Ruffian Winning at Belmont Park, Giclee canvas prints
A seal brown, almost coal black filly, nearly 17 hands, Ruffian was foaled at Claiborne Farm, near Paris, KY. She was bred by Mr. and Mrs. Stuart S. Janney, Jr. owners of Locust Hill Farm in Glyndon, Maryland. Ruffian was sired by the Phipps family's Bold Ruler stallion, Reviewer, and out of the Native Dancer mare Shenanigans.
She was trained by Frank Y. Whiteley, Jr.. and ridden mostly by Jacinto Vasques. Ruffian took American by storm starting in the spring of 1974 through the summer of ‘75.Nothing could get close to her. She won her first ten races with an average margin of 8 3/4 lengths. She was on the lead at every point of call in every race she ever ran. She set a new stakes record in each of the eight stakes races which she won. She had also equaled two track records. She earned the nickname "Queen of the Fillies" after being voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Two-Year-Old Filly in 1974 and winning the Filly Triple Crown (now called the Triple Tiara) in 1975. Lucien Laurin, the great Secretariat's trainer, said this quote to the press "As God as my witness, she may even be better than Secretariat." She was considered by many horsemen to be the best three year old in America, even better than Foolish Pleasure, that year’s Kentucky Derby winner. Racing fans from all over the land were ecstatic when it was announced that a match race would be held to prove who the champion would be. It was labeled the “Equine Battle of the Sexes”. Most thought Ruffian would win, even the jockey, Jacinto Vasques who was regular
rider for both horses thought she was best and chose her over the colt. The race was run July 6th at Belmont Park in front of 50,000 fans. As they left the starting gate she jammed her shoulder hard, but straightened herself out and they were running. The first quarter-mile was run in a blazing 22 1/5 seconds, with Ruffian ahead by a nose. Little more than a furlong later, Ruffian had pulled in front by a half length when both sesamoid bones in her
right foreleg snapped. Vasquez tried to pull her up, but the filly wouldn't stop. By the time she could be stopped, her leg was shattered to the point that it couldn’t be repaired. Her owners, the Janneys, tried gallantly to save her and had the leg operated on. What looked to be a successful operation turned into heartbreak and disaster when the anesthesia wore off and she woke up struggling to get on her feet. She thrashed around and irreparably rebroke the leg. The great filly was humanely euthanized. It was a sad ending to am amazing life. Ruffian goes down in history as one of the best horses that ever looked through a bridle.
2 sizes available. 12 x 16" 75 prints
18 x 24" 30 prints
Each print comes with a certificate of authenticity.
