Arts and Letters (1966–1998) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.
Owned and bred by American sportsman and noted philanthropist Paul Mellon, and trained by future Hall of Famer Elliott Burch, the colt began racing at age two. He won two of his six starts in 1968, then at age three won two important Kentucky Derby prep races before finishing second in both the Derby and the Preakness Stakes to the undefeated California colt Majestic Prince.
He carried the well-known colors of dark grey, yellow braids, sleeves, and cap. Arts and Letters came back to win the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes, after which second-place finisher Majestic Prince was retired due to injury. Arts and Letters went on to win several more important races in 1969, and was voted three major awards, including the most prestigious: American Horse of the Year.
At age four, Arts and Letters won one of three races. His career ended after he suffered an injury in the Californian Stakes.
Read more about Arts And Letters: Legacy
Famous quotes containing the words arts and, arts and/or letters:
“No performance is worth loss of geniality. ‘Tis a cruel price we pay for certain fancy goods called fine arts and philosophy.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“One man cannot practice many arts with success.”
—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)
“How do we know, then, when a code’s been cracked? ... when we are right? ... when do we know if we have even received a message? Why, naturally, when, upon one set of substitutions, sense emerges like the outline under a rubbing; when a single tentative construal leads to several; when all the sullen letters of the code cry TEAM! after YEA! has been, by several hands, uncovered.”
—William Gass (b. 1924)