In reviewing my off-the-track Thoroughbred’s ancestry, I was thrilled to find Swaps, Native Dancer, Bold Ruler, War Admiral and Man O’ War. More interesting was finding Nearco from 1935.

Nearco is often called the greatest horse of the first half of the century. With 14 wins in 14 starts, he earned more than $80,000 in his time. His descendants include Bold Ruler, Secretariat, Nasrullah, Northern Dancer and Nijinsky II, among many others. Full and strong-bodied, Nearco was often a founding sire of the more solidly built hunter/jumper Thoroughbreds.

But even more exciting was going further back beyond Nearco to the Thoroughbred foundation stallions—the three horses from the Middle East who began the Thoroughbred line. They include the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerly turk (also thought to be an Arabian). Bred to local Great Britain light riding and sprinting horses, these three founded the Thoroughbred breed and brought with them lightness, stamina and speed. Every Thoroughbred racehorse today can trace its lineage back to one of these three foundation Arabians.

The Darley Arabian (also known as the Darley turk) is one of three foundation stallions imported to the United Kingdom to begin the Thoroughbred breed. He was foaled in 1700 in Syria, then shipped to England in 1704 to begin a breeding career that resulted in great-great-grandson Eclipse whose influence on the Thoroughbred breed has the Darley Arabian line considered as the most important of the foundation stallion lines.

The Godolphin Arabian was born in Yemen, shipped to Syria and then eventually ended up in England.

The Byerly turk was captured from the Turks near Budapest, Hungary, in the 1690s, and shipped to England.

These foundation stallions were bred to local British mares (in my horse’s case to horses like Betty Leedes, Miss Darcy’s Pet Mare and Sister to Old County Wench). The Thoroughbred breeding selected for speed, with a long, sloped shoulder and a long hind legs to accelerate and have larger stride, in addition to greater lung capacity for stamina. Often thought of as high strung, Thoroughbreds can come in many different shapes, sizes and temperaments. Some off-the-track Thoroughbreds retain their flightiness while others settle down readily to more laid back lives. They can range from 15.1 to 17.3 hands. Some are not bred for the track, but are instead bred specifically for other jobs such as hunter/jumpers. Because of natural athleticism, Thoroughbreds and Thoroughbred crosses excel in most riding sports including eventing, dressage and jumping. For example, after a brief racing career, the legendary Touch of Glass became a show jumper and U.S. Gold Medal winner. Thoroughbred blood has been influential in other breeds including the Quarter Horse, Warmblood crosses, Standarbreds and others.

A Thoroughbred can only be registered with the Jockey Club if it has been conceived through live cover, that is, the live mating between stallion and mare, and not by artificial insemination. Thoroughbred foals have an official birth date of January 1, regardless of when they were actually born. They are trained to begin racing at two years old and most race from two to three years. When retired off the track, some horses are used for breeding whereas others may find themselves sold, auctioned or adopted from Thoroughbred rescues.