Best Turn

Best Turn (May 7, 1966–February 10, 1984) was an American-bred thoroughbred racehorse and Classic Chef-de-race sire.

Background
Best Turn was a dark bay or brown stallion bred and owned by the famous Calumet Farm.

Best Turn's sire, Turn-to, was a high-class racehorse, despite an abbreviated career on the track in which he won the Garden State Stakes, Saratoga Special, and Flamingo Stakes. He became a noted sire.

Best Turn was the first of his dam Sweet Clementine's four foals, and the most successful on the racetrack. Sweet Clementine had won one of her six starts for Calumet. Her dam and Best Turn's second dam was Miz Clementine, who won multiple stakes races and was a full sister to champion racer Two Lea.

Best Turn was very large (up to 17.3 hands). He was sickle-hocked behind and pigeon-toed in front. Due to his large size, he had difficulty in close quarters and ran best when able to get an open track on the outside.

Racing career
Best Turn was a decent racehorse, although he wasn't of the highest class. As a three-year-old, he won the Saranac Handicap at Belmont Park and ran second in the Patriot Stakes.

Best Turn's best year was a four-year-old, during which he turned in a campaign that included wins in the John B. Campbell Handicap, Vosburgh Handicap, Paumonok Handicap, and Queens County Handicap as well as a second-place finish in the Carter Handicap.

Best Turn's four-year-old season concluded with three consecutive wins, in which he won the Vosburgh Handicap on October 24 and Queens County Handicap on November 14, with an additional allowance race win in between. He came from behind in the Queens County Handicap, running in tenth place a half-mile into the race and moving up to third at the head of the stretch. In winning the Queens County Handicap, Best Turn injured a foot, leading to his retirement from racing.

Stud career
Best Turn retired to stand stud at Calumet Farm, where he enjoyed considerable success as a sire, peaking at ninth on the American sire list in 1979. He sired 346 foals, including 35 black-type winners (10.1%). His AEI was 2.81. As a broodmare sire, he sired 136 dams of 890 foals, including 33 black-type winners (3.7%), with an AEI of 1.28.

Best Turn also was a successful sport horse sire.

Best Turn died in February, 1984. He was euthanized due to complications from foot surgery. Best Turn was buried at Calumet Farm, along with his dam, Sweet Clementine.

By 2015, Best Turn's sire line was effectively extinct.

Best Turn was named a Classic Chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system.

Notable progeny

 * Cox's Ridge, winner of the Metropolitan Handicap, Suburban Handicap, and Excelsior Handicap; noted sire
 * Davona Dale, winner of the New York Triple Tiara, Kentucky Oaks, Fantasy Stakes, etc.; Hall of Fame member

Pedigree
Best Turn is inbred 4S × 4D to Pharos, meaning Pharos appears in the fourth generation on both the sire and dam's side of the pedigree. Gun Runner is also inbred to Plucky Liege 4S × 5D and Gainsborough 5S × 5D.