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May Horse History- |
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1 -
Today in 1883 Buffalo Bill,
otherwise known as William F. Cody,
debuted in his first Wild
West Show. |
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Also today, in 1955,
jockey Willie Shoemaker
rode the legendary colt Swaps to a win in the Kentucky
Derby in Louisville. race win
was worth $108,400. This was Willie's first
Kentucky Derby win. He would
win later on in 1959 aboard
Tommy Lee and in 1965 on Lucky Debonair.
1943: Count Fleet won the "street car"
Kentucky Derby, for which no tickets could be sold to
out-of-town spectators due to wartime travel restrictions.
1948: H.A. "Jimmy" Jones, son of Ben A.
Jones, stepped aside as the trainer of Citation, allowing
his father to be named the colt's official trainer in the
Kentucky Derby. Ben Jones was attempting to match the record
of H.J. Thompson, who had trained four Derby winners.
Citation did win, and Ben A. Jones subsequently won two
additional derbies, in 1949 and 1952, to set the mark for
most number of wins in the Run for the Roses -- six. Jimmy
Jones was named as Citation's trainer in the Preakness and
Belmont Stakes, however, giving the Jones family a Triple
Crown sweep. 1971:
The New York Off-Track Betting Corp. offered wagering pools
on the Kentucky Derby, the first instance in which
parimutuel wagering on the race took place outside the
Commonwealth of Kentucky. Churchill Downs had refused to
sell the rights to the race to OTB, but the pools were
offered nonetheless, generating handle totaling $1,043,005
1976: Trainer Laz Barrera won three
stakes in three different states: the Kentucky Derby with
Bold Forbes; New York's Carter Handicap with Due Diligence
and the Illinois Derby with Life's Hope.
1993: Paul Mellon became the second
person in racing history of have bred and owned winners of
the Kentucky Derby (Sea Hero, who won the 1993 Derby) and
the Epsom Derby (Mill Reef, who won in 1971). John Galbreath
was the first to have accomplished the Derby double, which
he did with Proud Clarion (1967 Kentucky Derby) and Roberto
(1972 Epsom Derby).
1999: Charismatic won the 125th Kentucky
Derby at odds of 31-1, giving trainer D. Wayne Lukas his
fourth Derby win and his owners, Bob and Beverly Lewis,
their second Derby victor.
2001: Holy Bull, Paseana, Maskette,
veteran jockey Earlie Fires, and trainers Richard Mandella
and Tom Smith, trainer of the legendary Seabiscuit, were
elected to Thoroughbred racing's Hall of Fame.
2 - In
1964, Northern Dancer, with jockey Bill Hartack, won the
Kentucky Derby. Hartack had been on quite a win streak, completing four
major victories in six months. The racing legend was atop Iron Liege, Venetian Way,
Decidedly and Northern Dancer (not all at the same time, of course). Hartack then rode
Northern Dancer to a win in the Preakness Stakes in Maryland.
Interesting fact for all ya'll: In
1964, another jockey had
ridden Northern Dancer three times then suddenly switched to
Hill Rose for the Run for the Roses in Louisville. He was Willie Shoemaker.
In 1970,
the
"First Lady of Horse Racing" (first to ride
at a major track, first to win a major feature), Diane Crump, rode Fathom and made
history as the first woman jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. She finished in
12th place.
1904: Laska Durnell became the first
woman to own a Kentucky Derby starter and winner when
longshot Elwood took the 30th Run for the Roses. Elwood, the
only Missouri-bred to win the Kentucky Derby, was also the
first Derby winner to be bred by a woman, Mrs. J.B. Prather.
1934: Future Triple Crown winner War
Admiral was foaled at Faraway Farm, Lexington, Ky.
1953: Native Dancer suffered his only
defeat in 22 starts. He finished second in the Kentucky
Derby as the 7-10 favorite, beaten a head by a 25-1 shot,
Dark Star. Going into the Derby, Native Dancer had 11
consecutive wins.
1970: Diane Crump became the first female
jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Her mount, Fathom,
finished 15th in a field of 17.
1981: The first simulcast of the Kentucky
Derby took place, with three outlets -- Centennial Park,
Longacres Racecourse and Yakima Meadows -- receiving the
signal. Total simulcast wagering was $455,163. The Derby
simulcast was suspended for the next two years, pending
approval by Kentucky horsemen, and was reinstated in 1984
2000: Jockey Julie Krone became the first
female elected to Thoroughbred racing's Hall of Fame. |
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3 -
On this day in
1941, jockey Eddie Arcaro rode Whirlaway to the
winner's circle in the
Kentucky Derby. He was well on his way to winning racing's
most prestigious event, the
Triple Crown.
In 1986,
horse racing legend Bill Shoemaker became the oldest
jockey to win the the Kentucky Derby.
Ol' Willie was
on board Ferdinand for the
win. Shoemaker was 54 years old. It had been 32 years since Shoemaker's first
Derby victory way back in
1955.
1969: Namesake of racing's annual
awards, Eclipse made his first public appearance in a heat
race at Epsom, England. The chestnut won his first trial
easily, prompting gambler Dennis OÂ’Kelly to predict
"Eclipse first, the rest nowhere" at the start of the second
heat. O'Kelly's forecast was correct. Eclipse won the second
four-mile race by nearly 1/4 mile.
1902: Jockey James Winkfield, the last
African American rider to win the Kentucky Derby, won his
second consecutive Derby aboard Alan-a-Dale.
1952: The first coast-to-coast,
network-televised Kentucky Derby aired on CBS. Favorite Hill
Gail won the Derby, giving his jockey Eddie Arcaro a record
fifth victory in the Kentucky Derby, and his trainer, Ben A.
Jones, the record for most number of wins (six). Arcaro's
record was matched on this day in 1969 by jockey Bill
Hartack. Jones' record has not been equaled.
1958: CBS used a "split screen" for its
telecast of the Kentucky Derby, necessitated by the presence
of the popular runner Silky Sullivan, who was famous for
running far off the pace. Most of the screen was allotted to
the main group of runners, with a small corner given over to
Silky Sullivan. Although he was one of the favorites for the
race, Silky failed to deliver his customary winning drive in
the stretch and finished 12th, beaten 20 lengths by the
victorious Tim Tam.
1969: Jockey Bill Hartack won his fifth
Kentucky Derby aboard Majestic Prince, tying Eddie Arcaro's
1952 record. Majestic Prince was trained by Hall of Fame
jockey John Longden, the only person to have trained and
ridden a Kentucky Derby winner.
1980: Diana Firestone's Genuine Risk
became the second filly to win the Kentucky Derby. Regret
won it in 1915; Winning Colors, in 1988.
1986: Charlie Whittingham, at age 73,
became the oldest trainer to win his first Kentucky Derby
when he sent Ferdinand to victory. Ferdinand's rider, Bill
Shoemaker, was the oldest jockey (54) to take the Run for
the Roses. Whittingham topped himself in 1989, winning the
Derby a second time (at age 76) with Sunday Silence. |
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4 -
1899 - Manuel rushed to the finish line ahead of four
others to win the Kentucky Derby.
1905 - Belmont Park race track opened on Long Island, New
York. Race King and Sysonby finished in a dead heat in the day's feature race.
1957 - This was a tough day at the Kentucky Derby for Willie
Shoemaker. He misjudged the finish line while aboard Gallant Man. In the winner's
circle at Churchill Downs was, instead, Iron Liege, ridden by jockey Bill
Hartack. Gallant Man and Shoemaker did win the Belmont Stakes a few weeks later.
1985 - Spend A Buck posted the third fastest winning time in
the Kentucky Derby by running the 1-1/4 mile track at Churchill Downs in 2
minutes and 1/8 second. Only Secretariat (1973) and Northern Dancer (1964) had been
faster. 1905:
Belmont Park opened for its first race meet
1957: Bill Shoemaker, aboard Gallant Man,
misjudged the finish line for the Kentucky Derby and stood
up in the irons prematurely. Gallant Man lost the race by a
nose to Iron Liege. Round Table was third and Bold Ruler was
fourth in this historic finish
1968: Dancer's Image became the first
horse to be disqualified from the Kentucky Derby because
post-race testing revealed an illegal medication. Forward
Pass was declared the winner, giving Calumet Farm its eighth
Derby winner, a record.
1996: Trainer D. Wayne Lukas set the
record for most consecutive wins in Triple Crown races, six,
when Grindstone won the Kentucky Derby. Lukas' winning
streak began with the 1994 Preakness Stakes, which he won
with Tabasco Cat. |
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5 -
1934: Brookmeade Stable's Cavalcade won the Kentucky Derby,
his third victory in a span of less than two weeks
1973: Secretariat became the first horse
to complete the 1 ¼-mile course for the Kentucky Derby in
less than two minutes when he won the 99th Run for the Roses
in a record 1:59 2/5, which was 3/5-second faster than
Northern Dancer's 1964 mark of 2:00, to set a track and
stakes record that still holds. He ran each successive
quarter-mile of the race faster than the previous one, with
split times of :25 1/5, :24, :23 4/5, :23 2/5 and :23.
1990: Frances Genter, age 92, became
the oldest winning owner in Derby history when Unbridled won
the 116th renewal of the Run for the Roses.
2001: Monarchos came from far back to
roll past the field and post a 4 3/4 length victory in the
127th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Invisible Ink was
second and Congaree was third. The 9-5 post time favorite,
Point Given, finished fifth. Monarchos's winning time for
the mile and a quarter race was 1:59 4/5, the second fastest
Derby ever run, behind only Secretariat's 1973 mark of 1:59
2/5. |
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6 -
1895: African American jockey James "Soup" Perkins guided
the favorite Halma to a wire-to-wire victory in the 21st
running of the Kentucky Derby. Perkins, who was 15, joined
fellow African American jockey Alonzo Clayton as the
youngest jockey to ride a Derby winner.
1896: African American jockey Willie
Simms guided Ben Brush to victory in the 22nd Kentucky
Derby, the first time the race was run at 1 1/4 miles. Two
years later, Simms would win the Derby aboard Plaudit,
giving him a perfect record in the Kentucky Derby: two wins
in two attempts
1933: In the "fighting finish" to the
Kentucky Derby -- before the advent of photo-finish cameras
and video patrol -- jockey Don Meade, on Brokers Tip, and
Herb Fisher, on Head Play, pushed, hit, tugged and jostled
each other to the finish line at Churchill Downs. Brokers
Tip was declared the winner, by a margin of two or three
inches.
2000: Fusaichi Pegasus, a $4 million
yearling purchase, became the first favorite to win the
Kentucky Derby in 21 years with his convincing win over
Aptitude. Spectacular Bid in 1979 was the previous favorite
to win the "Run for the Roses." |
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7 -
1938: The Kentucky Derby Glass made its debut. First used as
a water glass for the track restaurant, the mint julep glass
has been a part of the Derby tradition for more than 50
years. 1949: Calumet Farm's
Ponder won the 75th Kentucky Derby, which was first telecast
on a limited basis by local TV station WAVE.
1973: Secretariat was flown to Pimlico
Racecourse to prepare for the Preakness Stakes after his
record-breaking performance in the Kentucky Derby.
1983: Aboard Sunny's Halo, jockey
Eddie Delahoussaye became the last rider to win consecutive
Kentucky Derbies. Other riders to have won back-to-back
Derbies are: Isaac Murphy, Ron Turcotte and James Winkfield
1988: Winning Colors, the first roan
and the third filly to win the Kentucky Derby, provided
trainer D. Wayne Lukas with his first Derby win in 13
attempts.
1992: Hall of Fame jockey Angel
Cordero Jr. announced his retirement from race riding.
2001: Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne
Lukas saddled his 4,000th career winner, scoring with Added
Spice in the ninth race at Delaware Park. Lukas's mark put
him behind only Dale Baird (8,479 wins), Jack Van Berg
(6,300) and King Leatherbury (5,190).
2002: Seattle Slew, the last surviving
Triple Crown winner, died at Hill 'N Dale Farm in Lexington,
Ky., at age 28. Seattle Slew's death came on the 25th
anniversary of his Kentucky Derby victory. |
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8 - 1915 - Regret
captured the Kentucky Derby. The horse was the only filly
to win the Run for the Roses in Louisville, KY.
1939 - Clay Puett invented a device that is a common sight
at thoroughbred race
tracks around the world. The electric starting gate was used
for the first time
to start races at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, CA. The push
of a button from a judges' stand at trackside automatically opened the gates. It was
set on wheels so that it could be pulled off the race course
quickly. 1901: David Garrick,
owned by American Pierre Lorillard, won the Chester Cup in
England, under the guidance of American jockey Danny Maher.
1915: H.P. Whitney's Regret became
the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby, 40 years after
the race's inception in 1875
1937: Mary Hirsch, daughter of Max Hirsch, who had
conditioned 1936 Kentucky Derby winner Bold Venture, became
the first woman trainer to saddle a runner in the Kentucky
Derby. The horse, No Sir, who was also owned by Miss Hirsch,
finished 13th in a field of 20. |
9 - 1930 - For the first
time, a starting gate was used to start a Triple Crown
race. The gate was rolled into place at the Preakness at the
Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD. Gallant Fox, the winner, had no problem
with the new contraption.
Prior to that time, this horse race began from a standing
start at the start/finish line with the drop of a flag.
1945: The wartime government ban on horse
racing in the United States was lifted.
1982: Jockey Chris McCarron won his
3,000th career race, aboard Aggrandizement, in the ninth
race at Hollywood Park. |
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10 - 1905 - Three horses
made up the field of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill
Downs in Louisville, KY. Agile was the winner. With only
three horses -- win, place and show -- does that mean that everyone in attendance won
something?
1913 - Donerail won the Kentucky Derby on this day, making a
very, very few in attendance very, very happy. Donerail was a 91-to-1 long shot!
Can you tell who the people DIDN'T like?
1842: Fashion,
representing the North, competed against Boston,
representing the South, in a match race at Union Course.
Described by contemporaries as the best race ever run in
America, with $20,000 put up on each side, the match was won
by Fashion before a crowd estimated between 50,000 and
70,000.
1910: George Woolf,
namesake of a jockey's award given annually by Santa Anita
Park, was born in Cardston, Alberta.
1919: Sir Barton won
the Kentucky Derby after being winless in six tries. Four
days later, on May 14, he won the Preakness Stakes, and on
June 11, he became the first Triple Crown winner after
capturing the Belmont Stakes.
2001: According to
figures released by Nielsen Media Research, television
ratings for the 2001 Kentucky Derby were 8.1 with a 21
share. The ratings represented a 40% increase over the 5.8
rating and 17 share earned by the 2000 Derby. |
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11 -
1888: Trainer Robert Walden set the record for the most
number of Preakness winners -- seven -- when he sent Refund
to victory. 1892: African
American jockey Alonzo Clayton, age 15, became the youngest
rider to win the Kentucky Derby when he guided Azra to
victory in the 18th running of the Derby.
1935: Trainer "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons
sent a two-year-old colt, White Cockade, to victory in the
Youthful Stakes at Jamaica, giving his 26-year-old owner,
Ogden Phipps, his first stakes win ever. |
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12 - 1917 - The first
imported horse to win the Kentucky Derby was the
English-bred colt, Omar Khayyam. He won $49,070 -- the top prize.
1976 - Sixteen-year-old, racing-jockey Steve Cauthen rode in
his first race. He finished far back in the pack at Churchill Downs in
Louisville, KY. However, Cauthen got his first winner just five days later.
1909: The Preakness Stakes was held in
Maryland after 16 runnings in New York. As part of the
celebration that marked the return of the Preakness, the
colors of the race's winner were painted onto the ornamental
weathervane at Pimlico Racecourse for the first time.
1917: Omar Khayyam became the first
foreign-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He was bred in
England. 1924: Nellie Morse
became the fourth and last filly to win the Preakness
Stakes. Other fillies to win the Preakness were Flocarline
(1903); Whimsical (1906); and Rhine Maiden (1915).
1936: Jockey Ralph Neves was involved in
a racing accident at Bay Meadows and erroneously pronounced
dead. He was later revived at the morgue and he returned to
the racetrack the same day. He was ordered to sit out the
remainder of the racing card and so missed only a half-day
of work because of his "death." 1990:
D. Wayne Lukas became the first trainer to top $100 million
in purses when he sent Calumet Farm's Criminal Type to win
the Pimlico Special at Pimlico Racecourse. |
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13 -
1845: The Great Sectional Match, the North versus the South,
was run at Union Course in New York. Fashion, representing
the North, raced against the South's Peytona in a match race
won by Peytona. Three years earlier, Fashion had defeated
Boston, who represented the South, in another North-South
rivalry. 1891: Kingman, the only
African American-owned horse to win the Derby, did so with
jockey Isaac Murphy in the irons. Kingman was owned and
trained by African American Dudley Allen. The win gave
jockey Isaac Murphy back-to-back Derby victories and made
him the first jockey to win three Derbies.
1939: Louis Schaefer became the first
person to have ridden and trained a Preakness Stakes winner
after he saddled Challedon to victory. Schaefer won the 1929
Preakness as a jockey, riding Dr. Freeland. Schaefer's
double was replicated by jockey-turned-trainer John Longden,
who rode Count Fleet in the 1943 Preakness and trained
Majestic Prince to win the race in 1969.
1973: Secretariat worked five furlongs
in :57 2/5 at Pimlico Racecourse in preparation for the May
19 Preakness Stakes. He was eased after completing his
workout distance, but still ran six furlongs in 1:10. |
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14 - 1960 - Bally Ache,
the winner of the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, MD,
was sold for $1,250,000. Wonder what he would have brought
with a name change... 1989: E.P.
Taylor, owner of Windfields Farms and breeder of Northern
Dancer, died at age 88.
2000: Arlington Ipark in Arlington
Heights, Ill., re-opened its gates to racing after being
closed for two-years, welcoming a crowd of 35,273. |
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15 -
1918: Two horses -- War Cloud and Jack Hare Jr. -- were
declared the winner of the Preakness Stakes, not because of
a dead heat, but because the race was run in two divisions.
1952: John Longden won his 4,000th
victory, riding at Hollywood Park.
1954: Nashua won his first race,
running 4 1/2 furlongs over a straightaway at Belmont Park.
1993: Genuine Risk, the second of
three fillies to have won the Kentucky Derby since it began
in 1875, gave birth to her first foal after 13 years of
failed attempts and miscarriages. The foal, a son of Rahy,
was named Genuine Reward.
1999: Charismatic, winner of the 1999
Kentucky Derby, won the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico
Racecourse in front of a record crowd of 100,311. |
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16 -
1884: Buchanan became the first
maiden to win the Kentucky Derby. Only two other maiden
horses have gone on to win the Run for the Roses: Sir Barton
in 1919, and Brokers Tip in 1933.
1925: The first network radio broadcast
of the Kentucky Derby aired from WHAS in Louisville.
1979: Gary Stevens rode his first
career winner, named Lil Star, trained by his father, Ron
Stevens, at Les Bois Park.
1998: Bob Baffert became the first person
to train Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winners in
successive years. In 1997, Baffert won the Derby and
Preakness with Silver Charm; the following year he won with
Real Quiet. 1998:
During Preakness Stakes Day at Pimlico Racecourse, a
transformer went down at 1:00 p.m., causing a power failure
in the grandstand. With temperatures in the 90s, the
facility had no operating air-conditioning, lights,
closed-circuit television, public address system, elevators,
escalators or betting windows. A record crowd of 91,122 was
on hand, and an estimated $1.5 million in on-track handle
was lost. |
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17 -
1875 - Oliver Lewis rode Aristides winning a purse of
$2,850 in the first running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in
Louisville, KY. Aristides won the one and a half mile Run for the Roses in a time of 2
minutes, 37-3/4 seconds.
1875: America's oldest continuously held
sporting event, the Kentucky Derby, was first run. The race
was won by Aristides, who was ridden and trained by African
Americans Oliver Lewis and Ansel Williamson, respectively.
The day marked the opening of Churchill Downs; an estimated
10,000 spectators witnessed the first Derby.
1881: James Rowe Sr., then age 24, became
the youngest trainer to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner after
Hindoo took the 7th Derby for his owners, brothers Phil and
Mike Dwyer, both notorious gamblers.
1915: Rhine Maiden, in winning the
Preakness Stakes, produced the only Kentucky Derby-Preakness
wins by fillies in the same year. The 1915 Derby was won by
Regret, who did not compete in the Preakness.
1930: Two-year-old Equipoise gave owner
C.V. Whitney his first stakes victory when he captured the
Keene Memorial Stakes at Belmont Park at odds of 3-5
1947: Seabiscuit, owned by Charles S.
Howard, succumbed to a heart attack at Ridgewood Ranch in
Willits, Calif. He was 14.
1976: Sixteen-year-old Steve Cauthen rode
his first winner, Thomas Bischoff-trained Red Pipe, in the
eighth race at River Downs. By the end of his first year of
apprenticeship, Cauthen had won 240 races from 1,170 mounts
and $1.2 million in purses. |
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18 -
1931 - Race jockey Eddie Arcaro rode his first race -- at
Bainbridge, OH. He finished sixth. Later, Arcaro would
become a racing legend, finishing first in over 4,100 races,
including four Kentucky Derby wins. Arcaro won the Derby in
1941, 1945, 1948 and again in 1952. He rode Hill Gail, Hoop,
Jr., Whirl-A-Way and Citation. Arcaro won the Triple Crown
with Whirl-A-Way and Citation.
1957 - Jockey Eddie Arcaro rode Bold Ruler to the
winner’s circle in the Preakness Stakes in Maryland.
Today in 1875 the
Kentucky Derby racetrack opened in Louisville, Kentucky.
1935: The
Seagram family won the Queen's Plate stakes (then called the
King's Plate), a record 20th time. From 1891-1898, the
Seagrams' horses won the Plate every year.
1957: Eddie Arcaro set
the record for most number of Preakness Stakes wins by a
jockey, six, when he rode Bold Ruler to victory for Wheatley
Stable.
1968: Judy Johnson became the first
female trainer to saddle a horse for the Preakness Stakes.
Her horse, Sir Beau, finished seventh in a field of 10.
1968: Calumet Farm set
the record for most number of wins in the Preakness Stakes
by an owner, seven, when Forward Pass won the race by six
lengths.
1985: Patricia Cooksey became the first
female jockey to compete in the Preakness Stakes. Her mount,
Tajawa, finished sixth in a field of 11.
1996: Jockey Pat Day
won his third consecutive Preakness Stakes and his fifth
Preakness overall, after riding Louis Quatorze to victory.
The win, for trainer Nick Zito, snapped the Triple Crown
race win-streak of trainer D. Wayne Lukas, which had run to
six, beginning with the 1994 Preakness, won by Tabasco Cat.
1998: Trainer Aimee
Hall saddled four winners from five starters at Suffolk
Downs, with all of the winners being ridden by her husband,
Jose Caraballo. The wins are believed to be the first
involving a married couple as jockey and trainer.
2000: The NTRA and
Breeders' Cup Ltd., was given preliminary approval for a
consolidation plan under which all business, marketing and
administrative duties of the two organizations would be
combined. |
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19 -
1973 - Secretariat won the second jewel of horse racing’s
Triple Crown by capturing the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore,
MD. The famed horse later went on to win the Belmont Stakes
in New York to earn the Triple Crown with jockey Ron
Turcotte as the rider.
1961: Jockey Bill Shoemaker notched
his 4,000th career win aboard Guaranteeya at Hollywood Park.
1964: Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. won his
first race, aboard Huelen, riding at Presidente Remon in
Panama.
1973: Secretariat's winning
performance in the Preakness Stakes was marred by a
controversy over the timing of the race. The original
teletimer time was 1:55 for the 1 3/16-mile race; Pimlico
amended it to 1:54 2/5 two days later.
1999: Secretariat was honored as the
35th greatest athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN's
SportsCentury, a series of programs profiling the top
athletes of the past 100 years. Secretariat was the only
non-human to make the top 50.
2001: Beaten Kentucky Derby favorite
Point Given redeemed himself by winning the Preakness Stakes
today by 2 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:55 2/5 for the mile
and three-sixteenths. A P Valentine was second and Congaree
finished third. Monarchos, the Kentucky Derby winner,
finished a well-beaten sixth. |
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20 -
1916: In an unprecedented sweep,
Mandarin, Gala Water and Gala Day finished first, second and
third, respectively, in the King's Plate at Woodbine for
their owner, distiller Joseph Emm Seagram. Three days later,
Mandarin and Gala Water again finished one-two, this time in
the Breeders' Stakes. 1941:
Seventeen days after his Kentucky Derby win and 10 days
after his Preakness victory, Whirlaway raced against older
horses for the first time. Carrying 108 pounds, Whirlaway
defeated his four rivals in the Henry of Navarre Purse at
Belmont Park.
1954: At odds of 13-1, Rex Ellsworth's
two-year-old colt Swaps won his maiden race by three lengths
at Hollywood Park
1973: Having won the Kentucky Derby
and Preakness Stakes, Secretariat shipped from Pimlico to
New York in preparation for the Belmont Stakes, final jewel
in the Triple Crown.
1977: Two-year-old John Henry won his
first start ever, a four-furlong maiden race at Jefferson
Downs, by a nose. When he was retired in 1984, the gelding
had 39 wins, 15 seconds and nine thirds from 83 starts,
seven Eclipse Awards and earnings of $6,597,947. |
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21 -
1978: John Henry made his first start for
Dotsam Stable, winning a $25,000 claiming race at Aqueduct.
1992: Jockey Gary Stevens hit his 3,000th
winner in the fifth race at Hollywood Park, aboard Sharp
Event. |
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22 -
1974: Locust Hill Farm's Ruffian won her
first start, a maiden race for two-year-old fillies, by 15
lengths at Belmont Park. Sent off at odds of 4-1, Ruffian
completed the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.
1974: Locust Hill Farm's Ruffian won her
first start, a maiden race for two-year-old fillies, by 15
lengths at Belmont Park. Sent off at odds of 4-1, Ruffian
completed the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03. |
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23 -
1936: Rushaway, ridden by John Longden,
won his second derby in as many days, taking the 1 1/4-mile
Latonia Derby at Latonia in Covington, Ky. Rushaway had won
the 1 1/8-mile Illinois Derby, run at Aurora, outside
Chicago, the previous day. 1992:
Jockey Jacinto Vasquez had his 5,000th career winner, aboard
Susan Pixum, at Calder Racecourse.
1992: Angel Cordero Jr. made his first
start as a trainer, with Puchinito, who finished fifth in
the fifth race at Belmont Park. |
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24 -
1905: Harry Payne Whitney's Tanya became
the second (and last) filly to win the Belmont Stakes.
Ruthless was the first filly to win the Belmont, in 1867.
Whitney also won the Kentucky Derby with a filly, Regret, in
1915. 1977: At odds of 13-1,
Louis and Patrice Wolfson's two-year-old colt Affirmed won
his maiden race by 4 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park, ridden by
jockey Bernie Gonzalez. |
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1991: Jockey Steve Cauthen won his fourth
European derby, the Derby Italiano, with Hailsham, trained
by Clive Brittain. Cauthen has also won the Epsom Derby
twice, the Irish Derby and the French Derby, in addition to
his Kentucky Derby win with Affirmed.
1998: Jockey Eddie Maple announced his
retirement at Belmont Park while accepting the 1998 Mike
Venezia Award. Maple ended his career with 4,398 career
victories and earnings of $105,318,593. |
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1873 - Survivor won the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico race
track in Baltimore, MD. It was the first ‘Run for the
Black-Eyed Susans’. The race continues as the second jewel
in horse racing’s Triple Crown. It comes two weeks after the
Kentucky Derby and prior to the Belmont Stakes in New York.
1985 - Spend-A-Buck won the Jersey Derby by a neck and
earned a record $2.6 million. The thoroughbred won an extra
$2 million dollars for sweeping the Jersey Derby, the Garden
State Stakes, the Cherry Hill Mile and the Kentucky Derby.
Career earnings for the horse were $3,009,509.
1823: A $20,000 match race between
American Eclipse (representing The North) and Henry
(representing The South) was held at Union Course, Long
Island. Eclipse won in two-of-three heats, after his
original jockey, William Crafts, was replaced by Samuel
Purdy before the second heat. The race, witnessed by 60,000
spectators, was the first to have been timed by split-second
chronometers, which were imported for the event.
1873: A bay colt, Survivor, won the first
Preakness Stakes by 10 lengths, the largest margin in the
race's history. 1878: The entire
field of Preakness Stakes horses -- three -- was owned by a
single family, the brothers George and Pierre Lorillard.
George's horses finished first and third.
1882: Trainer Robert Walden won his
fifth consecutive Preakness Stakes, with Vanguard. Walden
won a total of seven Preaknesses, a record for a trainer.
1979: Jockey Chris McCarron, 24, won his
2,000th career race, aboard Stembok, in the second race at
Hollywood Park. 1981: Bill
Shoemaker became the first jockey in racing history to win
8,000 races when he rode War Allied to victory in the first
race at Hollywood Park. |
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1997: Visa USA and Triple Crown Productions announced that
they had increased the bonus for winning the Triple Crown to
a total of $5 million. 2000:
Jockey Edgar Prado registered his 4,000th career victory
aboard Thunder Breeze in the second race at Belmont Park. |
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1995 - Actor Christopher Reeve was thrown head first while
riding his horse in Virginia. Reeve was paralyzed, unable to
walk or breathe on his own. Reeve, whose chiseled good looks
mirrored those of the comic book character, Superman, and
who starred as the mythical character on the big screen,
literally brought the role of Superman to life as he made
valiant efforts to recover from his injury and fight for
other victims of paralyzing injuries. (Christopher Reeve died
Oct 10, 2004.)
1897: Scottish Chieftain, owned by
Marcus Daly, became the only Montana bred to win the Belmont
Stakes.
1907: Colin began his undefeated
career, breaking his maiden by two lengths at Belmont Park.
1946: Two-year-old fillies Chakoora
and Uleta became the first Thoroughbreds to complete a
transcontinental flight. They were flown from New York to
Inglewood, Calif., by the American Air Express Corporation,
for a 2,446-mile trip that lasted 20 hours due to adverse
weather conditions. |
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1903: Flocarline became the first filly
to win the Preakness Stakes
1908: Jockey Joe Notter misjudged the finish of the Belmont
Stakes and eased up on his mount, Colin, whose career record
to that point was 13-for-13. Notter barely recovered from
his mistake to hold off the drive of Fair Play, who came
within a head of defeating Colin. When he retired, Colin's
record stood at 15 wins in as many starts.
1936: Omaha, the Triple Crown winner
of 1935, won the Queens Plate at Kempton Park, England, for
owner William Woodward.
1941: Hollywood Park introduced the "vibrationless
camera," developed by Hollywood cameraman Lorenzo del Ricio.
Eight patrol judges with the cameras, which were attached to
their binoculars, were stationed at intervals around the
track. Jockey Nunzio Pariso was the cameraÂ’s first victim
-- he was shown on film crowding a rival on the far turn
1969: Patricia Barton won her first
career race, at Pikes Peak. |
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1969: Racing returned to Pennsylvania
when Liberty Bell racetrack opened, near Philadelphia. The
state had not had legal racing since 1802 and became the
30th state to adopt parimutuel wagering.
2001: Jockey Pat Day became just the
third jockey in history to win 8,000 races, hitting the
milestone by winning the sixth race at Churchill Downs
aboard Camden Park. Day joined Laffit Pincay Jr. and Bill
Shoemaker in the 8,000 club. |
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