Damascus (horse)

Damascus
Damascus at Claiborne Farm in 1981
Sire	Sword Dancer
Grandsire	Sun Glow
Dam	Kerala
Damsire	My Babu
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1964
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Edith W. Bancroft
Owner	Edith W. Bancroft
Trainer	Frank Y. Whiteley Jr.
Record	32: 21-7-3
Earnings	$1,176,781
Major wins
Remsen Stakes (1966) Jockey Club Gold Cup (1967) American Derby (1967) Aqueduct Handicap (1967, 1968) Wood Memorial Stakes (1967) Woodward Stakes (1967) Dwyer Stakes (1967) Travers Stakes (1967) Leonard Richards Stakes (1967) Bay Shore Stakes (1967) Brooklyn Handicap (1968) San Fernando Stakes (1968) Malibu Stakes (1968) William Dupont Jr. Handicap (1968) Triple Crown Race wins: Preakness Stakes (1967) Belmont Stakes (1967)
Awards
United States Champion 3-Yr-Old colt (1967) DRF United States Champion Handicap Horse (1967) United States Horse of the Year (1967)
Honours
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame (1974) #16 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
Last updated on September 20, 2006

Damascus (April 14, 1964 – August 8, 1995) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1967 Horse of the Year after winning the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Woodward Stakes, and Dwyer Stakes. Damascus also came third in the Kentucky Derby that year.^[1][2]

In a race many consider the "Race of the Century," Damascus won the 1967 Woodward by 10 lengths over both Dr. Fager and Buckpasser after his connections, as well as those of Buckpasser, used stablemates to set a blistering pace that weakened Dr. Fager who never was able to rate. In Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, Dr. Fager is ranked 6th and Buckpasser is ranked 14th, while Damascus is ranked 16th.

In the Dwyer Stakes, Damascus closed from 12 lengths back and carried 16 pounds more than the second placed horse.