Swaps (horse)

American bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Swaps (March 1, 1952 – November 3, 1972) was a California bred American thoroughbred racehorse. He won the Kentucky Derby in 1955 and was named United States Horse of the Year in the following year. He was known as the "California Comet," and occasionally with affection, due to his wins despite numerous injuries and treatments, the "California Cripple."

Swaps was a chestnut horse bred and owned by Rex Ellsworth. He was trained throughout his racing career by Mesh Tenney. He was the son of Khaled, a stallion imported from the Aga Khan's stud in Europe. His dam Iron Reward was a half sister of the Kentucky Derby winner Iron Liege.

Trained by Mesh Tenney (who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991), bred and owned by the once cowhand Rex Ellsworth, Swaps won his first 1955 start, the San Vicente Stakes. In May 1955, he won the Kentucky Derby under jockey Willie Shoemaker, beating the heavily favored east coast star, Belair's Nashua, under Eddie Arcaro. Arcaro was quoted before the race that Summer Tan was the primary threat, which manifested the east–west division between the Swaps Nashua camps. This rivalry culminated in a famous match race later that year. Nashua followed up the Derby with wins in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in which Swaps did not compete because a split hoof wall in his right forefoot, incurred in January, had inflamed again. Arcaro's tactic forced Shoemaker with Swaps to get the worst of the poor footing. Nashua drew clear in the stretch to win easily. Nashua went on to earn 1955 U. S. Horse of the Year honors. and topping a similar poll organized by Triangle Publications. William H. P. Robertson wrote in his "History of Thoroughbred Racing in America" that Swaps "entered stud with the largest collection of recognized world records (five) in history, and a lifetime performance summary, as follows: 25 starts, 19 wins, two seconds, two thirds, earnings of $848,900."

In October, while training for the Washington, D. C. International at Garden State Park, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, he fractured his leg in two places in his left rear cannon bone, then a week later banged his leg in his stall, breaking his cast, and extending the fractures into his pastern joint. In November 1956, despite losing 300 pounds during the ordeal,

A bronze of Swaps with jockey Bill Shoemaker was dedicated July 1, 1958. Its design and setting was created by Millard Sheets and the sculpture by Albert Stewart. The statue stood at the Hollywood Park Racetrack Clubhouse entrance gardens from 1958 until the closing of Hollywood Park in 2014 and is currently in storage awaiting placement near SoFi Stadium which was built on the former Hollywood Park site or in a new location. Swaps was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1966. In the list of the top 100 U. S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood Horse magazine, Swaps ranks 20th.