The history of American horse racing

 

I eagerly await the Apple Blossom stakes race at OaklawnPark. I am a fan of the beautiful mare Zenyatta. (When talk of the best female in current horse racing is brought up, I proudly tout my opinions of Zenyatta, even when the popular favorite is Rachel Alexandra.) The bell rings and the gates open. The horses burst forth, each with a certain confidence. Zenyatta is dead last. Past the turn and into the homestretch she gracefully and with great speed springs to the front of the pack. She wins by a full length. A smile spreads across my face and I can feel tears in my eyes. Afterwards her trainer John Shirreffs is interviewed. He states, “I can't believe it. She is a great, great filly. She is all heart. The way the crowd took to her was just amazing. They cheered for her, they clapped for her. They love her. What a wonderful relationship.” Racehorses have captured the heart of the American people throughout American history. I would like to touch on the history of the sport and the horses whose names are etched in the American mind.

In 1665, the first racetrack was constructed on Long Island. The American Stud Book was started in 1868, which prompted the beginning of organized horseracing. There were 314 tracks operating in the United States by 1890 and in 1894 the American Jockey Club was formed. One of the oldest and most famous races in America is the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby is also known as “The Run for the Roses” and is held at Churchill Downs. The inaugural one and ¼-mile race was run on May 17^th, 1875 (3). The race is limited to three year olds and is a showcase of some of the best talent in the thoroughbred world. The Kentucky Derby is the first race in the Triple Crown. Since 1931 the Triple Crown consists of three races scheduled two weeks apart from each other. The second race in the series is the Preakness, held at Pimlico in Maryland, and the third race is held at BelmontPark in New York. The first winner of the Kentucky Derby was a colt named Aristides. The first filly to win the race was in 1915 by the name of Regret. The fastest time ever run in the Derby (at its present distance) was set in 1973 at 1 minute 59 2/5 seconds when Secretariat broke the record set by Northern Dancer in 1964. Not only has Secretariat's record time stood for 35 years and counting, but in the race itself, he did something unique in Triple Crown races: each successive quarter, his times were faster. The second sub-two minute time was recorded by Sham, two-fifths of a second behind Secretariat in the same race. Another sub-two minute finish, only the third, was set in 2001 by Monarchos at 1:59.97.

The first Preakness, held on May 27, 1873, drew seven starters. John Chamberlain's three-year-old, Survivor, collected the $2,050 winning purse by galloping home easily by 10 lengths. The Preakness is also known as the “Run for the Black-eyed Susan”. The black-eyed susan is the official state flower of Maryland. The irony is that no black-eyed susan has ever been used in the wreath that is placed around the winner’s neck because they aren’t in bloom at that time of year.

The Belmont Stakes, the final and most demanding leg of the Triple Crown, is named after August Belmont who had been a leading banker and racing man of the 19th century. He was also the first President of the Jockey Club in 1867. In 1869, August Belmont took first and second money with his own Fenian and Glenelg.

Only eleven horses have won the elusive Triple Crown. The grueling schedule of three races in 5 weeks at longer distances than most have run previously in their careers is probably the most difficult task any horse will face in his racing career. Affirmed in 1978 still remains the last Triple Crown winner. Sadly, the last Triple Crown winner left alive, Seattle Slew, passed away on May 7, 2002. Several horses have come close in recent years, winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness only to fail in the Belmont Stakes. Many thought Big Brown was a cinch to finally break the drought in 2008, but a bad hoof, and perhaps all the pressure to win, led to his debacle in the Belmont Stakes, pulling up in the turn and being eased while long shot Da'Tara won.

The Breeder’s Cup is a race held every year that hosts the best talent from all over the world. It is the “pro-bowl” of horse racing. Since the inaugural running at Hollywood Park 26 years ago, the Breeders’ Cup has established itself as the season-ending championship of thoroughbred racing. It is now firmly entrenched in American racing lore with a history and tradition all its own. The multimillion-dollar event has been a magnet for the most outstanding equine competitors in the world. American champions such as Azeri, A.P. Indy, Alysheba, Cigar, Curlin, Personal Ensign, Ferdinand, Sunday Silence, Zenyatta and countless others have demonstrated greatness at the Breeders’ Cup. (LoneStarPark in Grand Prairie, Texas was the host of the Breeder’s Cup in 2004. I am proud to say that I worked on the backside of the track that day and was part of history, it was the first Breeder’s Cup to be held in Texas.)

Over the years perhaps no other horse in history has captured the attention of Americans as much as Seabiscuit. During the Great Depression people needed a hero, and Seabiscuit stepped up to fill that spot. Early in his career he didn’t receive much attention. Though his lineage was outstanding, Seabiscuit had crooked legs and a foul temper. He was a small horse and was a winner only part of the time in some of the cheapest races. It wasn’t until after a trainer named Tom Smith took interest in the horse that he began to win. Seabiscuit’s trainer was thought to be too old to train anymore and his jockey, Red Pollard, was blind in one eye. The trio had everything working against them and yet they continued to win races. Everybody loves the “underdog” and that’s what Seabiscuit was. Laura Hillenbrand states it best in the book titled "Seabiscuit";

“A battered horse named Seabiscuit, along with his owner, Charles Howard, a self made San Francisco businessman, Johnny "Red" Pollard a down on his luck prize fighter turned jockey and a little known trainer named Tom Smith embodied the American spirit and gave hope to millions of Americans during the darkest economic era our nation has ever faced. With the help of these three men and one victory after another, Seabiscuit lifted the citizens of our country out of the despair of the Great Depression. In 1938, he became the greatest icon of his time garnering more press than President Franklin D. Roosevelt.”

At the same time a distant relative of Seabiscuit’s by the name of War Admiral was winning stakes races and vying for horse of the year in 1938. A match race between the two was scheduled and Seabiscuit won by four lengths. Seabiscuit ran his last race at Santa Anita in a race known as the “Hundred Grander” and was the victor. He retired after that race and when he died on May 17, 1947 he was buried in a favored spot, although Charles Howard never revealed the exact location.

If there could be an opposite of the small horse with crooked legs, Seabiscuit, it was Secretariat. The horse was owned by Penny Chenery the "First Lady of American Racing." Penny Chenery liked Secretariat, when he arrived at Hialeah at the age of two, all she could say was, "Wow!" A year later she called him sexy. Even the Meadow's trainer, Lucien Laurin, was impressed by the horse's appearance when he looked at the yearlings in the fall of 1971, although he commented that Secretariat was probably too good looking to be a success on the racetrack. As a three year old in 1973 he was labeled a “super horse” and was entered into the Kentucky Derby. He won the Derby and broke the race record. He went on to the Preakness and was a clear victor. It was at this time that his picture could be found on the cover of magazines such as Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated. He set another record in the Belmont Stakes and amazed everyone by beating the rest of the field by thirty one lengths.

According to the Thoroughbred Hall of Fame “The American public adored Secretariat, affectionately calling him Big Red, and even Super Red. It was said that he could have run for President and won. He was certainly more popular than was Richard Nixon in the summer of 1973. Between the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal, Americans had lost confidence in their political leaders, but the mighty red Secretariat, in his blue and white silks, provided the world with a much needed true American Hero. When he retired to Claiborne Farm, where his sire and grandsire had spent their stud careers, thousands of visitors flocked to Paris, Kentucky, to see the hero.”

Secretariat died in October of 1989, and is buried at Claiborne Farm.

A thousand pages couldn’t tell the tales of all the tracks, races and horses that have contributed to the pageantry of horseracing in America since its inception. One can only touch on the standouts whose accomplishments are written in stone. There are many other moments to be made in horseracing history and this author hopes to witness them all.