| Swaps | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Khaled |
| Grandsire | Hyperion |
| Dam | Iron Reward |
| Damsire | Beau Pere |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | March 1, 1952[1] |
| Died | 1972 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Rex C. Ellsworth |
| Owner | Rex C. Ellsworth Silks: Red, Black Triangle front and back, Red and Black Cap. |
| Trainer | Mesh Tenney |
| Record | 25:19–2–2 |
| Earnings | $848,900 |
| Major wins | |
| San Vicente Stakes (1955) Santa Anita Derby (1955) Californian Stakes (1955) American Derby (1955) Broward Handicap (1956) Sunset Handicap (1956) American Handicap (1956) Argonaut Handicap (1956) Hollywood Gold Cup (1956) Washington Park Handicap (1956) Triple Crown classic race wins: Kentucky Derby (1955) | |
| Awards | |
| United States Horse of the Year (1956) American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse (1956) | |
| Honours | |
| United States Racing Hall of Fame (1966) #20 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century Life-size statue at Hollywood Park Racetrack Interred - Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs Swaps Stakes held at Hollywood Park Racetrack | |
| Last updated on January 10, 2017 | |
Swaps (March 1, 1952 – November 3, 1972) was a California bred American thoroughbred racehorse. He won the Kentucky Derby in 1955 and was named United States Horse of the Year in the following year. He was known as the "California Comet,"[2] and occasionally with affection, due to his wins despite numerous injuries and treatments, the "California Cripple."[3]
In 1955, a chestnut-coated "California comet" named Swaps streaked from Santa Anita to the finish line at Churchill Downs, beating the favored Nashua in the Kentucky Derby. Fifty-nine years later, Swaps's then-18-year-old exercise rider, Art Sherman, is the trainer of the latest chestnut California comet, the appropriately named California Chrome, the smashing winner of the Santa Anita Derby on April 5.