He was a multiple graded stakes winner, Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year, and is one of the best loved horses in all of Thoroughbred racing. But he is also remembered for being the subject of one of the sport's most popular victories, as well as one of its most saddest moments years after he thrilled crowds.

Campaigned by Mrs. Howard B. Keck, the career of Ferdinand began with sprinting during the tail end of Del Mar's 1985 meet. He finished off the board on debut, but improved to pick up minor awards before earning his diploma in his fourth start. That came going a mile, and even before he started routing, it seemed like Ferdinand might be more of a distance horse. He was a son of Nijinsky II, who won the 1969 English Triple Crown, and a grandson of Northern Dancer, champion of the 1964 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

In short, there was Triple Crown blood running through Ferdinand's veins well before he even showed up at a racetrack. In retrospect, it seemed to foreshadow what awaited the handsome colt in the spring of 1986.

Before then, however, there were plenty of races to run. Ferdinand put together a nice follow-up performance in his first try against winners, finishing third in the Grade I Hollywood Futurity going a mile and a sixteenth. Initially well off the pace, he moved past several opponents on the inside to take third in what represented his graded stakes debut. That would be a trademark for Ferdinand throughout the rest of his career: he liked to rally from behind, and he did well with that style of running.

Based at Santa Anita for his Kentucky Derby prep season, Ferdinand was solid throughout the winter and spring. He captured the one and one-sixteenth mile Santa Catalina Stakes, and that was sandwiched between placings in the Los Feliz Stakes and Grade II San Rafael Stakes. Then came a third in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby, and it was off to Churchill Downs for the first Saturday in May.

Going into the race, Ferdinand was not seen by the betting public as one of the major contenders, even with the strong jockey/trainer combination of Bill Shoemaker and Charlie Whittingham. First, Ferdinand had not exactly been a win machine leading up to that point, and he had lost to a couple of Derby principals in Badger Land and Snow Chief. In addition, the chestnut colt drew the unenviable rail position, never a good spot for the Derby given the traditionally large field.

It seemed like Ferdinand had no chance at the beginning, getting shuffled back early and being in the back of the pack before reaching the first turn. But Ferdinand had help from two sources: the pace and Shoemaker, who had ridden him in almost every start to that point. Leading the race was Groovy, who had been more of a sprinter than a distance horse. He set very fast fractions that played in the favor of the closers, and Shoemaker delivered one of the best rides of his career by guiding Ferdinand past the opposition going down the backstretch and far turn before moving him to the inside in the stretch to deliver one of the most popular Kentucky Derby victories of all time. It was Shoe's fourth Derby triumph, and the first for Whittingham, who had sent just a couple of horses to the race in his long career.

Despite the notable and regal pedigree, Ferdinand was a true underdog on Derby Day, and given the connections and what the Derby meant to Shoe and Whittingham during that phase of their respective careers, Ferdinand's victory has gone on to be one of the true fairy tale stories in all of Thoroughbred racing, and it was instrumental in boosting the popularity of the colt.

Ferdinand did not get the Triple Crown, but still did well in the Preakness and Belmont. He was second to Snow Chief at Pimlico before taking third at Belmont Park before getting some time off. He returned to Santa Anita in December, where he concluded the year with a Grade II victory in the Malibu Stakes, which represented his only win in a sprint.

As an older horse, Ferdinand renewed his rivalry with Snow Chief for the first part of the year. After defeating his rival in the Malibu, he took fourth in the Grade I San Fernando, and then engaged with Broad Brush and Snow Chief in the 1987 Grade I Charles H. Strub Stakes. In what was a tremendous stretch battle, Ferdinand took the fight to the dark bay Cal-bred, making him work for the victory in a photo finish. But Ferdinand was equally game in a race decided by a nose, and lost nothing in defeat.

Following another narrow defeat in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap (this time to Broad Brush), Ferdinand tried turf. The foray resulted in a fourth and a third in a pair of graded events between Santa Anita and Hollywood Park, and then came a fourth in the Grade I Californian (which turned out to be the last race in the Ferdinand-Snow Chief rivalry). After that race, however, Ferdinand got hot.

The second half of Southern California racing's 1987 season was all Ferdinand. With Shoemaker aboard (no other jockey would ride him in a race again), Ferdinand went undefeated the rest of the year, scoring four consecutive victories that included the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup and Breeders' Cup Classic in an exciting finish with fellow Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Alysheba. That streak paid dividends for Ferdinand, who earned Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year honors at the Eclipse Awards. He followed in the footsteps of both his sire and grandsire. Northern Dancer was Champion Three-Year-Old in 1964, while Nijinsky II was 1970's British Horse of the Year. It just ran in the family.

The Breeders' Cup Classic also served as the apex of Ferdinand's career. He raced throughout the 1988 season, and while he still had the consistency he displayed at two, three and four, he never won a race at five. His best results were runner-up finishes in the Grade I San Antonio Stakes, Santa Anita and San Bernardino Handicaps. After an off the board result in the Grade III Goodwood Handicap, Ferdinand was retired after a 29-race career that saw him score eight wins, nine seconds and six thirds. He was another who gave it his all on track, and that trait played a role in him winning on racing's biggest days.

Like many champions before him, Ferdinand was retired to stud. Originally standing in Kentucky, he eventually went to Japan, where he spent several years there. That is where the story turns sad, for it was discovered in 2002 that Ferdinand was no longer around, that he had likely been sent to a slaughterhouse. The champion's fate sparked outrage, and since then measures have been taken to prevent Thoroughbreds from what happened to Ferdinand.

This includes the formation of Old Friends, a Thoroughbred Retirement Farm that was specifically created in response to the news about Ferdinand. Since that time, Old Friends has become a popular and respected home for retired Thoroughbreds.

Adding to that was the creation of the Ferdinand Fee, a joint effort between the New York Racing and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Associations, with all money being sent to horse rescue and re-training programs around the country.

There is also an organization called Friends of Ferdinand, which takes in retired horses and works with people to adopt them. And buy-back clauses in agreements regarding Thoroughbreds and stallion duty have been attributed to Ferdinand.

He accomplished a lot as a racehorse, and he excited fans with his come-from-behind tales and journey from underdog to champion. But Ferdinand also helped so many Thoroughbreds that came after him. For those reasons, Ferdinand has two legacies, both on and off the track.

And those legacies make him one of the sport's true champions.

Sources:

formation of Old Friends: http://www.oldfriendsequine.org/about-us.html

creation of the Ferdinand Fee: Author unknown. "New York Horsemen and NYRA Initiate Ferdinand Fee to End Horse Slaughter." The Blood-Horse, June 2, 2005. https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/170210/new-york-horsemen-and-nyra-initiate-ferdinand-fee-to-end-horse-slaughter