980 Codex • 1981 Pleasant Colony • 1982 Aloma's Ruler • 1983 Deputed Testimony • 1984 Gate Dancer • 1985 Tank's Prospect • 1986 Snow Chief • 1987 Alysheba • 1988 Risen Star • 1989 Sunday Silence • 1990 Summer Squall • 1991 Hansel • 1992 Pine Bluff • 1993 Prairie Bayou • 1994 Tabasco Cat • 1995 Timber Country • 1996 Louis Quatorze • 1997 Silver Charm • 1998 Real Quiet • 1999 Charismatic • 2000 Red Bullet • 2001 Point Given • 2002 War Emblem • 2003 Funny Cide • 2004 Smarty Jones • 2005 Afleet Alex • 2006 Bernardini • 2007 Curlin • 2008 Big Brown • 2009 Rachel Alexandra • 2010 Lookin At Lucky • 2011 Shackleford