Hoist The Flag was a dark-coated bay horse with a small white star,[1] bred by New York City Investment banker, John Schiff.
Hoist The Flag finished first by several lengths in each of his four starts but in the Champagne Stakes was disqualified from first and set back to last for interference during the early stages of the race.
Following a five furlong workout, the colt took a misstep and broke his right hind leg in two places, suffering a shattered pastern and a fractured cannon bone that ended his racing career and put his life in jeopardy.
Veterinary Surgeons performed a bone graft, using screws and metal plates to secure the breaks then created the first ever fiberglass cast to wrap around the horse's leg.
[4] While Hoist The Flag eventually recovered, in 2006, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro would suffer a very similar injury but following surgery developed laminitis and had to be euthanized.
In a 2004 televised interview, jockey Jean Cruguet, perhaps best known for his Triple Crown victory on Seattle Slew, said Hoist The Flag was the best horse he ever rode.
If he hadn't broke down (early in his three-year-old season but eventually saved for stud duties), Hoist the Flag would have been 1-9 to win the Triple Crown.