# Oil Capitol > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Oil_Capitol > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Oil_Capitol.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_Capitol > Source revision: 1319329054 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse Oil Capitol Sire Mahmoud Grandsire Blenheim Dam Never Again II Damsire Pharos Sex Stallion Foaled 1947 Country United States Colour Gray Breeder Elmendorf Farm Owner 1) Thomas Gray & Cora M. Trotsek 2) Hasty House Farm & Cora M. Trotsek Trainer Harry Trotsek Record 80: 19-10-9 Earnings US$580,756[1] Major wins Lansing Stakes (1949) Pimlico Futurity (1949) Keeneland Sales Stakes (1949) Breeders' Futurity (1949) Everglades Stakes (1950) Flamingo Stakes (1950) Butler Handicap (1951) New Orleans Handicap (1952) Palm Beach Handicap (1953) Widener Handicap (1953) Ben Ali Stakes (1953) Arlington Handicap (1953) Awards TSD American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (1949) **Oil Capitol** (1947–1959) was an American [Thoroughbred](/source/Thoroughbred) [Champion](/source/Eclipse_Award) [racehorse](/source/Horse_racing). ## Background Oil Capitol, a dark gray colt, was bred by the [Widener family's](/source/Widener_family) [Elmendorf Farm](/source/Elmendorf_Farm) in [Fayette County, Kentucky](/source/Fayette_County%2C_Kentucky). He was sired by the [French](/source/France)-bred runner [Mahmoud](/source/Mahmoud_(horse)), the 1936 winner of [England's](/source/England) [Epsom Derby](/source/Epsom_Derby). Out of the mare Never Again II, his damsire was the very important [Pharos](/source/Pharos_(horse)), the [leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland](/source/Leading_sire_in_Great_Britain_%26_Ireland) in 1931 and the [leading sire in France](/source/Leading_sire_in_France) in 1939, who also sired the [Nearco](/source/Nearco). Oil Capitol was owned by the wife of trainer [Harry Trotsek](/source/Harry_Trotsek) in partnership with Thomas Grey of [Tulsa, Oklahoma](/source/Tulsa%2C_Oklahoma). Grey gave the colt the name, which, spelled with an "o" instead of an "a," was taken from the common reference to the city of Tulsa as the "[Oil Capital of the World](/source/Oil_Capital_of_the_World)." ## Racing career At age two, Oil Capitol had his best year in racing. Ridden by [Kenneth Church](/source/Kenneth_Church), the colt notably won the [Breeders' Futurity](/source/Breeders'_Futurity) in October [2] and the important [Pimlico Futurity](/source/Pimlico_Futurity) in [Maryland](/source/Maryland) two weeks later, beating Lots o'Luck by a head.[3] He equaled the [Keeneland](/source/Keeneland) track record for 6½ [furlongs](/source/Furlong) and was named 1949 [American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt](/source/American_Champion_Two-Year-Old_Colt) in a poll conducted by Turf and Sport Digest Magazine.[4] He lost the rival [Daily Racing Form](/source/Daily_Racing_Form) poll to [Hill Prince](/source/Hill_Prince). As a three-year-old in 1950, at [Hialeah Park Race Track](/source/Hialeah_Park_Race_Track) in [Hialeah, Florida](/source/Hialeah%2C_Florida), Oil Capitol won the [Everglades Stakes](/source/Everglades_Stakes) and the [Flamingo Stakes](/source/Flamingo_Stakes), which were important prep races for the [Kentucky Derby](/source/Kentucky_Derby). He won the latter race in front of a 28,000 crowd by six lengths in a time of 1:48.2, confirming his position as Derby favorite.[5] He then finished second in the [Blue Grass Stakes](/source/Blue_Grass_Stakes) before going on to the Derby, where he deadheated for fifth.[6] Thomas Grey sold his interest in Oil Capitol during the latter part of 1951 to Allie Reuben's [Hasty House Farm](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hasty_House_Farm&action=edit&redlink=1). The horse continued to win important races until he retired after the 1953 racing season. ## Stud record Oil Capitol met with limited success as a sire. He died on March 9, 1959, at Crown Crest Farm near [Lexington, Kentucky](/source/Lexington%2C_Kentucky), from [enterolith](/source/Enterolith). ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Oil Capitol's pedigree and partial racing stats"](http://www.pedigreequery.com/oil+capitol). Pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Reading Eagle - Google News Archive Search"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y7whAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s5wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6898,1770716&dq=oil-capitol+futurity&hl=en). *google.com*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xTFJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hAgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2191,1116408&dq=oil-capitol+futurity&hl=en](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xTFJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hAgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2191,1116408&dq=oil-capitol+futurity&hl=en) [*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Coaltown is named "Horse of the Year""](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OK40AAAAIBAJ&sjid=RoUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=921,2144802&dq=oil-capitol&hl=en). Schenectady Gazette. 14 December 1949. Retrieved 2012-04-26. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Youngstown Vindicator - Google News Archive Search"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vo5IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=24MMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1092,785505&dq=oil+capitol+flamingo&hl=en). *google.com*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Oil Capitol and the 1950 Kentucky Derby"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060523225433/http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2005/derby_history/derby_charts/years/1950.html). Kentuckyderby.com. Archived from [the original](https://www.kentuckyderby.com/2005/derby_history/derby_charts/years/1950.html) on 2006-05-23. Retrieved 2011-12-14. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Oil Capitol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_Capitol) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_Capitol?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.