Equine Heroes: Exterminator

Exterminator, One of the Greatest

Old Bones the Wonder Horse
In the spring of 1915, a chestnut colt was foaled at Almahurst Farm in Kentucky. His daddy was McGee, the sire of Donerail, who won the 1913 Kentucky Derby. The lanky chestnut colt would live up to his heritage and more.

He was bought for $1,500 at a yearling sale by J. Cal Milam, who trained his horses himself. Exterminator grew very fast, and at age two was already 16.3 hands, very tall and a little awkward sometimes. He won his first race at Latonia in Kentucky, and then raced in Canada three more times as a two year old, winning one of those races and coming in fourth in the other two. He sprained a muscle in the last race, and was given some time off to heal and grow. Mr. Milam nominated him for the Kentucky Derby.

The next year, Willis Sharpe Kilmer bought the horse for $12,000, which was a fair amount of money in those days, to help his Derby hopeful Sun Briar in workouts. Exterminator was supposed to stay just behind Sun Briar to urge him to run faster. Mr. Kilmer didn't think much of Exterminator, who by this time was 17 hands tall and rather thin. He was not much to look at, sort of like a teenager in an awkward stage. In the short-distance workouts with the favored Sun Briar, he was always held back -- it was his job. Mr. Kilmer called Exterminator "that truck horse", and thought he had paid way too much for him.

Then, as Sun Briar got into condition, he and Exterminator ran a longer workout, and, even though he was being held back Exterminator ran easily alongside Sun Briar. And then, the worst happened -- Sun Briar was hurt in a workout. Now Mr. Kilmer had no horse to run in the Kentucky Derby except Exterminator. He didn't think the horse had a chance, but decided to run him anyway at the urging of Colonel Matt Winn, president of Churchill Downs, who had watched several of his workouts with Sun Briar and liked the horse.

It rained heavily the morning of the Kentucky Derby. The track was muddy and deep. Exterminator hadn't had a race since he was two years old. They bet against him at 30 to 1. Exterminator was in the back of the pack until they neared the turn for home. He picked up the pace and flew down the track passing one horse after another. As he neared the wire he never lost his drive, relentlessly passing Escoba, the last horse between Exterminator and the roses. He won the Derby by a length!

Exterminator went on to win many races in a long career, averaging a 50% win rate. He was beloved by all racing fans, and eventually retired to a life of ease at pasture with his faithful companion, a pony named Peanuts.

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