Despite Faltering at the Final Moment for the Biggest Honor, Race Horse Won Almost 200 Times the Money He Was Bought for Once

Equestrians and their rides often come agonizingly close to the finish line, and yet fall short by the barest of margins. Such is the nature of the sport of horse racing, where inches and a fraction of a second define the outcome of a race. In 1998, the then 3-year-old thoroughbred Real Quiet came that close to achieving a historic world record. Instead, ironically enough, he made the record for losing a race by the barest of margins ever. This happened when he lost the Belmont Stakes by 4 inches. Nevertheless, the champion thoroughbred earned more than $3 million in his lifetime, more than 200 times its buying price.

Real Quiet was bought for a measly $17,000 in the mid-to-late 1990s, before it was known what he was capable of. His achievements and victories earned him a place in history, despite falling short of winning the Triple Crown of America.

How Real Quiet used to dominate in all races

A tweet by Barabara Livingston shared interesting trivia about Real Quiet. It read, “A $17K purchase, REAL QUIET (L) went on to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Pimlico Special, Hollywood Gold Cup, etc., for owner Mike Pegram and trainer Bob Baffert”. As a 3-year-old horse, Real Quiet was on a blazing streak winning all the major races. This was until the 1998 Belmont Stakes arrived.

She continued, “REAL QUIET earned $3,271,802”, which is approximately 192 times more than what he was bought for i.e. $17,000. Livingston had also attached a picture of the racing horse from when he won the Pimlico Special. She wrote, “Pictured is his 1999 Pimlico Special win over Free House”. Free House came 2nd to Real Quiet at the said race by a whisker.

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He was raised in Bogota by a Colombian named Eduardo Gaviria and sold at his $17,000 price at a yearly auction by Gaviria to a certain Michael E Pegram. From there on, as a 2-year-old, he went to his trainer Bob Baffert. This is when he started winning races.

Real Quiet had the Midas touch in his prime

Real Quiet had a very slim and lean physical appearance. This narrow build gave him the edge over other competitors in sprinting. His trainer, Bob Baffert thus gave him the nickname ‘The Fish’, a creature with a lean, streamlined body. It was the jockey Kent Desormeaux who rode him to victory in 1998, Real Quiet’s brightest year. Besides the American Triple Crown wins and the Pimlico Special in 1999, the champion horse also won Hollywood Futurity in 1997 and the U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt Award in 1998, along with the Hollywood Gold Cup in 1999. The late 1990s truly belonged to Real Quiet.

Real Quiet retired after finishing his 4-year-old season, and in those 4 years, he hardly put a foot wrong. His massive earnings in winnings are a testament to his prowess. However, the only thing that might remain a slight stain on an otherwise clean career, is his loss to Victory Gallop at the Belmont Stakes 1998. It prevented him from joining an elusive list of Triple Crown winners like Secretariat, who recently received a massive honor upon the 50 years completion of his rare achievement.

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