Jack Hare Jr.

Jack Hare Jr. (foaled in 1915) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1918 Preakness Stakes. Owned by Colonel W. E. Applegate, he was sired by Marathon. Jack Hare Jr. was out of the mare Moonet, a daughter of Donald A.^[1] Jack Hare Jr. will best be remembered for his stirring win in the $17,500 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland on May 15, 1918.

Early racing career

As a two-year-old, Jack Hare Jr. did very well on the race track winning a maiden race, an allowance race, the Grab Bag Stakes and Babylon Handicap all in 1917. The highlight of his freshman year was his win over War Cloud another future Preakness Stakes winner in the Nursery Stakes at Belmont Park with a winning time of 1:11-2/5 for the six furlong race.

Preakness Stakes

The 43rd running of the Preakness Stakes was run at a mile and one eighth on dirt at Pimlico Race Course on an unusual day of the week, Wednesday, May 15, 1918. The race was divided into two divisions, with Jack Hare Jr. running in the second. The first division was won by War Cloud. When the horses started, Jack Hare Jr., the 9/10 favorite, rushed straight to lead drew away by two lengths passing the stands for the first time. Rounding the club house turn he widened his lead to two and a half finishing the first half mile in :47-3/5. He continued to set a fast pace on the front end setting fractions of 1:12-3/5 and 1:39-3/5 for 3/4 and a mile. Leading comfortably by three lengths at the head of the stretch his jockey Charles Peak eased him up near the end of the race and still won by more than two lengths. The order of finish remained almost unchanged throughout the race with The Porter finishing second six lengths ahead of Kate Brite and Trompe La Mort for third and fourth. The race appears to have been run as a handicap race, with Jack Hare Jr. carrying eight pounds more than the runner-up. The winning time of 1:53.4 was 0.2 seconds faster than the first division.^[2]

Later racing career

Jack Hare Jr. continued to race the balance of the year in 1918. He won five more stakes races that year including the Wilmington Stakes, Woodberry Handicap, he won the Empire City Derby at Empire City Race Track, the Southampton Handicap at Jamaica Racetrack in New York and the Red Cross Handicap.

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