Portraits

 Home

 Sires

 Dams

 Portraits

 Turf Hallmarks

 Breeders

 Genetic Markers

 Resources

 Contributors

 Store

 Search our site

 E-mail us


 

Portraits Index


Other Images

  English Foundation Mares

  Half-Bred Foundation Mares

  Foundation Sires

  Horses That Jump


  Or Use our Search Engine


 

  Black Toney
graphic


Black Toney  
 
Brown colt, 1911.
By Peter Pan - Belgravia by Ben Brush.

Darley Arabian Sire line:
Camel Branch.
Family 10 -c.



Peter Pan His sire, Peter Pan
 

Black Toney was the foundation stallion for the great Twentieth Century American breeder Edward R. Bradley, owner of the famous Idle Hour Stock Farm, Lexington, Kentucky.

Bred in Kentucky by James R. Keene's Castleton Stud, Black Toney was from one of the last crops bred by Keene, who died in 1913. The horse represented the famed Domino/Ben Brush cross that had provided Castleton with so much success. As Keene's health declined, he gradually dispersed his holdings, and in 1912, he sold the entire Castleton crop of yearling colts to E. R. Bradley, acting as agent for William A. Prime. Prime reneged on the deal and although Bradley resold most of the lot, for $1,600 he retained the Peter Pan - Belgravia colt.

Black Toney was a half-brother to the stakes winners Franconi and Grosvenor (and later, to Bonnie Mary). Their dam was a half-sister to the outstanding runner and sire, Disguise and went back three generations to the remarkable broodmare Queen Mary, who also appeared in the pedigree Ben Brush (as dam of *Bonnie Scotland), making Belgravia inbred 4x3 to that great matron.

Black Toney started a total of 40 times over four season of racing, winning 13 races and earning $13,565. At two, he raced 19 times and won seven including the Valuation Stakes, and third in the important Futurity. At three, he started eight times, winning five including the Independence Handicap (9.5f.). At four he won two of 10 starts, none noteworthy, and covered mares at five while recouperating from injuries.

He covered a few more mares, then returned to racing at six, winning once in three starts over a mile, and then was retired from racing completely. This was a good decision, because as a racer, Black Toney was well below top class, but as a sire, he proved to have few equals.

Black Toney in the Stud

He retired to Bradley's Idle Hour Stock Farm alongside *North Star III and Helmet, but, like many Bradley sires, was used sparingly, getting only 221 foals in 21 crops, but the quality was high, with 40 stakes winners (18 percent). Black Toney was the Leading Juvenile Sire in America in 1939, when his best runner Bimelech was two.

From his first small crop, sired between his four and six-year-old racing seasons, there were four foals, one of which was Miss Jemima, the champion two-year-old filly of her year. His second small crop of three foals included Black Servant, a brilliant colt who was an unlucky second in the Kentucky Derby. Later crops included champion and Kentucky Derby legend Black Gold, another Kentucky Derby winner in Brokers Tip, and the champions Bimelech, Balladier, Black Helen, Black Maria, as well as the top stakes winners Big Hurry, Broadway Jones, and others.

Bimelech was his best runner, born when his sire was 24 years old and at end of his long stud career. Black Toney was America's Leading Two-Year-Old Sire in 1939, when Bimelech was two. At three, Bimelech won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. He was a younger full brother to the champion three-year-old filly Black Helen, winner of the C.C.A. Oaks in in 1935. Balladier was the champion two-year-old of 1934. Black Maria was the champion female at three, when she won the 1926 Kentucky Oaks, and champion handicap mare.

He tended to sire speed and precociousness, but his offspring showed a lot of durability and class as well.


Bimelech Balladier

Broker's Tip

Black Gold

Black Maria

Top left: Black Toney's champion son Bimelech; Bimelech and his full sisters, stakes winner Big Hurry and Black Helen (also a champion) were out of the great producer La Troienne.
Top right: Balladier was a champion juvenile and later a good sire
Second Row left: Broker's Tip sired champion Market Wise
Second Row right: Champion Black Gold later proved infertile
Bottom left: Dual champion Black Maria had only one foal before dying

His sireline carried forward with strength through Black Servant (sire of champions Blue Larkspur, Barn Swallow, Baba Kenny, Big Pebble), Balladier (sire of Spy Song, Double Jay, Mr. Music, Ky. Colonel, Papa Redbird), and Bimelech (sire of Better Self, Brookfield, Dark Ruler). Broker's Tip sired champion Market Wise (sire of To Market). Black Gold was infertile.

Black Toney's daughters were good producers. Big Hurry produced champion Bridal Flower and the top racemare and producer Searching, and other good producing daughters No Fiddling, Allemande, Ambulance, and Dashing By. He also sired Bridal Colors, dam of the important sire Relic, and Crotala, dam of the top broodmare Boat.

Black Toney was a very dark brown color with no white markings. He was an attractive horse with a lot of quality, an especially fine head with a dished profile, long-bodied like Ben Brush, with low withers, and owned a tremendous hindquarter with a nicely sloping hip angle.

Bradley honored his stallion with a bronze statue (about one-third life size) sculpted by Josephine Krstolich, which stands near the stallion barn to this day, on the same property now known as Darby Dan Farm. His 1937 crop, which included champion Bimelech, was Black Toney's last, and he spent the last two seasons of his life in quiet retirement.On September 19, 1938, he dropped dead in his paddock, apparently from heart failure at the age of 27, and was buried near the stallion barn.

--Anne Peters



BLACK TONEY, Br.c.  1911 - Family #10 - c.
Peter Pan
b. 1904
Commando
b. 1898
Domino
br. 1891
Himyar
Mannie Gray
Emma C.
b. 1892
*Darebin
Guenn
*Cinderella
ch. 1888
Hermit
ch. 1864
Newminster
Seclusion
Mazurka
b. 1878
See Saw
Mabille
Belgravia
b. 1903
Ben Brush
b. 1893
Bramble
b. 1875
*Bonnie Scotland
Ivy Leaf
Roseville
b. 1888
Reform
Albia
*Bonnie Gal
b. 1889
Galopin
b. 1872
Vedette
Flying Duchess
Bonnie Doon
b. 1870
Rapid Rhone
Queen Mary


Home   Historic Sires   Historic Dams   Portraits   Turf Hallmarks   Breeders   Genetics   Resources   Contributors   Search   Store   E-mail

©1997 - 2005 Thoroughbred Heritage. All rights reserved.