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25-512: In 1956, Swaps won this race while setting a new world record for one mile with time of 1:33 1/5. It was last run in 1978. This horse race article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to sports in California is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Swaps (horse) Swaps (March 1, 1952 – November 3, 1972) was a California bred American thoroughbred racehorse . He won

50-410: A competition or race, and makes the gait more comfortable for the rider. They are desired in a riding horse because they increase the shock-absorption ability of the leg, making the horse's gait smoother and more comfortable for the rider. However, this flexibility also increases the risk of certain connective tissue injuries that are not seen in horses with more upright pasterns. This is because many of

75-433: A horse". When a lady asked Johnson how this had happened, he gave the much-quoted reply: "Ignorance, madam, pure ignorance." The pastern consists of two bones, the uppermost called the "large pastern bone" or proximal phalanx, which begins just under the fetlock joint, and the lower called the "small pastern bone" or middle phalanx, located between the large pastern bone and the coffin bone, outwardly located at approximately

100-401: A longer-strided horse). Medical problems linked to short, upright pasterns are usually a result of excess concussion. They include: Short, upright pasterns are often seen in draft horses . This is because draft horses bred for pulling rather than riding (and so they were not selected for smooth gaits of a saddle horse), and because upright pasterns give more leverage to dig into the ground as

125-435: A season. His last five seasons were at Spendthrift Farm . Swaps sired several dozen offspring, including 35 stakes winners. Among his most successful offspring were Chateaugay , winner of the 1963 Kentucky Derby and the 1963 Belmont Stakes , and the U.S. Hall of Fame filly, Affectionately . In November 1972, he was euthanized at the age of 20. He was buried at Spendthrift Farm , but his remains were moved in 1986 to

150-585: A split hoof wall in his right forefoot, incurred in January, had inflamed again. Returning to the West Coast, Swaps broke records all over the country at various distances. On turf and on dirt, and often under heavy weight, he broke or equaled six different track records in total. With much interest in a match race between Nashua and Swaps looming, a deal between the camps was reached for the colts to meet at Chicago's Washington Park on August 31, 1955. Swaps tuned up with

175-766: A stallion imported from the Aga Khan's stud in Europe . His dam Iron Reward was a half-sister of the Kentucky Derby winner Iron Liege. Trained by Mesh Tenney (who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991), bred and owned by the once cowhand Rex Ellsworth, Swaps won his first 1955 start, the San Vicente Stakes . In May 1955, he won the Kentucky Derby under jockey Willie Shoemaker , beating

200-522: A win in the American Derby , setting a 1 3 ⁄ 16 mile course record of 1:54 3 ⁄ 5 on the turf. However, the day before the scheduled match race, Swaps re-injured his foot on a wet track. Nashua broke alertly under Arcaro, and he gained a tactical advantage on the lead. Arcaro's tactic forced Shoemaker with Swaps to get the worst of the poor footing. Nashua drew clear in the stretch to win easily. Nashua went on to earn 1955 U.S. Horse of

225-423: Is evaluated when a horse is studied conformationally, as it will affect the gait of the horse and the soundness of the joints above it. Traditionally, the ideal pastern joint of the front leg was a 45-degree angle. However, this angle has been revised to a slightly steeper angle of 47-55 degrees, as the traditional angle, although it makes for comfortable riding, greatly increases the chance of breakdown. Because there

250-412: Is less need for shock absorption in the hindleg, its pasterns are somewhat more upright than those of the front leg, to increase its strength (about 49-59 degrees). If the hind pasterns are the same angle as the front, or too sloping in general, then they are likely to break down during the horse's career, especially if the horse in employed in strenuous work. The length of the pastern joint is determined by

275-459: The Kentucky Derby in 1955 and was named United States Horse of the Year in the following year. He was known as the "California Comet," and occasionally with affection, due to his wins despite numerous injuries and treatments, the "California Cripple." Swaps was a chestnut horse bred and owned by Rex Ellsworth . He was trained throughout his racing career by Mesh Tenney . He was the son of Khaled ,

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300-643: The Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky . A bronze of Swaps with jockey Bill Shoemaker was dedicated July 1, 1958. Its design and setting was created by Millard Sheets and the sculpture by Albert Stewart . The statue stood at the Hollywood Park Racetrack Clubhouse entrance gardens from 1958 until the closing of Hollywood Park in 2014 and is currently in storage awaiting placement near SoFi Stadium which

325-408: The coronary band . The joint between these two phalangeal bones is aptly called the "pastern joint". This joint has limited movement, but does help to disperse the concussive forces of the horse's step and also has some influence on the flexion or extension of the entire leg. The pastern is vital in shock absorption. When the horse's front leg is grounded, the elbow and knee are locked. Therefore,

350-531: The Year honors. Swaps did not race for the rest of the year as his foot healed again. Although occasionally troubled by the hoof after the recovery, Swaps generally performed well. At the age of four, Swaps was named Horse of the Year by Turf and Sport Digest after beating Nashua by 78 votes to 45, and topping a similar poll organized by Triangle Publications. William H.P. Robertson wrote in his "History of Thoroughbred Racing in America" that Swaps "entered stud with

375-403: The fetlock and pastern are responsible for all the absorption of concussive forces of a footfall. Together, they effectively distribute it among both the bones of the leg and the tendons and ligaments. The slope of the shoulder is often the same as the slope of the pastern. The angle of the pastern should also match the angle of the hoof after the latter has been trimmed (the angle will change as

400-512: The fetlock may hyper-extend, possibly to the point where the ergot touches the ground. This stresses the soft tissues that run under the fetlock because they are stretched longer. If stretched too much, they may tear or rupture. Medical problems that are more common in horses with long, sloping pasterns include: Short, upright pasterns are beneficial in that they decrease the chance that the horse will suffer from soft-tissue injury. However, upright pasterns increase concussion by transmitting more of

425-590: The fractures into his pastern joint . Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons , the trainer of Nashua, sent him a special sling from Belmont Park. He initially had to be raised and lowered every 45 minutes, and trainer Mesh Tenny stayed with the horse and performed the function for the first 36 hours. In November 1956, despite losing 300 pounds during the ordeal, he jogged away from his ordeal and was saved for stud duty. Swaps began at stud at Rex Ellsworth's farm, moving to John Galbreath's Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky , after

450-565: The heavily favored east coast star, Belair's Nashua , under Eddie Arcaro . Arcaro was quoted before the race that Summer Tan was the primary threat, which manifested the east–west division between the Swaps-Nashua camps. This rivalry culminated in a famous match race later that year. Nashua followed up the Derby with wins in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in which Swaps did not compete because

475-478: The hoof grows and may be off in a few weeks). This keeps the bones of the pastern and coffin joints in proper alignment, with a straight line running through their core. An angle broken forward or back increases the stress on these bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments. If the angle does not match, it could be an indication of poor farrier work, but some horses may have underlying conformational defects that can not be modified through farriery alone. The pastern joint

500-518: The largest collection of recognized world records (five) in history, and a lifetime performance summary, as follows: 25 starts, 19 wins, two seconds, two thirds, earnings of $ 848,900." at 3: at 4: In October, while training for the Washington, D.C. International at Garden State Park , Cherry Hill, New Jersey, he fractured his leg in two places in his left rear cannon bone, then a week later banged his leg in his stall, breaking his cast, and extending

525-466: The leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof . It incorporates the long pastern bone (proximal phalanx) and the short pastern bone (middle phalanx), which are held together by two sets of paired ligaments to form the pastern joint (proximal interphalangeal joint). Anatomically homologous to the two largest bones found in the human finger , the pastern was famously mis-defined by Samuel Johnson in his dictionary as "the knee of

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550-460: The length of the first phalanx. The short pastern bone is less a determinant because it is smaller, at 2 inches in length, and part of it is encased in the hoof. Long, sloping pasterns are commonly seen in Thoroughbreds and Saddlebreds . A nicely sloped pastern increases the likelihood of a long career. It improves the animal's ability to travel on uneven terrain, helps it withstand the rigors of

575-422: The shock of footfalls to the bones rather than the tendons. This not only makes the gaits uncomfortable due to the jarring, but also increases the chance of arthritis and may shorten the animal's career. A short, upright pastern also decreases the stride length of the gait, which again makes the gait more uncomfortable and decreases the efficiency of the horse's movement (since he must take more strides per meter than

600-413: The tendons and ligaments that go down the back of the leg continue under the back of the fetlock joint, and attach to either the pastern bones or the coffin bone. When the horse puts weight on his leg, the fetlock sinks closer to the ground, which is a needed response as it helps to absorb the shock of the footfall. However, when the pasterns are too long or sloping it does not support the fetlock enough, and

625-462: Was built on the former Hollywood Park site or in a new location. Swaps was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs , New York in 1966. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine , Swaps ranks 20th. Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown winners, ♥ = Filly Pastern The pastern is a part of

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