Apollo (horse)  Apollo (1879–1887) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the winner of the 1882 Kentucky Derby. He was the only horse to have won the Derby without racing at age two, until the 2018 Kentucky Derby, when Justify equalled the achievement. He then went on to race 21 times at age three, 30 times at age four and 4 times at age five, winning a total of 24 races. Apollo was bred by Daniel Swigert, who subsequently founded Elmendorf Farm. Apollo's dam was Rebecca T. Price, who had earlier produced stakes-winner Mahlstick. At the advanced age of 20, Rebecca T. Price was bred to two stallions, Ashstead and Lever. Her resulting foal of 1879 was a chestnut colt, subsequently gelded, with a white sock on his left hind leg. As DNA testing was not available at the time, his paternity was typically listed with both stallions named. The pedigree available on Equineline.com, run by The Jockey Club, shows Ashstead as the sire. However, Apollo was said to resemble Lever's sire, Lexington, more closely, leading to the common belief that Lever was Apollo's sire. Originally trained for Swigert by Henry Brown, Apollo was injured as a two-year-old. He was then sold to trainer Green B. Morris and his partner James Patton for $1,200. Unraced at age two, Apollo made his first three starts as a three-year-old in April 1882 in New Orleans. He finished second in his first start on April 11 in the Pickwick Stakes, run at a distance of miles. He then finished second in a couple of one-mile heats a week later. On April 26, he broke his maiden in the Cottrill Stakes over a distance of miles. On May 16, Apollo entered the 1882 Kentucky Derby, then run at a distance of miles, as part of a field of fourteen. The 4-5 favorite was Runnymede, a multiple stakes winner, while Apollo was grouped with two other horses as a field entry at 10-1. Apollo broke near the back of the pack but worked his way up to sixth after a mile. Runnymede was in third, positioned on the outside to avoid traffic. Turning into the stretch, Runnymede made his move and took the lead in deep stretch, looking the likely winner.