First Landing

First Landing (1956-1987) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by Turn-To, a grandson of the great Nearco, he was out of the mare, Hildene, whose sire was the 1926 Kentucky Derby winner, Bubbling Over. Hildene was completely blind and died when First Landing was a yearling. Nicknamed "Lazy Bones", First Landing was the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt but would not achieve the same success racing at age three. In the 1959 racing seaso... more

First Landing (1956-1987) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by Turn-To, a grandson of the great Nearco, he was out of the mare, Hildene, whose sire was the 1926 Kentucky Derby winner, Bubbling Over. Hildene was completely blind and died when First Landing was a yearling. Nicknamed "Lazy Bones", First Landing was the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt but would not achieve the same success racing at age three. In the 1959 racing season, he finished second in the Wood Memorial Stakes then after winning the Derby Trial was made the betting favorite for the Kentucky Derby. However, ridden by Eddie Arcaro he finished a well-beaten third behind Sword Dancer and winner, English-bred Tomy Lee. Retired to Christopher Chenery's stud farm, First Landing sired a number of Graded stakes race winners including Jim J. (1964), Ballustrade (1965), Artfully (b.1973), Stutz Bearcat (b.1975) and his most important, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Riva Ridge who won the 1972 Kentucky Derby... less