Kelso was a great American Thoroughbred race horse . Thoroughbreds are horses whose ancestry can be traced to three Arabian stallions that were brought to England, probably from the Middle East, in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s. Stallions are male horses that can be used for breeding . Kelso was a gelding—that is, he had his male sex glands removed and thus could not breed.
From 1960 through 1964, Kelso won five consecutive United States Horse of the Year awards. No other horse in American racing history has won more than three. Kelso set nine track records and two American records. The horse won 11 consecutive races, the last 6 of 1960 and the first 5 of 1961. At his retirement in 1966, Kelso was the sport’s all-time leading money winner. Kelso was also one of the most popular race horses of the 1900’s, attracting large and enthusiastic crowds.
Kelso was born on April 7, 1957, at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky. His sire (father) was Your Host, and his dam (mother) was Maid of Flight. Kelso raced 3 times as a two-year-old in 1959, winning only the 1st race. The championship seasons began in 1960, when Kelso won 8 of 9 races. Kelso won 39 of 63 career starts with 12 second-place finishes and 2 third-place finishes. A hoof injury resulted in Kelso’s retirement in March 1966 at the age of 9. The horse then embarked on a second career as a hunter and show jumper . Kelso died on Oct. 16, 1983.
