Page 37 - July 2017

John O’Gaunt
Swynford
Canterbury Pilgrim
St Germans
Torpoint
Hamoaze
Maid Of The Mist
Bold Venture
Commando
Ultimus
Running Stream
Possible
Royal Flush
Lida Flush
Lida H
Maintenon
Maintenant
Martha Gorman
Haste
Meddler
Miss Malaprop
Correction
Quickly
The Tetrarch
Stefan The Great
Perfect Peach
Stephanie
Rock Sand
Malachite
Miss Hanover
Isinglass
La Fleche
Tristan
Pilgrimage Trenton Doncaster Beauty Cyllene
Sceptre
Domino
Emma C.
Domino
Dancing Water Favo
Flush
Lisbon
Luella
Le Sagittaire Marcia
Sir Dixon
Sallie McClelland St Gatien Busybody Himyar
Mannie Gray Roi Herode Vahren Persimmon Fascination Sainfoin Roquebrune Hanover
Miss Dawn
Bold Venture, the sire of Depth Charge, won the 1936 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, but bowed a tendon prior
to the Belmont Stakes, ending his race career.
1950 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Middleground is also by Bold Venture.
Depth Charge’s first start
was at 5 furlongs and he won by 10-lengths. It must be noted that he was first at the quarter in six of his 11 starts.
The race record of Depth Charge indicates that he was not the kind of horse with the stamina to run the classic distance of the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby. He was only raced from 2 1/2 to 6 furlongs in his 16 starts. We will use his Chart Book record published in the November 1973 Quarter Racing World, now Speedhorse, in the article “Depth Charge: Unsung Progenitor of Speed” by Ralph Dye, as our source for his race record.
Depth Charge started four times at two, with a win, a second, and a third place, earn- ing just $2,350. His third came in the Myles Standish Stakes at Suffolk Downs, making him a stakes placed runner. He also finished seventh in the Juvenile Stakes at Belmont Park. He broke his maiden in his last race of the year at Jamaica Race Course in New York at 5 1/2 furlongs. It should be noted that he had the first call at the quarter, or the 3/16th pole, in all four of his starts at two.
Depth Charge didn’t race as a three year old. The only known physical reason for Depth Charge not starting that year came in the Ralph Dye story in that he had “a tendon that was to give him some trouble.” Depth Charge resumed racing at four, running at Garden State, Belmont Park and Jamaica. He finished second at Garden State in a 6 fur- long race that year.
Depth Charge raced in 1946 at the age of five in Mexico. It was at the height of World War II and American racetracks went into a blackout that prevented racing in the U.S. The King Ranch sent some of their runners to Mex- ico to race, and Depth Charge started 11 times there. He won four of those starts, with one sec- ond and one third place finish, earning $2,893. Depth Charge’s first start was at 5 furlongs and he won by 10-lengths. It must be noted that he was first at the quarter in six of these 11 starts.
The failure of Depth Charge to run at dis- tance went against Bold Venture’s ability and stamina to run at distance and to sire horses that could run at distance. Bold Venture
won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, but his career came to an end when he bowed a tendon prior to the Belmont Stakes. He won six races with two second place finishes from 11 starts, earning $68,300. He sired Assault and Middleground, both of which thrived at running at distance.
A look at the pedigree of Depth Charge will show some of the stamina and speed in- fluence in his pedigree. His sire, Bold Venture, is by St Germans. When we look at St Ger- mans, we see that he won the Doncaster Cup, a race that is over 2 miles long. St Germans
is by Swynford, the winner of the St Leger, a race that is run at more than 1 3/4 miles.
SPEEDHORSE, July 2017 35
SPEEDLINES
DEPTH CHARGE TB