Little Current
The 1974 classic winner and champion is remembered
Text and photos by F. Kevin Grace
On the morning of Sunday, January 19 , 2003 at 5: 00 a. m., Washington state 
lost one of its most famous 
residents. At the age of 32, Little Current, a living treasure to American horse 
racing, died as the result of 
colic. He was the oldest living winner of a classic - two of them, as a matter 
of fact. You may remember 
him thundering past his rivals, to bury the 13-horse field with ease and win the 
99th running of the 1974 
Preakness Stakes-Gl by seven lengths. His stretch run captivated the roaring 
crowd. Not only was this feat 
duplicated in the Belmont Stakes-Gl three weeks later, but he ran the final 
quarter and half mile faster than 
Secretariat!
At the end of 1974 Little Current was named champion three-year-old colt of his 
generation. Little Current 
raced for his breeder John W. Galbreath and his Darby Dan Farm. Galbreath, a 
real-estate developer and 
former owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was the first man to breed and race 
winners of both the Kentucky 
and English Derbies. Both Proud Clarion (1967) and Chateaugay (1963) won the 
Kentucky classic, while 
Galbreath's Roberto won the 1972 English Derby-Gl.
The Campaign
At two, Little Current was lightly raced. Under the guidance of trainer Lou 
Rondinello the colt prepared for 
his sophomore campaign in Florida. His first victory at three would come in the 
1 1/8 miles Everglades 
Stakes-02 at Hialeah Park.
Early in his career, Little Current was ridden by Hall of Famer, Angel Cordero, 
Jr., but before the Kentucky 
Derby, Cordero was asked to ride Cannonade by trainer Woody
Stephens. Bobby Ussery, who had been aboard Proud Clarion seven years before, 
was then named to 
partner Little Current. Things were further complicated when several days before 
the Derby, Rondinello 
was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery to remove kidney stones and had 
to view the race on his 
hospital room television.
If not for an overcrowded field of 23 horses in the 100th running of the 
Kentucky Derby at Churchill 
Downs (the biggest field ever) that year, Little Current seemed destined to win. 
Little Current went off at 
13-to-one odds. Due to his late rallying charge style, he and Ussery ran into 
traffic problems several times 
while making his move. Coming down the stretch he passed 15 horses and finished 
6 1/2 lengths behind the 
winner, Cannonade, ridden by Cordero.
Miguel Rivera was named Little Current's new rider for the Preakness. In the 
Derby, Rivera had been 
committed to ride the Wood Memorial Stakes-Gl winner, Rube the Great. Speaking 
by phone recently to 
Rivera, who is now a trainer at Calder Race Course, he said, "I wanted to ride 
Little Current in the Derby 
because he had the best ability of the two horses, but I was already committed. 
Bobby Ussery didn't know 
him (Little Current) too well. " Rivera had ridden Little Current to a fourth 
place finish in the Bluegrass 
Stakes-
Gl in April. "The reason why we didn't win the Bluegrass was because I moved him 
too soon, " recalled 
Rivera. Reunited with Rivera, he avenged the Derby loss with memorable victories 
in the final two classics.
On May 18, 1974, a crowd of 54, 911 turned out at Pimlico Race Course in 
Baltimore to watch one of the 
most impressive runnings of the Preakness Stakes. Under the control of Rivera, 
Little Current made a 
daring move on the inside rail through a small opening to get by the wall of 12 
horses impeding his way. 
He then drew away from the field with a tap of the whip to win the race in 1: 54 
3/5, the third fastest 
Preakness at that time. The field looked as if it had stopped as he accelerated 
toward the finish line. Rivera 
stated, "I had no place to go but on the rail and decided to go through. The 
horse would do everything that 
you asked, when asked to run he would always respond. " With this victory Little 
Current achieved 
something that Chateaugay and Proud Clarion had not done for Darby Dan Farm. He 
won the middle jewel 
of the Triple Crown, and by seven lengths.
Three weeks later Little Current would win the 106th running of the Belmont 
Stakes by the same margin. 
He went off as a 3-2 favorite choice in the 12 furlong classic. He was at one 
point last by 12 lengths, but 
drew away on the outside and exploded toward the finish line. The final time of 
2: 29 1/5 was witnessed by 
a crowd of 52, 564.
Ben Feliciano, Sr., now a jockey agent on the Maryland racing circuit was the 
jockey aboard second place 
finisher Jolly Johu. He recalled the race. "At the l/8th pole I thought I had 
the race won and all of a sudden 
I see Little Current blow by me. "
With his victory in the Belmont, he joined other 20th century runners Man o' 
War, Pillory, Bimelech, 
Capot, Damascus, Nashua and Native Dancer, all who achieved victories in the 
final two legs of the Triple 
Crown. Risen Star, Hansel, Tabasco Cat and Point Given later added their names 
to the list.
After almost two months of rest, Little Current's next race was the $100, 000 
Monmouth Invitational 
Handicap-Gl. Competing in a field of 10 horses, Little Current carried 127 
pounds. He lost by a nose to 
Holding Pattern, who carried only 117 pounds in the 1 1/8 miles contest. He 
would face that nemesis again 
in the Travers Stakes-Gl. The result would be the same, this time he conceded 
five pounds and lost by a 
head on a muddy surface at the 10 furlong distance. Little Current's last race 
turned out to be the Lawrence 
Realization Stakes-G2 on August 31. This race was to be a tune-up for the Prix 
de 1'Arc de Triomphe-Gl in 
France. It turned out to be his first and last turf race as he suffered a bone 
chip in his right front ankle while 
running on the soft course.
Rivera stated, "He was the best horse that I ever rode. He deserves to be in the 
Racing Hall of Fame. "
Little Current finished his racing career with a record of four wins in 16 
starts and earned $354, 704. He 
had been syndicated for $4, 000, 000 before the Travers.
Darby Dan
Little Current was foaled at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, on April 5, 
1971. He later returned 
to stand his first 15 years at stud at his birthplace.
Little Current's pedigree was a classy one. His sire *Sea-Bird was considered 
one of Europe's greatest 
runners. The grandson of Native Dancer won the 1965 English Derby and Prix de 
1'Arc de Triomphe as a 
three-year-old and was named champion of his division and horse of the year in 
both England and France. 
His race record was an impressive seven wins from eight starts. *Sea-Bird, who 
sired 33 stakes winners, 
was later leased for $ 1, 500, 000 to stand at Darby Dan Farm in 1966. Little 
Current was his best progeny 
in North America. Little Current's dam, Luiana, a daughter of English classic 
winner *My Babu and half-
sister to Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes victor Chateaugay, was unraced.
It was because of Little Current's bloodlines that he received a visit in 1984 
at Darby Dan Farm from Queen 
Elizabeth of England, who had earlier sent a few of her mares to him. Excellence 
does have its advantages!
Doug Arnold, with the help of Gal-breath's grandson John Phillips, purchased the 
chestnut stallion and 
moved him to his Kentucky farm in 1989. Little Current stood at Arnold Farm for 
four years and had a full 
book of about 40 mares each year.
"He was like an Arabian steed, a notch above the others, like Muhammad Ali. He 
was the most intelligent 
horse that I have ever had, but he only allowed you to do things on his terms, " 
said Arnold. Arnold recalled 
that on several occasions the only way to catch Little Current in his paddock 
was to bring a mare in heat to 
the fence. "I owe a lot to Little Current, " said Arnold. "He was my first 
stallion and gave me my start. "
Away from the Madding Crowd
In 1994, Sonny Oechsner purchased Little Current for the state breeding program 
in Louisiana. The classic 
winner was later sold to Drs. Mark and Ann Hansen in 1995, with the stipulation 
that when Little Current 
passed away, he would be buried at Arnold Farm.
Far from the Triple Crown races of 29 years ago, Little Current lived his last 
eight years at the Hansens' 
Pacific Equine Clinic near Monroe, Washington. The town of Monroe is nestled 
near the scenic Cascade 
Mountains and surrounded by peaceful pastures and rolling hills - a perfect 
retirement setting. Little 
Current spent his twilight years owned and cared for by veterinarian couple. Due 
to their dedication and 
vast knowledge in equine veterinary medicine, Little Current was an ageless 
wonder.
Ann fondly recalls first meeting Little Current in 1990. "I got chills standing 
next to him, " she said. "He 
was very impressive, muscular and full of fire. " During his later years, Little 
Current, whom the Hansens 
affectionately called L. C., may not have been as muscular, but he still had an 
aura about him. "He was still 
frisky enough to buck and leap from time to time when turned out, "
Ann said. "If L. C. were human he would be like a boy pulling on a girl's 
ponytail. When you were cleaning 
his stall, he would stand in inconvenient places purposely and block you against 
the wall. " "He would pin 
his ears and glare at you if you brought his hay before the bran mash, " she 
continued. "He was ornery 
enough to pretend that he swallowed his worming medicine and then spit it out in 
the back of the stall, so 
we'd add it to his food. " Her husband Mark added, "L. C. was pensioned (from 
stud duties) in 1997, but 
still had an eye for the mares. "
After moving to Washington, Little Current sired only a few foals. The last of 
Little Current's progeny are 
Current Sea, a chestnut gelding who possesses the striking looks of his sire, 
and the distaffer Experienced 
Gamble, who is owned by the Hansens. From his 21 crops, he had 533 foals, of 
which 435 were starters 
and 327 became winners. He sired 35 stakes winners with combined earnings of 
$15, 394, 739. Among his 
notable offspring are 1983 Flamingo Stakes-Gl winner Current Hope, 1979 
Hollywood Oaks-G1 winner 
Prize Spot and multi-stakes winner Curribot. His daughters have produced 37 
additional stakes winners.
Galbreath had named Little Current after a small town located on the northern 
tip of Manitoulin Island in 
Ontario, Canada, where he had a summer retreat. In the summer of 1974 he 
received a key to the town, in 
honor of the horse who put it on "the map. " This summer the town will dedicate 
a statue to Little Current.
For racing aficionados, Little Current signifies magnificence. To appreciate the 
longevity of Little Current 
you must flash back to the events of his classic year in 1974. Henry Aaron 
became the baseball home run 
king, President Richard Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal and Muhammad 
Ali regained his 
heavyweight title back in the "Rumble in the Jungle" fight against George 
Foreman.
Having the opportunity to meet this legend of racing was an honor, and seeing 
how he won the classics was 
simply breathtaking. My only wish is that he could be cloned so the racing world 
would have another 32 
years to enjoy him. The only thing missing from his illustrious career is an 
induction to the National Racing 
Hall of Fame.
Little Current now lays buried in Versailles, Kentucky, at Doug Arnold's current 
farm, Buck Pond. A 
ceremony was to be held during this year's Kentucky Derby week to dedicate his 
headstone and the horse 
statue at his grave site.
To learn more about this great champion go to the Web site dedicated to him: 
www. littlecurrent. net.  •
F. Kevin Grace is a Baltimore-based freelance writer, who works for the Maryland 
Racing Commission and 
is lobbying for Little Current to be elected to the National Racing Hall of 
Fame.
May 2003
513