Colins Ghost

Curlin’s win Saturday in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park puts him in prime position to repeat as Horse of the Year. Since 1936, when the Horse of the Year was officially recognized by the Daily Racing Form, seven horses have won multiple HOY titles. Here is the list:

1941/42 – Challedon
1943/44 – Whirlaway
1960/61/62/63/64 – Kelso
1972/73 – Secretariet
1974/75/76 – Forego
1978/79 – Affirmed
1995/96 – Cigar

Quite a list of champions. A second Horse of the Year award for Curlin would put him in elite company. Let’s hope he finds the new surface at Santa Anita to his liking.

Where does Curlin stand among recent champions? I would suggest Travis Stone’s interesting post on his racecalling blog: “How good is Curlin?”. I agree with him 100% that “Money is a poor variable to distinguish historical placement and significance.”

I made the trip up the turnpike on Saturday. The crowd at Belmont Park, as noted by others, was small but enthusiastic. Sure, I would like to see bigger crowds at the track but name another sport where you can pay $2 and have a front row seat to watch a superstar. I could hear Curlin’s hoofs hitting the ground as he passed Wanderin Boy in the stretch. Unbelievable!

Here are a few images from Saturday:

Check out some beautiful images of Curlin’s JCGC win by real photographers at flickr

For a full recap of the day, check out Brooklyn Backstretch

Thanks for Reading and Good Luck!

For a race fan of my age, the Breeder’s Cup has always been the event that caps off the season. Races like the Jockey Club Gold Cup are important to me because of their historical significance but I have no memory of the race in its heyday. Ask any race fan over 50 and they will tell you how the Breeder’s Cup changed the end of the racing year and relegated great races like the JCGC to the role of prep races. I believe it…but thought it might be interesting to do a little number crunching to see how the BC influenced the role of the Jockey Club Gold Cup on the Horse of the Year award.

Image: The mighty Keslo owned the Jockey Club Gold Cup on his way to 5 straight Horse of the Year titles 1960-1964. (Cover of Turf and Sport Digest, January 1963)

From 1936 until 1983, 19 of 48 winners of the JCGC went on to capture Horse of the Year honors. Here is the list of champions:

1942 – Whirlaway
1948 – Citation
1950 – Hill Prince
1951 – Counterpoint
1952 – One Count
1955 – Nashua
1959 – Sword Dancer
1960 – Kelso
1961 – Kelso
1962 – Kelso
1963 – Kelso
1964 – Kelso
1965 – Roman Brother
1966 – Buckpasser
1967 – Damascus
1969 – Arts and Letters
1974 – Forego
1979 – Affirmed
1981 – John Henry

Since the first Breeders Cup in 1984, only three winners of the JCGC have won Horse of the Year:

1995 – Cigar
2003 – Mineshaft
2007 – Curlin

In that same period, winners of the BC Classic have taken 11 of 24 Horse of the Year awards:

1987 – Ferdinand
1988 – Alysheba
1989 – Sunday Silence
1991 – Black Tie Affair
1992 – A.P. Indy
1995 – Cigar
2000 – Tiznow
2003 – Mineshaft
2004 – Ghostzapper
2005 – Saint Liam
2006 – Invasor
2007 – Curlin

Cigar and Curlin are the only horses to sweep the JCGC, BC Classic, and Horse of the Year. On Saturday, Curlin will try to become only the second horse to win the JCGC and Horse of the Year in consecutive years (Keslo, of course, was the other).

We don’t need to statistics to determine that the Breeder’s Cup has had a major impact on the Jockey Club Gold Cup. However, it is still interesting to see how the numbers back the anecdotal evidence: During a period from 1936 to 1983, 40% of JCGC winners were awarded the Horse of the Year but only 13% since the inception of the Breeders Cup. Only one horse (Mineshaft), has been awarded Horse of the Year after winning the JCGC and not running in the Breeder’s Cup (injury). Mineshaft did something that was common prior to 1983, capping off a championship season with a win in the JCGC. Curlin could do the same this year if he wins on Saturday then sits out the Breeders Cup and Big Brown flops in the Classic.

One wonders how the infusion of slot money in New York and the “tweaking” of the Breeders Cup might shift the influence back to the big race at Belmont. Now that the BC folks have broken a verbal agreement with NYRA to host the 2010 Cup, I wonder how a multi-million dollar JCGC held in early October might shake things up? As the leaders of the Breeders Cup slowly lose their mind (“Ladies” Day, plastic dirt, the Santa Anita double, high ticket prices, saddle towel fetishes) such a challenge might be welcome.

SOURCES, NOTES, OBSERVATIONS

I compiled stats beginning with 1936 because it is the first year the Horse of the Year award was made official by the Daily Racing Form. If we were to factor in all JCGC beginning in 1919 and use the unofficial HOY’s according to Thoroughbred Heritage, then 25 JCGC winners out of 65 (38%) went on to win Horse of the Year (1919-1983)

I compiled the above lists using the American Racing Manual, 2008 and, as always, I consulted Champions (DRF Press)

Another interesting tidbit: Factor the Triple Crown and other BC races into the equation and only three horses have managed to win Horse of the Year without winning a BC or Triple crown race: Criminal Type (1990), Cigar (1996), and Mineshaft (2003).

Images: Seattle Smooth (left) into the winners circle with jockey Jose Lezcano. She beat Proud Spell in the Fitz Dixon Cotillion at Philadelphia Park on Saturday. Proud Spell (right) with a visibly disappointed Gabriel Saez after the Cotillion. I am an amateur when it comes to analyzing horses in the paddock but even I could see that Proud Spell seemed uncomfortable prior to the race. Seattle Smooth on the other hand was as cool as a cucumber. Hope Larry Jones brings Proud Spell back to run in 2009. Nice to see them do the right thing and give her the rest of the year off. See more images from the Cotillion

Counting down to the big day at Belmont on Saturday. I’ll be running between the paddock and the apron all day. Hope to see you there!

Good luck and thanks for reading…

As this year’s champion three-year-old Big Brown points to what will be his final race, the inevitable questions will begin about how he measures up against horses of the past. We are most certain to hear the word “great” being tossed around in relation to Big Brown as the Breeder’s Cup draws closer. With that in mind, I thought it might be useful to take a look at Damascus’s 3-year-old season – a great campaign by any standard.

Image: Damascus on-track at Delaware Park with Frank Whiteley and Willie Davis two days after winning the Preakness. May 22, 1967 (Courtesy of the Delaware Historical Society, image 8-130)

In looking at some of the newspaper articles about Damascus in 1967, I found two of particular interest and both focus on the colt’s trainer, Frank Whiteley.

Whiteley’s reputation as gruff and difficult with members of the media is legendary. What I found fascinating about the two articles from the Washington Post is they provide details about Whiteley’s handing of Damascus during his 1967 campaign.

Damascus lost as the favorite in the 1967 Kentucky Derby but came back to win the Preakness. What caught the attention of a UPI reporter in a story published after his win at Pimlico was the handling of the great horse. Here are a few quotes from the UPI story published in the Post under this headline:

“Damascus, the unbelievably pampered Preakness winner, is a cinch to wind up with one of two titles, either Horse of the Year or the most coddled animal of the year.”

“There were times at festive, country-like old Pimlico on Saturday when the handsome temperamental 3-year-old son of Sword Dancer looked like both.

“There were also times when it was difficult remembering that he was a mere horse, because his trainer, Frank Whiteley, and everyone else connected with him treated him as if he was visiting royalty; a lot better, in fact.

“No one expects a young monarch to pop in and pay off $141,500 just like that. Damascus did, though, and maybe that is why they made such an uncommon fuss about him…

“…From here, Damascus goes on to the Belmont Stakes, where he will be shooting for his eighth victory in 11 starts. He has won seven of his last 10, finished second twice and third once, in the Derby…

“…Quite a horse this Damascus. He should be, too, the way everyone clears a path for him. Paul Revere’s horse never had it that good.”

Frank Whiteley would take his horse to New York and win the Belmont Stakes. Damascus would go from there to have, according to Steve Haskin, one of the “most incredible three-year-old seasons” he had ever seen.

Towards the end of 1967, the Washington Post reported again on Whiteley and Damascus but this time the tone had changed. The “coddled” horse became the “successfully isolated” horse who had won 12 out of 16 races including two legs of the Triple Crown, the Travers by 22 lengths, the Woodward beating Buckpasser and Dr. Fager by 10 lengths, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup in the final win of his 3-year-old season. In his last race of 1967, he lost the DC International at Laurel Park on the turf by a nose to that year’s grass champion, Fort Marcy.

The Washington Post reporter wrote just days before Damascus’ final start. Under the headline “Whiteley Proves Isolationism can Succeed”, the Post wrote this about the trainer and his champion on October 28, 1967:

“When all is right with Frank Whitley, the horse trainer, he is far from the crowd and keeping happy solitude with a horse, especially his wondersteed, Damascus…

“…As the architect of [Damascus] triumphant tour, Whiteley has sometimes made people nervous by insisting on keeping to himself. At the Preakness in May, he sheltered Damascus in his barn and refused to report to the infield saddling area until three minutes before deadline…

“…’You could spend 50 minutes in the paddock at the Preakness if you went there right away’, he explained. ‘There’s a lot of commotion, Why go there before you have to.’

“Whiteley also believes the best way to have something done is to do it himself. This was borne out in a visit with him at Belmont Park, where Damascus trained for his victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Aqueduct.

“Whiteley headquarters was Barn 16, a few yards down a soft, dirt path from the squat brick house where the late Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons used to catch his mid-morning naps.

“This was Whiteley, visible through the cool, yellow haze after-dawn, washing by hand the protective bandages for Damascus’ legs, and pulling the long white strands through the wringer of a washing machine venerable enough to have served Damascus great-grandparents.

“Whiteley also walks Damascus, pitches his stall full with fresh hay, fills his pail with sweet, new feed. ‘I make time for him’, he said and might have added, ‘with pleasure.’

“Later, Whiteley cooled his horse’s leg with water from a garden hose, Damascus stood quietly, sometimes poised with head bowed and front legs crossed as gracefully as those of a ballerina. At other moments, he stood powerfully masculine in a pose as motionless as a portrait and, all the while, the morning sun cast yellow-red tints across his bay coat.

“Beating Dr. Fager meant much to Whiteley, he conceded. ‘He had beaten me. I like to beat them all. Johnny Nerud has done a lot of talking.’

“That reference to Dr. Fager’s outspoken trainer is as strong a statement as Whiteley is likely to make. He rarely reveals emotion, and is known as the Maryland Sphinx for his brief sorties at conservation. Taciturn he is, but unfriendly he is not”

As he speaks, Whiteley often smiles and balances a cigarette and toothpick at right angles in his mouth. ‘It’s hard to say what he’d bring now on the market,’ he says, while studying Damascus. ‘It would be too much for one man to own.’

Frank Whiteley was elected to the racing Hall of Fame in 1978. He died this year at the age of 93. In his obituary trainer Shug McGaughey said of Whiteley he was “a wonderful horseman, who did it the grass-roots way, and there just aren’t that many around any more.”

In 1967, Damascus was named Horse of the Year, champion three-year-old and handicap horse. Here is his complete record for the 1967 season (click to enlarge):

Damascus raced at 4, winning 6 of 12 starts, and was retired after bowing his tendon in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at season’s end.

SOURCES, NOTES, OBSERVATIONS, etc.

“Damascus Bids for Horse of Year, Certain of Most Coddled Title,” Washington Post, May 23, 1967

“Whiteley Proves Isolationism Can Suceed,” Washington Post, October 29, 1967

The images for this article came from the Delaware Historical Society. I have used images from this collection in a previous post. The Historical Society owns a wonderful photograph collection from Delaware Park that covers a period from approximately 1947 to 1974. The collection contains some hidden treasures including the photos of Frank Whiteley and Damascus used here. I hope to share other images from the collection in future articles.

Bob Fox interviewed Frank Whiteley in 1983. The interview is available online: http://www.blogger.com/www.championsgallery.com/bobfrank.htm. It is slow to download but well worth the wait.

The idea for researching Damascus in 1967 began when reading Tales from the Triple Crown where author Steve Haskin wrote that Secretariat and Damascus had the two best three-year-old seasons he had ever seen. Haskin’s book is an essential piece of writing on the recent history of the triple crown.

Proud Spell will be in the neighborhood this weekend running in the Cotillion at Philly Park. They appear to be missing an opportunity to put some marketing muscle behind promoting her appearance. Saturday at Philly Park will be like any other day except that a champion filly will be racing – sad that only a few will notice.

Next Saturday is one of my favorite racing days of the year. Really looking forward to a trip up the turnpike for Jockey Club Gold Cup Day at Belmont Park.

Thanks for reading and good luck!