Henbit (horse)
Henbit (28 March 1977 – 1997) was an American-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse, best known for winning the Derby in 1980. After winning one minor race as a two-year-old, he showed improved form in 1980 to win the Classic Trial Stakes and the Chester Vase. He won the Derby in a fast time but sustained a leg injury in the race which ruled him out for the rest of the year. He failed when returning as a four-year-old and was retired to stud, where he had limited success as a sire of winners. Background Henbit was a "leggy" bay horse bred in Kentucky by Helen Drake Jones, owner of Mineola Farm near Lexington. His sire was Hawaii, a South African Champion at two and three and then in the United States, the 1969 American Champion Turf Horse. Henbit's dam Chateaucreek was a daughter of the 1963 Kentucky Derby winner and American Champion Three-Year-Old Colt, Chateaugay. As a descendant of the American broodmare Some More, Chateacreek came from the branch of Thoroughbred family 3-d which also produced Dancing Brave, Lucky Debonair and Delta Blues. As a yearling, Henbit was sold for $24,000; he was owned during his racing career by Etti Plesch, who had previously won the Derby with Psidium in 1961 and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1970 with Sassafras. Henbit was trained by Dick Hern at West Ilsley and ridden in most of his races by Willie Carson. Racing career 1979: two-year-old season Henbit made his racecourse debut at Royal Ascot in June 1979, when he finished fourth behind Star Way in the six-furlong Chesham Stakes. He was off the course for three months before reappearing in a one-mile maiden race at Newbury Racecourse. He was always among the leaders in a field of twenty-five runners and won by a length from Val's Mill. On his final appearance of the season, the colt was moved up sharply in class to contest the Group One Dewhurst Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse in October. He started a 16/1 outsider and finished fourth behind Monteverdi, Tyrnavos and Romeo Romani. In their annual Racehorses of 1979, Timeform described him as a colt who was likely to show better form when tried over longer distances as a three-year-old. 1980: three-year-old season In the spring of 1980, Henbit established himself a fringe contender for the Derby by winning the Classic Trial over one and a quarter miles at Sandown. Although he defeated the Vincent O'Brien-trained Huguenot, he was offered at odds of 33/1 for the Derby, with his stable companion Water Mill being regarded as a stronger candidate. On 6 May, he won the one and a half mile Chester Vase in which he defeated Moomba Masquerade the future St Leger Stakes winner Light Cavalry. Although he did not seem entirely at ease on the tight left-handed circuit he won "very pleasingly" and his odds for Epsom were immediately cut to 16/1. In the next three weeks, Henbit attracted strong support