There is something unsettling about the name of Peter Pan, the 1907 Belmont Stakes winner by Commando out of Cinderella. Thinking about Cinderella giving birth to Peter Pan is the stuff that childhood nightmares are made of, and “Commando” certainly brings up rather a different image from Prince Charming.

Peter Pan’s racing career was relatively short, as he retired as a three-year-old after he bowed a tendon. “Short” in this case means 17 races, still more than the current crop of three-year-olds is likely to race by the end of this year.

He was something of a superstar during his brief time on the track, racking up a number of significant victories and garnering the attention of the press. He won stakes races at three New York tracks—Brighton Beach, Saratoga, and Belmont—and according to our venerable track scribes at the Times, each was a major event.

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