Foolish Pleasure was the undefeated two-year-old Champion of 1974, and including the start of his three-year-old campaign in 1975, he went undefeated in nine races. In his very first start as a two-year-old, he came very near the Hialeah track record for five furlongs, getting the distance in :59 flat...winning by five lengths. His next start, in Stakes company, he won by ten lengths.
So impressed with this rather small colt, trainers were less than enthusiastic about running against him and he began his three-year-old campaign in a betless exhibition at Hialeah Park.
After nine consecutive wins, he lost in the Florida Derby. It was discovered later that he had torn the frogs in both front feet during the race...yet he still fought on with the courage of a king. That was one of Foolish Pleasure's great assets...he was a fighter, he had a huge heart and never gave less that 110%. I loved watching him race, his face was always the same..... you could see the look of determination, he'd scrunch up his brow, pin his ears flat back and give it all he had.
One of the greatest races I ever saw was when Foolish Pleasure beat the mighty Forego in the Suburban Handicap... Forego towered over Foolish, but Foolish had the heart and when he looked Forego in the eye...he found that  something extra, and prevailed the winner.... it was awesome to see. That was the essence of Foolish Pleasure.

Foolish Pleasure was the favorite for the 1975 Kentucky Derby and he did not disappoint.  Coming out of the final turn, he split rivals and ran by Avatar and Diabolo to an easy win.  Foolish came so close to being a Triple Crown winner, finishing second in both the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. He lost the Preakness by about a length, and in a real heartbreaker, lost the Belmont by a short neck to California invader Avatar, ridden by the great Bill Shoemaker. I was working for King Ranch at the time, and we had two barns on 'Millionaire Row' and Avatar was being stabled in one of our barns.  Shoemaker was mighty confident in his mount, and they beat Foolish Pleasure by about a neck in the Belmont, but it wasn't so much Avatar being the better horse. Foolish got beat by one of the greatest jockey's of all time, riding another smart race. Fact is, had the race been another 70 yeards longer, I beleive Foolish would have had him. Even in defeat, Foolish showed his grit, his heart, his determination and courage, and he brought tears to my eyes.

It is unfortunate that so many remember him as the colt that raced with the great filly Ruffian in the "Match Race" of July, 1975. I was there. The Grandstand was overflowing with people, so I went over to the backside of Belmont's huge oval to watch the race. That first quarter mile was incredible to behold, and I could see that both horses were already fighting for the lead... Foolish got his head in front...I saw it...the filly bumped him several times, then there was the sound of a crack and it was over. Despite the anguish I felt, that everyone there felt, I can still see jockey Baeza's  face as he looked around at Ruffian, and I can still feel the sadness that took my heart as Foolish galloped around the track alone, with all eyes glued to Ruffian. I was there when they buried her beneath the infield flag pole, her nose facing the finish line. Things on the backside of Belmont Park were quiet for days after that tragedy. No one will ever know which would have won, but I believe they would have went head and head the entire distance and would have finished a nose apart.

In June 2007 a TV movie about Ruffian was aired.  Needless to say, Foolish Pleasure was portrayed in the movie, and I thought they did him justice, proclaiming him as the Champion that he was. Also, a new book about Ruffian was  out, written by the very same 'reporter' that was part of Ruffian's TV movie, William Nack.  I am going to use several direct quotes from his book describing Foolish Pleasure:
After Ruffian defeated all of her filly peers (as a 2-year-old) the question of running her against colts became paramount. This is what is said in the book: "It became clear that the one colt she had to beat -- the most talented male two-year-old in America --- was a tough, athletic, muscle-bound little dude who was as undefeated as she. His name was Foolish Pleasure.  The day after Ruffian's Spinaway Stakes win, in the Hopeful Stakes (for 2-year-old colts), Foolish Pleasure came charging off a torrid pace --- faster even than the pace that Ruffian had set (in the Spinaway) to run down the leaders and galloped on to win by four lengths"
In fact, if not for Ruffian sustaining a hairline fracture in her right hind leg, she and Foolish would have met in one the the colt premier two-year-old stakes races at Belmont Park, the Champagne Stakes. Foolish ran, and he won, by six lengths. Another notch on his belt of victories. His trainer, Leroy Jolley, then decided to give the Champ a rest. This is what he said to Bill Nack after the Champagne concerning Foolish taking a little 'vacation'.... "Even though he hasn't been hard raced, sometimes enough is enough. He's gentle and he's kind: he makes this job easy for me, and we just feel he's done enough. He could win more money this year, but he couldn't gain any more prestige than he already has. In about ten days, we'll turn him out on the farm and let him grow up to be a three-year-old"

And when he 'grew up', he was a force to be reckoned with. In Florida he started off with an easy win in an allowance race, then came powering from off the pace to take the prestigious Flamingo Stakes in the sharp time of 1:48 4/5.  Jolley admitted he didn't train him hard enough for his next outing, and he tired to finish 3rd in the Florida Derby....but came roaring back in New York's Wood Memorial. He won the Wood despite coming out of the 15 post, way out there, and lost several lengths running outside of horses around the first turn. Here is Nack's description of Foolish Pleasure after the Wood Memorial: "he had a kind of terrier courage and toughness. In a way, he was a slightly smaller version of his maternal grandsire, the great Tom Fool, and not only in his muscular good looks, but also in his tenacity and resolve". Ted Atkinson, Tom Fool's regular rider, said of his mount "when a horse came up along Tom Fool's side, challenging him, I could feel him lower himself as he dug in, and when things got real tight, I could hear him growl. Foolish Pleasure was a growler."  (as stated in my poem, he WAS a tough and gritty colt)

As for Foolish Pleasure's Triple Crown run...he should have taken it. He would have won the Preakness. Off the last turn for home he was making his usual run from off the pace and was just hitting high gear, making a winning move. Then a horse (Master Derby) drifted out into Foolish's path and Vasquez hauled Foolish to the left towards the rail to avoid a catastrophe. He was gaining ground but the wire came too fast and he finished a length out of it. Vasquez claimed a foul, but the win stood.  The track stewards don't generally change the order of finish in the classic races, so Foolish was denied winning the Preakness, although much the best horse. He was also the best in the Belmont Stakes, third jewel of the Crown...he didn't get beat that day by Avatar, he got beat by Avatar's jockey the Master, Bill Shoemaker, who rode another masterful race....and just won by a diminishing neck over the courageous little warrior.

Foolish Pleasure was bred in Florida, owned by John L Greer and trained by LeRoy Jolley. In recent years I have received emails from some of John Greer's family members to thank me for keeping the memory of the Champion alive.  His memory will always be alive because he was one of Thoroughbred racing's greatest Champions. He is buried close by, at the Horseshoe Ranch in Dayton, Wyoming. His last years were spent in peace and contentment. He was a very happy horse. His owners loved him and along with them, I will always grieve his passing before his time, but celebrate his life and the absolute joy he gave to us and the thrills he gave racing fans.
Rest in peace my friend.

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Race and Stakes Record
YEAR        AGE        STS        1st        2nd        3rd        EARNED
1974          at 2          7             7          0            0           $ 284,595
1975          at 3          11           5          4            1           $ 716,278
1976          at 4          8            4           0            2           $ 215,832

LIFETIME                26          16           0           2           $ 1,216,705
Home & Foolish Pleasure
Breezing under the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs
There have been numerous stories written about Foolish Pleasure, including his biography in the book "Thoroughbred Champions--Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century", but one stands out as the best I ever read: "Combat in his Heart" was published in the April, 1987 edition of the 'Thoroughbred Record' magazine, written by the esteemed David Dink. With  permission  I have the entire article in PDF format for you to read. It is excellent. Use this link to open the PDF and use your back button to return here:
It's been decades since Foolish Pleasure graced the race tracks of America with his presence, but he still has people, fans, that love him and cherish his memory. To that end, I dedicate these pages to one of the greatest race horses we'll ever be privileged to see. Foolish Pleasure was a Champion and my 'friend'.