Bally Ache

Bally Ache (1957–1960) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won one of the American Classics in 1960 but died shortly afterwards. In her book American Classic Pedigrees (1914–2002), author Avalyn Hunter wrote that Bally Ache was "a crowd favorite" who "won hearts by his sheer determination."

Bally Ache was bred by brothers Alan and Marvin Gaines at their Twin Oak Farm in Walton, Kentucky and sold as a yearling as part of a $5,000 two-horse deal. His purchaser was Leonard D. Fruchtman, a steel company executive from Toledo, Ohio who had a small string of horses racing under his Edgehill Farm colors.

Trained by Homer "Jimmy" Pitt, as a two-year-old, Bally Ache had an outstanding year of racing. Of his sixteen starts, he won five stakes races, set a new track record at Jamaica Racetrack for five furlongs, and finished out of the money just once. He ended the year ranked second in earnings to Bellehurst Stables' 1959 Champion Two-Year-Old, Warfare.

"Staggering price of $1,250,000"

At age three, Bally Ache was even more impressive, winning the Flamingo Stakes and Florida Derby on the way to the Triple Crown. In the Kentucky Derby, C. V. Whitney's colt Tompion, ridden by Bill Shoemaker, was coming off wins in the Santa Anita Derby and the Blue Grass Stakes and was sent off as the betting favorite. Bally Ache, under jockey Bobby Ussery, was the second choice. However, jockey Bill Hartack aboard 6:1 outsider Venetian Way, whom Bally Ache had already beaten four times, won. Despite Bally Ache's second place finish, it did not deter the Turfland racing syndicate led by Joseph L. Arnold who bought the colt for what Sports Illustrated magazine described as the "staggering price of $1,250,000." Bally Ache promptly repaid Arnold's faith with a four-length win in the 84th running of the Preakness Stakes.

Entered in the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, Bally Ache came up lame the day before the race and was withdrawn. After returning to racing, in his fourth outing he suffered a career-ending ankle injury. Scheduled to stand at stud for his owners, Bally Ache developed an intestinal ailment that led to his death on October 28, 1960. He was buried at Bosque Bonita Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. [1]

References

• Pedigree for Bally Ache
• Thoroughbred Times article on Leonard Fruchtman
• Classic Runners
• May. 09, 1960 Time magazine article, The Derby Favorites
• Sports Illustrated story on the $1.25 million sale of Bally Ache