Sponsored by:
Charlatan winning the Malibu by 4 1/2 lengths under Mike Smith
Chestnut coats are not the most common color in the Thoroughbred. Bay, and then dark bay or brown, far outnumber the red-headed wunderkind of the breed, and yet for some reason, there are a considerable number of very high-class racers who are chestnuts. Man o War, as well as Triple Crown winners Sir Barton, Omaha, Whirlaway, Assault, Secretariat, and Justify, to name that few, stand out as superb racers with a chestnut coat.
Racing at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 was swept with a flood of three chestnuts getting their first Grade 1 victories. The most famous of these was Charlatan (by Speightstown), who won a division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on May 2, only to have that prestigious prize removed from his record following the discovery of lidocaine in his system after a routine post-race test.