Biography

The product of superior breeding, Buckpasser fulfilled the great promise of his impressive pedigree. Bred and owned by Ogden Phipps, Buckpasser was a son of Tom Fool out of the War Admiral mare Busanda. He had the looks, the class, and the talent.

After finishing fourth in his career debut on May 13, 1965, at Aqueduct, Buckpasser — trained as a 2-year-old by Hall of Famer William C. Winfrey — won nine of his 10 remaining starts that year and became the first juvenile to earn more than $500,000. His wins that year included the National Stallion Stakes (in a dead heat), Tremont Stakes, Sapling Stakes, Hopeful Stakes, Arlington-Washington Futurity, and Champagne Stakes. Buckpasser compiled a record of 9-1-0 and earnings of $568,096 from 11 starts that year.

Hall of Famer Eddie Neloy took over as Buckpasser’s trainer for the colt’s 3-year-old campaign in 1966. Buckpasser finished second to stablemate Impressive in a non-wagering race at Hialeah in February before winning all of his remaining 13 races of the year and extending his unbeaten streak to 15 in 1967.

A quarter crack in his right front hoof prevented Buckpasser from taking aim at the Triple Crown races. Returning in June, Buckpasser won the Leonard Richards Stakes at Delaware Park, then delivered a blistering performance in the Arlington Classic, setting a world record of 1:32⅗ for one mile.

Following the Arlington Classic, Buckpasser continued to roll, winning the Chicagoan Stakes, Brooklyn Handicap, American Derby (setting a track record), Travers Stakes, Woodward Stakes, Lawrence Realization Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Malibu Stakes. Buckpasser amassed a record of 13-1-0 and earnings of $669,078 from 14 starts as a sophomore.

Buckpasser began his 4-year-old campaign by winning the Sam Fernando Stakes at Santa Anita in January 1967. He then developed another quarter crack in his troublesome right front hoof that sidelined him until late May. Upon his return, Buckpasser stretched his win streak to 15 with a victory in the Metropolitan Handicap.

Phipps considered sending Buckpasser to France for the weight-for-age Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on grass in July, but the plan was scrapped when Buckpasser finished third on the turf in the Bowling Green Handicap.

Buckpasser’s next start was in the Suburban Handicap. Carrying 133 pounds, Buckpasser reeled in Ring Twice late to win by half a length for his final victory. Looking to repeat in the Brooklyn Handicap, Buckpasser finished eight lengths behind Handsome Boy. He then contested the Woodward, but was soundly defeated by 10 lengths by Damascus, prompting his retirement.

With a career record of 25-4-1 and earnings of $1,462,014 from 31 starts, Buckpasser was retired to Claiborne Farm in Kentucky and was syndicated for a record $4,800,000 ($150,000 per share).

As a stallion, Buckpasser sired 313 foals, including the winners of 35 stakes races. His progeny included Hall of Famer La Prevoyante, Numbered Account, Silver Buck, and Relaxing. Buckpasser was also a top broodmare sire. His daughters produced Hall of Famers Easy Goer and Slew o’ Gold, as well as Coastal, Touch Gold, and With Approval, among others.

Buckpasser died at the age of 15 in 1978 and was buried at Claiborne Farm.

Achievements

Champion 2-Year-Old Male — 1965
Horse of the Year — 1966
Champion 3-Year-Old Male — 1966
Champion Older Male (Daily Racing Form) — 1966
Champion Older Male (Thoroughbred Racing Associations) — 1967

Biography

Battleship was the first winner of the English Grand National owned and bred by an American.

Foaled in 1927 at Walter J. Salmon’s Mereworth Farm in Kentucky, Battleship was a son of Man o’ War out of the Sea Sick mare Quarantaine. A 15.2-hand chestnut, Battleship won 10 of 22 starts as a flat racer from 1929 through 1931, including a pair of stakes races, while running for Salmon. After being purchased for $12,000 by Marion du Pont Scott, Battleship was converted to a steeplechaser.

In his first year over jumps, Battleship won three of four races in 1933, including the Billy Barton Steeplechase at Pimlico. In 1934, Battleship won four of six races, capping a fine season with a victory over Arc Light in the American Grand National at Belmont Park. 

Battleship was sent to England to train under Reginald Hobbs in 1936. He won five races in England during 1937 and was second twice. Hobbs nominated Battleship to the 1937 Grand National at Aintree, but he later withdrew him because he believed the weight assignment of 154 pounds was excessive at the time.

In 1938, Battleship was assigned 160 pounds for the Grand National. Although he had won only one of his past nine starts and the weight assignment was considerable, du Pont Scott decided to run Battleship, who was the only stallion in the 35-horse field. It had been 25 years since a stallion had won the race. Battleship was 40-1 in the odds. Some bookmakers were offering as much as 100-1 on him.

Seventeen-year-old Bruce Hobbs, the trainer’s son, was Battleship’s jockey for the race. At 6-foot-3, Hobbs’ size made Battleship appear even more diminutive, leading the horse to be referred to as “The American Pony.” Battleship, however, delivered a remarkable performance, getting up in the final stride to defeat Ireland’s Royal Danieli. Hobbs became the youngest rider to win the Grand National and Battleship the first horse bred and owned by an American to win the prestigious event.

The April 1, 1938, edition of the Middleburg Chronicle stated: “As a birthday present to his great sire Man o’ War, who was twenty-one last Tuesday, Battleship, eleven, one of Man o’ War’s oldest sons, made off with the 101st renewal of the Aintree Grand National Steeplechase. In doing this, Battleship, a hunter qualified in the Virginia hunt country by Noel Laing, shocked 250,000 noble Britons who surrounded the 4½-mile course over thirty fences.”

Following the Grand National, Battleship retired to du Pont Scott’s Montpelier estate in Virginia. He concluded his career with a record of 24-6-4 from 55 starts and earnings  of $71,641. Battleship sired War Battle, the top steeplechaser of 1947; Shipboard, the top steeplechaser of 1956; and stakes winners Floating Isle, Tide Rips, Navigate, Navy Gun, and Sea Legs.

Battleship died in 1958 at the age of 31 and was buried at Montpelier. 

Biography

Purchased late in his 2-year-old year by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Discovery came into his own as a 3-year-old in 1934 and dominated the handicap division the next two years.

A son of Display out of the Light Brigade mare Ariadne, Discovery was a golden chestnut bred by Walter Salmon, Sr., owner of Mereworth Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. When Salmon discontinued racing and began breeding for the market, he arranged with Adolphe Pons to race some Mereworth-breds. Discovery was among the 2-year-olds Pons selected and was sent to trainer John R. Pryce.

Slow to develop into his large frame, Discovery was described as a gawky juvenile and had little success as a 2-year-old in 1933, winning only twice in 14 starts. Discovery, however, began to show some promise late in the year and finished third in the Breeders’ Futurity, prompting Vanderbilt to purchase him for $25,000 upon the advice of his trainer, J. H. “Bud” Stotler.

Six times in the spring and early summer of his 3-year-old campaign, Discovery faced Hall of Famer Cavalcade. Although he could not defeat the Brookmeade Stable colt, Discovery was always able to beat just about every other horse he faced.

Discovery was then pointed toward the handicap ranks, a division in which he thrived. Discovery proceeded to win three consecutive editions of both the Brooklyn Handicap and the Whitney Stakes, set world records in both the Brooklyn and Rhode Island handicaps, and a track record in the Arlington Handicap.

Horse of the Year in 1935 and Champion Handicap Horse in 1935 and 1936, Discovery carried 135 pounds or more 11 times in his career, including a victory in the 1935 Merchants’ and Citizens’ Handicap under 139 pounds. The weight assignments began to take a toll on Discovery during his 5-year-old season in 1936, but not until he was able to win both the Brooklyn and Whitney for a third time, repeat in the Wilson, and win his first Saratoga Handicap. Discovery was retired with a career record of 27-10-10 from 63 starts and earnings of $195,287.

Stotler, after sending Discovery out for his final race said, “The good Lord makes one like him every 50 years or so, and sometimes not even then.”

“There is no other horse in the entire range of Turf history, American or foreign, that ever attempted to do anything so tremendous or came anywhere near Discovery in doing it so successfully,” said racing historian John Hervey.

Discovery ranked among the top 20 on the sire list seven times during his 21 seasons at stud. He sired 26 stakes winners, including champion Conniver, while his daughters produced Hall of Famers Native Dancer, Bold Ruler, and Bed o’ Roses. Discovery died Aug. 28, 1958, at Vanderbilt’s Sagamore Farm in Maryland at the age of 27.

Achievements

Horse of the Year — 1935
Champion Handicap Male — 1935
Champion Handicap Male — 1936

Biography

Old Rosebud was the undisputed king of the comeback.

In a remarkable and unique career that spanned almost a decade, Old Rosebud displayed a fierce competitive nature and the courage of a champion time by overcoming a series of significant injuries to become one of the greatest racehorses in the annals of the American turf.

A diminutive bay gelding by Uncle out of the Himyar mare Ivory Bells, Old Rosebud was foaled in 1911 at John E. Madden’s famed Hamburg Place near Lexington, Kentucky. Trainer Frank D. Weir purchased Old Rosebud for a mere $500 before selling him to Hamilton C. Applegate.

Naming the horse proved to be quite easy for Applegate. His family owned a farm near Lexington named Old Rosebud Stock Farm, as well as a distillery that had a principal brand labeled Old Rosebud. Hamilton was also the secretary at Churchill Downs and owned a significant number of shares in the track. It seemed like a fitting Kentucky story — a promising horse, good whiskey, and the Run for the Roses.

Old Rosebud debuted in February 1913 with a victory in the Yucatan Stakes in Juarez, Mexico. He set four track records from May through June and then came to Saratoga and won the Flash Stakes and United States Hotel Stakes to prove he was the best horse in his crop. Old Rosebud finished his 2-year-old campaign with a record of 12-2-0 from 14 starts and won his final nine races of the year. He didn’t race after the middle of August that year because of the first of several ailments that hounded him throughout his career.

After extending his win streak to 10 in his 3-year-old debut, Old Rosebud delivered a spectacular effort with an eight-length victory in the 40^th Kentucky Derby, covering the 1¼-mile distance in 2:03⅖ to set a track record that stood for 16 years. Old Rosebud had won 11 in a row and was 14-for-16 in his career with a record-setting performance in the Run for the Roses. He was a true superstar.

The glory, however, didn’t last long. Shipped to Belmont Park for the Withers, Old Rosebud severely bowed a tendon and it appeared his career was through. Weir sent Old Rosebud to a farm in Texas, assuming the great gelding would never race again, but 32 months later, Old Rosebud, now a 6-year-old, had miraculously recovered and seemed eager to return to the track.

Old Rosebud was better than ever.

In one of the greatest handicap campaigns ever, Old Rosebud won 15 of 21 starts — including eight stakes — in 1917. He took the Clark Handicap, Carter Handicap, Delaware Handicap, and Queens County Handicap, among others. Along the way he set three track records, equaled another, and concluded the year with earnings of $31,720.

Then came another tendon injury.

It was back to the plains of Texas for another year and a half. Again, Old Rosebud battled his way back. He returned to the races as an 8-year-old for a demanding campaign of 30 starts. He was no longer the speed marvel he once was, but Old Rosebud was still a force to be reckoned with. He won nine times and was in the money 21 times in those 30 starts in 1919.

“We cannot recall another horse which came back, so often, so good,” Kent Hollingsworth of The BloodHorse wrote.

Old Rosebud was sent out nine times as a 9-year-old, wining only a highweight handicap at Belmont. He was still game, but it was clear he was a mere shadow of his former self. Old Rosebud continued to battle physical ailments and raced only twice at 10, winning a claiming race at Belmont in September 1921 for the 40^th and final victory of his career. True to form, Old Rosebud pulled up slightly lame after the race.

It would have been a fitting sendoff to retire Old Rosebud after his 40^th win, especially at the track where he suffered his first major injury following his Derby win, but Applegate and Weir decided to press on with their former champion.

There was no happy ending for the great Old Rosebud. On May 17, 1922, Old Rosebud stepped in a divot during a claiming race at Jamaica Racetrack and broke down in the stretch. There was no recovery this time. After extensive consultation with veterinarians, Weir decided to put his gallant fighter to sleep on May 23, 1922.

The final chapter of Old Rosebud’s life was tragic, but the legacy he left behind is one of remarkable courage, perseverance, and great skill. Old Rosebud posted a record of 40-13-8 from 80 starts and earned $74,729. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968.

John McCabe, Old Rosebud’s regular rider, reminisced about his great mount in a 1970 interview.

“Old Rosebud was as good as any of them — Man o’ War, Count Fleet, Citation, Secretariat,” McCabe said.

Weir agreed.

“Old Rosebud is the kind of horse one sees once in a lifetime,” he said.

The New York Times said Old Rosebud was “one of the greatest racehorses ever to sport silks on the American turf.”

Achievements

Champion 2-Year-Old Male — 1913
Champion Handicap Male — 1917

Triple Crown Highlights

Won the Kentucky Derby — 1914

Biography

A champion in each of her five years on the track and the first racehorse to surpass $100,000 in career earnings, Miss Woodford is widely regarded as being among the finest American thoroughbreds of the 19th century.

According to legend, Miss Woodford was bred by Col. Ezekiel F. Clay and Col. Catesby Woodford at Runnymede Stud near Paris, Kentucky. Clay and Woodford had purchased Miss Woodford’s dam, Fancy Jane, from George W. Bowen for a barrel of whiskey. Bowen, however, failed to notify Col. Sanders D. Bruce, compiler of the fourth and fifth editions of the "American Stud Book," of Fancy Jane’s sale and therefore remains listed as the breeder of record.

In any case, Col. Woodford named the filly after his sister, Maria Woodford, and she raced for Bowen, Clay, and Col. Woodford as a 2-year-old in 1882 under the care of trainer J. Hannigan. In her career debut, Miss Woodford won the Ladies Stakes at the Chicago Driving Park. She then finished second to Col. Milton Young’s Ascender in the Nursery Stakes. Shipped to Saratoga, Miss Woodford was third in the Flash Stakes before winning four in a row: the Spinaway Stakes and Misses’ Stakes at Saratoga and the Filly Stakes and Colt and Filly Stakes at the Lexington Association track. In her final start of the year, Miss Woodford finished third in the Blue Grass Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Prior to her 3-year-old campaign, Miss Woodford was traded to Mike and Phil Dwyer. The Dwyers gave up Hall of Famer Hindoo (who was retired) and the fillies Red-and-Blue and Francesca that they valued at $15,000, for Miss Woodford and $9,000, placing her value at $6,000.

The Dwyer brothers put Miss Woodford in the care of Hall of Fame trainer James Rowe. She made her 3-year-old debut on June 5, 1883, at Jerome Park, winning the Ladies Stakes at 1½ miles. Miss Woodford then won the Mermaid Stakes by six lengths, Monmouth Oaks by 10, and the Alabama Stakes by four. After a loss in the Pocahontas Stakes at Saratoga, Miss Woodford faded to last in the Monmouth Stakes, the first of only two times in her career she finished out of the money.

After the Monmouth Stakes, Miss Woodford won 16 consecutive races, a streak that continued into 1885. The string started on Sept. 13, 1883, with a 10-length victory in the Great Eastern Handicap. She then won the Lorillard Champion Stallion Stakes at Churchill Downs by 20 lengths, the Hunter Stakes at Jerome Park by eight lengths, the District of Columbia Stakes at Washington, D.C., by 10 lengths, and the Pimlico Stakes by three lengths against an accomplished field that included George Kinney, Iroquois, and Drake Carter. Miss Woodford concluded her 3-year-old season with a record of 10-1-0 from 12 starts and earnings of $51,230.

At 4, Miss Woodford won all nine of her starts and earned $21,070. Her victories included the Coney Island Stakes, Ocean Stakes, Eatontown Stakes, Champion Stakes, Great Long Island Stakes, and a 2½-mile match race against Drake Carter for $5,000 a side with $2,000 added by the Coney Island Jockey Club. In the Great Long Island Stakes, Miss Woodford defeated Kentucky Oaks and American Derby winner Modesty in consecutive two-mile heats. Miss Woodford won the second heat in 3:31¼, establishing an American record for the distance.

Miss Woodford continued to thrive early in her 5-year-old campaign in 1885. She won the Coney Island Stakes by a length, giving the exceptional filly Wanda 19 pounds, for her 16th consecutive victory. She finally lost in the Farewell Stakes to Thackeray, the beneficiary of nine less pounds than Miss Woodford. Following the loss, Miss Woodford won the Ocean Stakes, Monmouth Cup, and Freehold Cup in succession to make it 19 out of 20 and become America’s greatest money winner.

Miss Woodford, however, was wearing down during the grueling and ambitious campaign set forth by the Dwyers. On Aug. 6, 1885, she finished fourth in the Eatontown Stakes then was defeated by a length by Ed Corrigan’s Freeland in the Champion Stakes only four days later. Miss Woodford met Freeland again eight days later in the Special Stakes and was beaten by a head. The Dwyers immediately challenged Corrigan to a match, $2,500 a side, with $2,500 added by Monmouth Park, and two days later the pair came out again with Miss Woodford delivering a gutsy effort to win by a head at 1¼ miles.

At this time, Rowe wanted to rest Miss Woodford for the remainder of the year. The Dwyers decided to keep her racing and Rowe quit as trainer. His foreman, Frank McCabe, then took over as trainer. Three weeks after Rowe quit, Miss Woodford was beaten by four lengths by Freeland in a sweepstakes at Brighton Beach. Miss Woodford raced once more as a 5-year-old, winning the Great Long Island Stakes in straight heats against mediocre competition.

Miss Woodford won six of seven starts as a 6-year-old in 1886, earning an even $20,000. After a victory in the Harlem Stakes at Jerome Park, Miss Woodford was shipped to St, Louis for the Eclipse Stakes on June 7. At $10,600, it was the biggest purse she ever ran for. The race also drew Modesty and Lucky Baldwin’s Volante, winner of 35 races, including the American Derby and Saratoga Cup. When Miss Woodford took the lead with a half-mile remaining in the 1½-mile contest, she literally brought the house down. Spectators crammed into the press box to get a better view and the whole viewing stand caved in. Miss Woodford, however, was oblivious to those events and won easily, surpassing $100,000 in career earnings in the process.

Ten days later, Miss Woodford was back in New York at Sheepshead Bay for the 1¾-mile Coney Island Cup. After the first quarter-mile, she hooked up with Barnum and the two ran inseparably the rest of the way, resulting in a dead heat. Miss Woodford was then three-quarters of a length short against Suburban Handicap winner Troubadour in a $5,000 match race before winning three more times, taking in succession the Ocean Stakes for the third consecutive year, Monmouth Cup for the second time, and the First Sweepstakes at Saratoga.

The $1,000 First Sweepstakes was Miss Woodford’s final race. She came up lame and was sold by the Dwyers to James Ben Ali Haggin. In all, Miss Woodford ran 48 times with a record of 37-7-2 and earnings of $118,270. She went on to produce stakes winners George Kessler and Sombre, as well as three other winners from nine foals.

Some of the sport’s most accomplished and respected trainers of all time, including James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons, James Rowe, T. J. Healey, A. J. Joyner, and R. W. Walden, considered Miss Woodford the greatest filly or mare they ever saw.

Miss Woodford died in 1899 at the age of 19 at Elmendorf Farm near Lexington, Kentucky.

Achievements

Champion 2-Year-Old Filly — 1882
Horse of the Year — 1883
Champion 3-Year-Old Filly — 1883
Horse of the Year — 1884
Champion Handicap Female — 1884
Champion Handicap Female — 1885
Champion Handicap Female — 1886

Biography

Named Horse of the Year for five consecutive years from 1960 through 1964, Kelso was one of the most accomplished and unique thoroughbreds in the History of American racing.

Bred by Mrs. Richard C. du Pont and foaled at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, Kelso was a son of Your Host out of the Count Fleet mare Maid of Flight. Gelded before his first start, Kelso made his career debut with a victory at Atlantic City Race Course on Sept. 4, 1959. Raced in the name of du Pont’s Bohemia Stable, Kelso was initially trained by Dr. John Lee. After winning his debut, Kelso finished second in his other two starts as a juvenile and did not make his 3-year-old debut until after the Triple Crown races.

With new trainer Carl Hanford, Kelso began his 3-year-old season on June 22, 1960, with a victory at Monmouth Park. He followed with wins in the Choice Stakes, Jerome Handicap, Discovery Handicap, Lawrence Realization, Hawthorne Gold Cup, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, prompting jockey Eddie Arcaro to declare Kelso as “the best horse in America today. He can beat anything at any distance.”

In the Lawrence Realization, Kelso defeated Tompion in 2:40⅘, equaling Man o’ War’s record for 1⅝ miles. With eight wins in nine starts, Kelso was named Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Male. A remarkable run was just beginning.

In 1961, Kelso won seven of nine starts, including the Metropolitan Handicap, Whitney Stakes (via disqualification), Suburban Handicap, Brooklyn Handicap (carrying 136 pounds), Woodward Stakes, and a second consecutive Jockey Club Gold Cup. He was named Horse of the Year once again and Champion Older Male.

As a 5-year-old in 1962, Kelso won half of his 12 starts, including a 10-length victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. On Dec. 1, 1962, before a crowd of 29,661 at Garden State Park, Kelso won the inaugural running of the Governor’s Plate by five lengths in 2:30⅕, a track record for 1½ miles under new regular rider Ismael Valenzuela. The victory increased Kelso’s lifetime earnings to more than $1 million, a record at the time, and secured his second straight title as Champion Older Male and third consecutive Horse of the Year award.

At age 6, Kelso continued to thrive at the top level of the sport, posting a record of 9-2-0 from 12 starts and earning a career-best $569,762. His wins included the Woodward Stakes, Whitney Stakes, Suburban Handicap, Seminole Handicap, Nassau County Handicap, John B. Campbell Handicap, and Aqueduct Stakes. For the fourth consecutive year, Kelso won the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Before a crowd of 50,131 at Aqueduct, Kelso won the two-mile test for his eighth consecutive win of the campaign. He was again voted Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year.

In 1964, as a 7-year-old, Kelso authored his unprecedented fifth consecutive Horse of the Year campaign and was named Champion Older Male for the fourth year in a row. He delivered two of his most memorable performances during the year, winning his fifth straight Jockey Club Gold Cup (setting an American record of 3:19⅕ for two miles) and taking the Washington, D.C., International in 2:23⅘, a new world record for 1½ miles on grass.

Racing as an 8-year-old, Kelso finally experienced the twilight of his career in 1965. He made only six starts, but at times still showed his brilliance. His wins included a third edition of the Whitney Stakes and a second Stymie Handicap. Kelso made one start as a 9-year-old, finishing fourth in an allowance at Hialeah. He then suffered a hairline fracture on the inside sesamoid of his right front foot while training for the Donn Handicap and was retired.

With a career record of 39-12-2 from 63 starts and earnings of $1,977,896, Kelso had secured his place in history. The five-time Horse of the Year and five-time divisional champion, set or equaled eight track records and set three American records. Upon his retirement, The BloodHorse remarked, “Kelso demonstrated the durability of class. No horse in our time was so good, so long. His was mature greatness.”

Kelso spent his retirement at Mrs. du Pont’s Woodstock Farm in Maryland. He died on Oct. 16, 1983, at the age of 26.

Achievements

Horse of the Year — 1960
Champion 3-Year-Old Male — 1960
Horse of the Year — 1961
Champion Older Male — 1961 
Horse of the Year — 1962
Champion Older Male — 1962
Horse of the Year — 1963
Champion Older Male —1963
Horse of the Year — 1964
Champion Older Male —1964

Biography

A champion each year she raced, Cicada was known as America’s “Queen of the Turf” during her heyday from 1961 through 1963.

Bred and raced by Christopher T. Chenery and trained by Casey Hayes, Cicada, a light-boned bay of 15.3 hands, won the Gardenia, Frizette, Matron, Spinaway, Astarita, Schuylerville, Blue Hen, and National Stallion stakes as a 2-year-old in 1961, finishing her first championship campaign with a record of 11-2-3 and earnings of $384,676. She won her final six races that year and her season earnings set a new record for a filly.

As a 3-year-old, Cicada won the Kentucky Oaks, Acorn, Mother Goose, Jersey Belle, and Beldame. She broke Kelso’s track record for nine furlongs in the Beldame at Aqueduct. Her three-length win in the Kentucky Oaks gave her enough purse money to surpass Bewitch as the all-time leading earner among fillies and mares. Cicada concluded her 3-year-old season 8-4-2 with earnings of $298,167 from 17 starts.

Cicada was strong again as a 4-year-old in 1963, winning the Columbiana, Sheepshead Bay, Vagrancy, and Distaff handicaps before suffering an injury. Cicada finished fourth in her lone start as a 5-year-old and was retired, eventually settling at Chenery’s The Meadow in Virginia with a career ledger of 23-8-8 and earnings of $783,674 from 42 starts.

The BloodHorse ranked Cicada No. 62 in its "Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century" book. 

Cicada died at the age of 22 in 1981.

Achievements

Champion 2-Year-Old Filly — 1961
Champion 3-Year-Old Filly — 1962
Champion Older Female — 1963

Biography

A flashy chestnut with four white stockings and a broad blaze, Jolly Roger developed from a nondescript flat racer into one of the top steeplechasers of the 20th century.

Bred in Kentucky by Harry Payne Whitney, Jolly Roger was a son of Pennant out of the All Gold mare Lethe. Jolly Roger won once from seven starts as a flat racer for Whitney as a 2-year-old in 1922. He did not place in any of his other starts as a juvenile. He made his career debut at Belmont on Sept. 9, 1924, finishing eighth in a 5½-furlong maiden event. He was then 12th in his next start before being shipped to Woodbine on Sept. 25 for his lone victory of the season.

After struggling throughout the remainder of his 2-year-old campaign, Jolly Roger was acquired from his breeder by Greentree Stable (Helen Hay Whitney) and transitioned into a jumping career by his trainer Vincent Powers, a former leading flat and steeplechase jockey who earned induction into the Hall of Fame. Trained throughout the spring and summer of 1923, Jolly Roger did not make his 3-year-old debut until Sept. 9, at Belmont, in the Rustic Steeplechase. Jolly Roger won the 2½-mile event by six lengths with Fairmount second. The race began a long rivalry between Jolly Roger and Fairmount. Jolly Roger also won the Elkridge Steeplechase that year.

As a 4-year-old in 1926, Jolly Roger won four times from 11 starts and was third to the more experienced Fairmount in the prestigious Temple Gwathmey. His victories that year included the Wood Park Steeplechase, Wheatley Steeplechase, Wingfield Steeplechase, and Baldwin Steeplechase. 

At 5, Jolly Roger began to come into his own as a jumper, winning six of eight starts, including a victory over Fairmount in the American Grand National, which G. F. T. Ryall described in The Sportsman: “I doubt if any race through the field ever thrilled a crowd more than did the Grand National. Half the crowd was for Fairmount, the other half for Jolly Roger. That there were four other entries was only incidental. Early on, Fairmount opened up a five-length lead, but he blasted the eighth fence. Though Fairmount and jockey Byers pulled themselves together and continued to lead for a few more fences, Jolly Roger and Crawford garnered the lead at the fifteenth fence and drew off by five lengths for the victory. Fairmount was second, then it was thirty lengths back to the next horse.”

The 1927 Grand National victory netted Jolly Roger’s connections $34,750, the richest prize ever gained by a steeplechaser in America up to that time. Jolly Roger’s other wins in 1927 included the Charles Appleton Memorial Steeplechase, Corinthian Steeplechase, Cherry Malotte Steeplechase, and Bayside Steeplechase (carrying 170 pounds).

Jolly Roger repeated in the American Grand National in 1928 as a 6-year-old, carrying 167 pounds and giving 26 to the second horse. The 167 pounds represented the highest impost carried by an American Grand National winner since Good and Plenty won with 170 pounds in 1906. No other Grand National winner carried more than 167 pounds to victory again until Neji won with 168 pounds in 1957.

As age took its toll, Jolly Roger went winless in four starts as a 7-year-old in 1929, although he did hit the board in each start. He won twice in eight starts in 1930 as an 8-year-old before being injured at Saratoga. Jolly Roger was then retired with an overall record of 18-9-9 from 49 starts and earnings of $143,240. His earnings of $130,065 specific to steeplechasing established a new world record.

Jolly Roger spent his retirement at Greentree Stud in Kentucky, where he joined Cherry Pie, a leading handicapper; Easter Hero, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in England; and the immortal Hall of Famer Twenty Grand, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. The foursome was nicknamed “The Gas House Gang.”

Jolly Roger died at the age of 26 on July 3, 1948. The day before his death, Elkridge won a race to eclipse Jolly Roger’s all-time earnings record.

Biography

Nicknamed “My Coal Black Lady” after a popular song of the era, Ohio-bred Imp won 62 races in her six years on the turf and earned lasting fame as the first mare to win the Suburban Handicap.

Bred by Dan Harness at High Bank Farm near Chillicothe, Ohio, Imp was a black daughter of Wagner out of the Fonso mare Fondling. Turned over to trainer Charley Brossman, Imp made her debut on May 22, 1896, at the old Oakley course near Cincinnati, Ohio. Imp broke her maiden that day and started a total of 11 times as a 2-year-old between Oakley and Latonia in Kentucky. She won two other purses and finished second four times in a nondescript campaign.

As a 3-year-old, Imp raced frequently, starting an incredible 50 times in 1897. Imp enjoyed some success against the modest company, posting a record of 14-10-9, but her earnings of $4,934 were paltry considering the workload.

Brossman believed Imp thrived because of the constant racing.

“She has a prodigious appetite, eats 12 quarts of oats at a feed and like most great racers is a glutton at her food as in her work,” Brossman said. “She can stand more hard galloping than any racehorse in training and improves over it. She has got to be raced and worked continually. She likes it, it is good for her, and she races better for it.”

At 4, Imp began by winning 10 of 11 starts, which prompted Brossman to seek out some better competition and bigger prizes. In her first start in New York, Imp won $800 at Gravesend on June 13, 1898, and had created some buzz with her 11th victory in 12 starts. In her first true test against top competition, however, Imp finished sixth in that year’s Suburban Handicap, won by Ornament. Imp finished sixth in her next start at Gravesend and Brossman took her back to the Midwest, where she won a couple $600 purses before losing seven in a row in overnight events.

Imp began to find her form again that September, winning her first stakes race, the $1,000-added Monadnock Stakes. She then added wins in the $1,000-added Austin Selling Stakes, the six-furlong Speed Stakes, and seven-furlong Dash Stakes. Imp concluded her 4-year-old season with a record of 21-6-3 from 35 starts and earnings of $12,340.

At the age of 5 in 1899, Imp enjoyed her finest campaign. It took some time, however. Returning to New York, Imp finished fourth in the Metropolitan Handicap, eighth in the Toboggan Handicap, second in the New Rochelle Handicap, and third in the Claremont Highweight Handicap before earning her first New York victory in a nine-furlong overnight handicap at Morris Park. Imp then finished a dismal 15th in the Brooklyn Handicap, which was her eighth start in only three weeks.

A bit of a rest did wonders for Imp. Given two weeks off, she returned to win a pair of races leading up to her second crack at the Suburban Handicap, which carried a purse of $10,000. Under Hall of Fame jockey Nash Turner, Imp settled behind the early pace and took command after six furlongs to win by two lengths with Bannockburn second. She became the first mare to win the Suburban in the process.

Imp then finished second in the Coney Island Handicap and third in the Long Island Handicap before contesting the Brighton Handicap. Giving nine pounds to Lawrence Realization winner Ethelbert, Imp took command early and won by a length in track-record time. The winning share was $8,420, the biggest purse she ever won. Imp then added wins in the Islip Stakes, Ocean Handicap, Turf Handicap, First Special, Second Special, and Oriental Handicap. In the 1½-mile Second Special, Imp lowered the Gravesend record for the distance by 1½ seconds to 2:34 flat.

Imp finished her 5-year-old campaign with a record of 13-3-5 from 31 starts and earnings of $30,735, including wins in eight New York stakes and two track records. She had come a long way from her humble beginnings in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Popular with fans and the newspapers, the New York Tribune said of Imp, “What is the toughest of metals? Imp is made of it and she is a popular idol on the turf.”

At 6, Imp set a track record at Gravesend in winning the Parkway Handicap. Her biggest win of the year, however, took place in the 1¾-mile Advance Stakes. Imp won by an estimated 30 lengths in 2:59⅕, two seconds faster than the Sheepshead Bay record for the distance and a new American record (previously 2:59¼ by Ben Holladay). Imp earned her final stakes victory on Oct. 25, 1900, at Empire City in the Mahopac Handicap. She compiled a record of 8-10-9 from 31 starts in 1900 with earnings of $18,185.

Harness severed his relationship with Brossman in 1901 and brought back Imp for a final campaign at age 7 with trainer Peter Wimmer. Imp won two overnight races at Saratoga, one at Morris Park, and finished third in the Saratoga Cup. She ran for the 171st and final time of her career on Nov. 9, 1901, at Aqueduct, finishing sixth.

Following Harness’ death in 1902, Imp was sold for $6,000 to John E. Madden. At Madden’s famed Hamburg Place, Imp produced five foals, including stakes winner Faust. Imp died in 1909 at age 15.

Achievements

Horse of the Year — 1899
Champion Handicap Female — 1899
Champion Handicap Female — 1900

Biography

Bred by King Ranch in Texas, Assault was a son of 1936 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Bold Venture out of the Equipoise mare Igual. Trained by Hall of Famer Max Hirsch, Assault swept the Triple Crown in 1946 and set a single-season earnings record in the process.

As a weanling, Assault stepped on a nail or sharp stick that went through the front wall of his right forefoot. While the foot was injured, Assault acquired the habit of protecting it with an awkward gait.

“He never showed any sign that it hurt him,” Hirsch said. “When he walked or trotted, you’d think he was going to fall down, but he galloped true. There wasn’t a thing wrong with his action, though, when he went fast.”

Dubbed “The Club-footed Comet” because of his limp and the odd shape of the injured foot, Assault arrived at the races as a 2-year-old in 1945. He won twice that year, including the Flash Stakes at 70-1 odds, but did little to indicate he had elite potential.

Assault opened his 3-year-old campaign April 9, 1946, at Jamaica in the six-furlong Experimental Free Handicap No. 1, winning easily. Eleven days later, he defeated favored Hampden by 2¼ lengths in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Assault, however, was a dull fourth 10 days later at Churchill Downs in the Derby Trial and was 8-1 when he entered the Kentucky Derby.

On a slow track, Assault won the Derby by eight lengths, but his time of 2:06⅗ still didn’t inspire any comparisons to greatness. In the Preakness, Assault opened up a four-length lead at the top of the stretch and was able to hold off Lord Boswell by a neck.

The Preakness finish caused some to think Lord Boswell would be able to handle Assault at the Belmont distance of 1½ miles. Assault was kept off the pace by jockey Warren Mehrtens and made a strong move down the stretch to win by three lengths to become the seventh Triple Crown winner. Lord Boswell, who was slightly favored over Assault, finished fifth.

Two weeks after the Belmont, Assault was again impressive in winning the Dwyer Stakes. However, he followed that effort by finishing last in the Arlington Classic as the 7-10 favorite. It was determined that Assault’s poor showing in the Arlington Classic was the result of a kidney ailment, which sent him to the sidelines for the next six weeks.

When he returned to the races in September, Assault was third in the Discovery Handicap, second in the Jersey Handicap, third in the Manhattan Handicap, second in the Roamer Handicap, and second in the Gallant Fox Handicap.

Hirsch decided to replace Mehrtens with Eddie Arcaro for the winner-take-all Pimlico Special. Leading the field was Hall of Famer Stymie, who had defeated Assault in their previous two meetings. A speed duel up front between Bridal Flower and Turbine left the field 15 lengths back, but Arcaro sat chilly until Stymie made his move. Once the pacesetters faded and once Stymie kicked in, Arcaro turned Assault loose to win by six lengths in 1:57 flat, six seconds faster than he ran in the Preakness on the same track six months earlier.

Assault added a victory in the Westchester Handicap at Empire City to conclude his season with a record of 8-2-3 from 15 starts. His earnings of $424,195 broke the previous single-season mark of $308,275 set by Gallant Fox in 1930.

Assault opened his 4-year-old season with a 2½-length victory over Stymie in the Grey Lag Handicap. He then won the Dixie Handicap under 129 pounds and carried top weight of 130 pounds in winning the Suburban Handicap. Assault had no problem with 133 pounds in the Brooklyn Handicap, defeating Stymie (124 pounds) by three lengths.

With his victory in the Brooklyn, Assault earned $38,100 to push his career bankroll to $576,670, surpassing the all-time record of $561,161 set by Whirlaway. Assault then defeated Stymie and Gallorette in the Butler Handicap, carrying 135 pounds, while Stymie had an impost of 126 and Gallorette 117.

Assault and Stymie exchanged the lead on the career earnings list a couple times in 1947. Assault owned the lead after winning the Brooklyn, but Stymie went back on top when Assault took a breather following that race. Assault once again took the top spot following the Butler, but Stymie defeated Assault in the International Gold Cup to go back on top.

Injuries began to take a toll on Assault. He had a nail in his shoe during training for a match race he lost to Armed in late September 1947 and managed only two starts in 1948 at age 5. As a 6-year-old, Assault won the Brooklyn Handicap for the second time in what was his final stakes victory.

Assault was retired to King Ranch after finishing seventh in the 1950 Hollywood Gold Cup. He concluded his career with a record of 18-6-7 from 42 starts and earnings of $675,470. Assault died Sept. 1, 1971, at the age of 28 at King Ranch.

“I never trained a better horse,” Hirsch said. 

Achievements

Triple Crown Highlights

Won the Kentucky Derby — 1946
Won the Preakness Stakes — 1946
Won the Belmont Stakes — 1946