Dual classic winner and champion REAL QUIET (Quiet American) died Monday at
the age of 15 as a result of an accident in his paddock at Penn Ridge Farms near
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In a statement on the farm’s website, a necropsy
report determined that Real Quiet had suffered a severe fracture to his
vertebrae near the base of his neck.
“Either on the racetrack or as a stallion, Real Quiet always performed at the
highest level — he will be greatly missed,” said Michael Jester, the owner of
Penn Ridge and Real Quiet’s syndicate manager.
Hero of the 1998 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness S. (G1), Real Quiet came
closer to winning the Triple Crown than any horse since the series was last
swept by Affirmed in 1978. Under Kent Desormeaux, whose ride subsequently came
under intense scrutiny and criticism, the colt made a bold move to take the lead
around the far turn and opened up a seemingly insurmountable four-length lead
inside the final furlong of the Belmont S. (G1). As he approached the finish
line, however, Real Quiet began to shorten stride and bore out into the oncoming
Victory Gallop, who through the stretch had gobbled up ground with
greyhound-like strides. The two colts finished nearly on even terms, but the
photo showed that Victory Gallop, the Derby and Preakness runner-up, had beaten
his rival by the slimmest of noses.
A head-on replay of the stretch run suggested that even if Real Quiet had won
the photo, Belmont Park stewards would have had a plausible case of negating the
result due to Real Quiet’s bumping of Victory Gallop in the final yards.
The result, disappointing as it was to countless fans desperate for a Triple
Crown winner, also burst an economic bubble as a Triple Crown sweep would have
been worth an additional $5 million to Real Quiet’s connections.
Real Quiet was bred in Kentucky by Little Hill Farm and was sold to Mike
Pegram as a $17,000 Keeneland September yearling. No better than third in his
first six outings in 1997, including two runs at lowly Santa Fe Downs, “The
Fish,” as trainer Bob Baffert later called him, finally broke his maiden during
the Oak Tree meeting and went on to finish third in the Kentucky Jockey Club S.
(G3). He concluded his juvenile campaign with a one-length score over future
champion sprinter Artax in the Hollywood Futurity (G1).
After a last-place finish in the Golden Gate Derby in January 1998, Real
Quiet never again run out of the money. However, runner-up efforts to Artax in
the San Felipe S. (G2) and stablemate Indian Charlie in the Santa Anita Derby
(G1) made him only an 8-1 chance for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. With
a quick burst of speed around the far turn, which became his trademark during
the classic season, Real Quiet assumed command and held off Victory Gallop by a
half-length. Two weeks later in the Preakness, Real Quiet got the jump on his
rival again and drove home a 2 1/4-length winner, overcoming the expectations of
the crowd who had made him the 5-2 second choice behind Victory Gallop.
Following the Belmont, Real Quiet did not race the remainder of 1998. His
narrow miss in sweeping the Triple Crown was the key factor in him being awarded
an Eclipse Award as champion three-year-old male.
In an injury-shortened four-year-old campaign, Real Quiet captured the
Pimlico Special (G1) and Hollywood Gold Cup (G1), was a close second in the New
Orleans H. (G2) and Texas Mile (G3), and finished third in the Massachusetts H.
(G2). He was retired with earnings of $3,271,803 from a line of 20-6-5-6.
Prior to moving Penn Ridge, Real Quiet stood at both Vinery and Taylor Made
in Kentucky. His most notable offspring are 2007 champion sprinter and two-time
Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner Midnight Lute; three-time Grade-1 winning
sprinter Pussycat Doll; and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) heroine Wonder Lady
Anne.
Real Quiet was produced by Really Blue (Believe It) and hailed from the
family of Hall of Famer Majestic Prince, whose own Triple Crown hopes were
dashed with a second-place finish in the 1969 Belmont S.