Droll Role

Droll Role
Sire	Tom Rolfe
Grandsire	Ribot
Dam	Pradella
Damsire	Preciptic
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1968
Country	United States
Colour	Dark Bay
Breeder	John M. Schiff
Owner	John M. Schiff
Trainer	Thomas J. Kelly
Record	36: 10-8-6
Earnings	$545,497
Major wins
Grey Lag Handicap (1972) Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (1972) Tidal Handicap (1972) Massachusetts Handicap (1972) Canadian International Stakes (1972) Washington, D.C. International Stakes (1972)
Honours
Droll Role Handicap at Laurel Park Racecourse
Horse (Equus ferus caballus)

Droll Role (foaled 1968 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned and bred by John M. Schiff, his sire was the great runner and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Tom Rolfe, a son of the undefeated European superstar, Ribot. His dam was Pradella, whose damsire was Nearco, another undefeated European star and one of the most influential sires of the 20th century.

Trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Thomas J. Kelly, as a two-year-old Droll Role's best performance in a major race was a second-place finish in the 1970 Pimlico-Laurel Futurity. At age three, he had three second-place finishes in graded stakes races but without a win.

At age four, Droll Role developed into one of the top older horses in North America, winning on both dirt and on turf. He ran third in the 1972 Man o' War Stakes, second in the Manhattan Handicap, and had another impressive race when he finished second to Quack in world record time in the mile and a quarter Hollywood Gold Cup. Among his wins, Droll Role captured the Tidal Handicap in course record time, the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap, the Massachusetts Handicap, and defeated the great Hall of Fame filly Belle Geste in the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack which earned him an invitation to compete in the prestigious Washington, D.C. International Stakes at Laurel Park Racecourse. In that race, Droll Role earned the most important win of his racing career, defeating the great Riva Ridge plus some of the best runners from Europe including that year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, San San.

Retired to stud duty in 1973, the offspring of Droll Role met with modest racing success. He was the damsire of Paristo who won the 1981 Illinois and Tampa Bay Derbys and was third in the Preakness Stakes. In 1980 Droll Role was sent to a breeding operation in Italy where his last foal was born in 1987.

References

• Droll Role's pedigree and partial racing stats