View source for Capot

{{Short description|American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse}}

{{Infobox racehorse
| horsename = Capot
| image = 
| caption = 
| sire = [[Menow]]
| grandsire = [[Pharamond (horse)|Pharamond]]
| dam = Piquet
| damsire = St. Germans
| sex = [[Stallion (horse)|Stallion]]
| foaled = 1946
| country = [[United States]]
| colour = [[Brown (color)|Brown]]
| breeder = [[Greentree Stable]]
| owner = [[Greentree Stable]]
| trainer = [[John M. Gaver Sr.]]
| record = 28: 12–4–7 
| earnings = $345,260
| race = [[Champagne Stakes (United States)|Champagne Stakes]] (1948)<br />[[Pimlico Futurity]] (1948)<br />[[Jerome Handicap]] (1949)<br />[[Pimlico Special]] (1949)<br />[[Sysonby Handicap]] (1949)<br />[[Wilson Stakes]] (1950)<p>'''[[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)|Triple Crown Race]] wins:'''<br>[[Preakness Stakes]] (1949)<br>[[Belmont Stakes]] (1949)</p>
|awards= [[Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse|U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt]] (1949)<br>[[Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year|DRF United States Horse of the Year]] (1949)
|honours = [[Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum|Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame]] (1977) 
|updated = 
}}
'''Capot''' (1946–1974) was an American [[Thoroughbred]] [[racehorse]] [[Father|sired]] by Menow out of the mare Piquet. Owned and bred by [[Greentree Stable]], Capot was trained by [[John M. Gaver, Sr.]]

== Two-year-old season ==

Racing as a two-year-old, Capot won the [[Champagne Stakes (USA)|Champagne Stakes]] and the Wakefield Stakes. He capped off the year with his best performance in the prestigious [[Pimlico Futurity]].

== Three-year-old season ==

At age three, Capot entered the 1949 [[Kentucky Derby]] as a 13&ndash;1 longshot. Ridden by [[Ted Atkinson]] in all the [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing|American Triple Crown]] races, Capot broke from the gate well and was forwardly placed early. He charged to the front of the field on the backstretch and held on willingly  but was unable to withstand the rush from winner [[Ponder (horse)|Ponder]]. Easily the best of the rest, he  finished second, {{frac|4|1|2}} lengths in front of [[Palestinian (horse)|Palestinian]].

Then, in the second jewel of the Triple Crown, Capot opened as the 2.5&ndash;1 second favorite in the field of ten in the $75,000 [[Preakness Stakes|Preakness]]. In that race, all broke well, and Capot sprinted near the lead in second as he passed the stands for the first time. Going into Pimlico's famous clubhouse turn, he was steadied in close quarters but held his position. Just inside the furlong pole coming down the lane, Capot assumed control and drew clear under pressure to stave off the rally of Palestinian and win by a head. It was three more lengths back to Noble Impulse in third,  as favorite Ponder finished fifth. Capot won the [[Belmont Stakes]] three weeks later. His performances earned him 1949's [[Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse|Three-Year-Old Male Champion]] honors. He was also named the 1949 [[Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year|Horse of the Year]] by the ''[[Daily Racing Form]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iHgbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Xk0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5654,4215464&dq=capot+horse-of-the-year&hl=en |title= Capot chosen "Horse of Year"|newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |date=1949-11-27 |access-date=2012-02-27}}</ref> but lost the ''Turf and Sport Digest'' poll to [[Coaltown]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19491214&id=OK40AAAAIBAJ&sjid=RoUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=921,2144802 |title=Coaltown is named "Horse of the Year" |newspaper=Schenectady Gazette |date=1949-12-14 |access-date=2012-02-26}}</ref>

== Four-year-old season ==

At age four, Capot won major stakes races including the 1950 [[Pimlico Special]] Handicap at "Old Hilltop" in [[Baltimore, Maryland]]. He is one of only four horses to win both of Maryland's top races in the Preakness Stakes and the Pimlico Special. The others were Triple Crown winners: [[Citation]], [[Assault]] and [[Whirlaway]]. Later that year, Capot also won the Wilson Stakes and finished third in the [[Fleetwing Handicap]] to winner [[Sheilas Reward]] who broke the [[Glossary of North American horse racing#track record/course record|track record]] for six furlongs.

==Breeding==
{{Pedigree
|name = Capot
|f = [[Menow]]
bay  1935
|m = Piquet
black  1937
|ff = [[Pharamond (horse)|Pharamond]]
brown  1925
|fm = [[Alcibiades (horse)|Alcibiades]]
ch.  1927
|mf = St. Germans 
bay 1921
|mm = Parry
brown 1929
|fff = [[Phalaris (horse)|Phalaris]]
|ffm = Selene
|fmf = Supremus
|fmm = Regal Roman
|mff = [[Swynford (horse)|Swynford]]
|mfm = Hamoaze
|mmf = [[Peter Pan (American horse)|Peter Pan]]
|mmm = Fair Feint
|ffff = [[Polymelus]]
|fffm = Bromus
|ffmf = Chaucer
|ffmm = Serenissima
|fmff = Ultimus
|fmfm = Mandy Hamilton
|fmmf = Roi Herode
|fmmm = Lady Cicero
|mfff = John O'Gaunt
|mffm = [[Canterbury Pilgrim]]
|mfmf = Torpoint
|mfmm = Maid of the Mist
|mmff = [[Commando (horse)|Commando]]
|mmfm = Cinderella
|mmmf = [[Fair Play (horse)|Fair Play]]
|mmmm = Felicity
|}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/capot Capot's pedigree and racing stats]

{{Preakness Stakes Winners}}
{{Belmont Stakes Winners}}
{{American Horse of the Year winners}}
[[Category:1946 racehorse births]]
[[Category:1974 racehorse deaths]]
[[Category:Whitney racehorses]]
[[Category:Racehorses bred in the United States]]
[[Category:Racehorses trained in the United States]]
[[Category:Preakness Stakes winners]]
[[Category:Belmont Stakes winners]]
[[Category:American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year]]
[[Category:Thoroughbred family 5-f]]