Honest Pleasure

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Honest Pleasure


caption =
sire = What A Pleasure
grandsire = Bold Ruler
dam = Tularia
damsire = Tulyar
sex = Stallion
foaled = 1973
country = United States flagicon|USA
colour = Dark Bay
breeder = Waldemar Farms
owner = Bertram R. Firestone
trainer = LeRoy Jolley
record = 25: 12-6-2
earnings = $839,997
race = Champagne Stakes (1975)
Laurel Futurity Stakes (1975)
Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes (1975)
Cowdin Stakes (1975)
Florida Derby (1976)
Flamingo Stakes (1976)
Travers Stakes (1976)
Blue Grass Stakes (1976)
Ben Ali Handicap (1977)
awards= American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (1975)
honours =
updated= October 5, 2007

Honest Pleasure (foaled 1973 in Florida) was an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. Bred by the Waldemar Farms, he was sired by leading American sire,What A Pleasure, out of the mare, Tularia, whose sire, Tulyar, was owned and bred by The Aga Khan IV and was a stakes winner in Ireland and England.

Guided by Hall of Fame trainer LeRoy Jolley, Honest Pleasure was a precocious two year old and dominated his division. He was purchased at the Saratoga yearling sales for $45,000 by Bertram R. Firestone and his wife, Dinah in 1974. Headstrong like his grandsire, Bold Ruler, he liked to run in front and easily won the Champagne Stakes, Laurel Futurity Stakes, Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes, and the Cowdin Stakes. By the end of the year, he was named American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.

1976 brought on a rival in Bold Forbes, another colt with a similar ancestry in grandsire, Bold Ruler, and running style. Bold Forbes had raced only in Puerto Rico as a two-year-old but challenged Honest Pleasure at three.

Honest Pleasure blew thru the Flamingo Stakes, winning it by 11 lengths in February and went on to win the Florida Derby and the Blue Grass Stakes as the favorite.

Then came the Kentucky Derby. Afraid of a speed duel, Jolley had Honest Pleasure sit off the pace and but he made his move too late and was beaten to the wire by Bold Forbes. In the Preakness, Honest Pleasure and Bold Forbes went to the lead and dueled through 6 furlongs in 1:09 3/5, only to lose to Elocutionist, with Honest Pleasure placing a poor fifth. He did not enter the Belmont Stakes, leaving it to rival Bold Forbes.

Later that fall, he would challenge older horses in the Marlboro Cup. Carrying 119 lbs. and guided by Craig Perret, Honest Pleasure was a 3 year-old on a muddy track and leading most of the way. At the wire, a determined gelding named Forego, with a 137 lb. impost, heading him out of a victory in a photo finish.

At four, Honest Pleasure won the Ben Ali Handicap.

Retirement

Retired to stud in 1977, Honest Pleasure had several stakes winners. His progeny includes Judge Angelucci, Tres Paraiso, Honest Princess, and Bedside Promise.

Honest Pleasure died on August 17, 1992, at Harris Farms, in California.

Resources

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/honest+pleasure Pedigree & Partial Stats]
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914129-1,00.html Time Heading to a Lonely Derby]