Comely

{{Infobox racehorse | horsename = Comely | image = | caption = | sire = Disguise | grandsire = Domino | dam = Pretty Maiden | damsire = Kingston | sex = Filly | foaled = 1912 | country = United States | colour = Brown | breeder = James R. Keene | owner = James Butler | trainer = Richard C. Benson | record = 22: 7-8-3 | earnings = $17,355 | race = Fall Highweight Handicap (1914)<br>Keene Memorial Stakes (1914)<br>Laureate Stakes (1914) |awards = |honors = Comely Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack |updated= 2008-12-22 }} '''Comely''' (foaled 1912) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. She was bred by James R. Keene who sold her in a package deal to James Butler, owner of the Empire City Race Track. Butler had bought the entire 1912 crop produced by Keene's Castleton Stud.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1914121701/drf1914121701_1_3 |title=Castleton-Bred Two-Year-Olds That Won $70,000 for J. Butler |publisher=Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives |date=1914-12-17|accessdate=2020-01-06}}</ref>

==Background== Comely's sire was Disguise who raced in England for owner/breeder James R. Keene. Disguise was the winner of the 1900 Jockey Club Stakes and ran third in that year's Epsom Derby.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pedigreequery.com/comely3 |title=Comely |publisher=Select Web Ventures, LLC |date=2018-12-22 |accessdate=2018-12-22}}</ref> Both her grandsire and damsire were elected to the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/domino |title=Domino |publisher=Racingmuseum.org |date=1956-01-01 |accessdate=2018-12-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/kingston |title=Kingston |publisher=Racingmuseum.org |date=1956-01-01 |accessdate=2018-12-22}}</ref>

Comely is best remembered from her racing days for a remarkable performance as a two-year-old when she defeated older male horses to win the first running of the Fall Highweight Handicap in 1914. Going into 2019, she remains the only two-year-old to win the Fall Highweight Handicap and one of only a few two-year-olds to defeat older horses in a major stakes race.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/09/10/101722529.pdf |title=History Challenge: Comely Easy Victor In Autumn Handicap |work=New York Times |date=1914-09-10 |accessdate=2018-12-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.drf.com/news/history-challenge-comely-enjoyed-remarkable-season-1914 |title=History Challenge: Comely enjoyed remarkable season in 1914 |publisher=Daily Racing Form (DRF)|date=2014-11-21 |accessdate=2018-12-22}}</ref>

The Comely Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York is named in her honor.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule/comely/ |title=Comely Stakes |publisher=New York Racing Association (NYRA) |date=2018-11-23 |accessdate=2018-12-16 |archive-date=2018-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223124018/https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule/comely/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:1912 racehorse births Category:Racehorses bred in Kentucky Category:Racehorses trained in the United States Category:Thoroughbred family 8-c