Woody’s Five Belmont
Straight
Joseph Di Rienzi
4 May 2017
In the storied history of the Triple Crown series, there are
few greater training achievements than what was accomplished by Woodford Cefis
Stephens from 1982 to 1986. Woody, as he was known, was a native born
Kentuckian who had established by the latter half of the 20th
century one of the more powerful thoroughbred racing stables on the East Coast.
He was no stranger to Triple Crown success having won the Preakness Stakes in
1952 with Blue Man and the Kentucky Derby (the 100th renewal) with
Cannonade in 1974. But what would put him in the record books was the singular
achievement of having horses trained by him win the Belmont Stakes for five
consecutive years. In this piece, I will discuss the horses and events leading
up to each Belmont Stakes from 1982 through 1986.
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| Woody Stephens (gettyimages) |
The first two classics of 1982 were inconclusive in
establishing a three year-old leader. The Kentucky Derby was won by a longshot,
Arthur Hancock and Leone J. Peters’ Gato Del Sol. He subsequently skipped the
Preakness Stakes to await the Belmont. Christiana Stable’s Linkage who would
have been favored in the Derby, if he ran, was upset in the Preakness by Nathan
Scherr’s Aloma’s Ruler.
After the Preakness, both Aloma’s Ruler and Linkage moved on
to the Belmont Stakes to face Gato Del Sol. However, there was another horse
stirring in the shadows that would create a whirlwind in the next three weeks.
Henyrk de Kwiatkowski’s Conquistador Cielo, a racy bay son of Mr. Prospector, bought
as a yearling at Saratoga for $150,000, had ended his juvenile year after
suffering an injury in finishing a close fourth in the Sanford Stakes at
Saratoga. Trained by Woody Stephens, he finished third in a 7 furlong allowance
race at Hialeah in February. Then, he was an impressive winner of a similar
race 10 days later by 4 lengths. Delayed by a minor injury, Conquistador Cielo
ran in what had previously been called the Preakness Prep a week prior to
Pimlico’s signature race and came from just off the pace to win by 3 lengths in
the 8½ furlong contest. Withheld from the Preakness, Stephens shipped his colt
back to Belmont Park when he ran in a 1 mile allowance race for three years and
older and stunned the field with an 11 length win in very fast time.
Stephens, realizing what he had in his barn, entered
Conquistador Cielo less than two weeks later in the Metropolitan Handicap facing
mostly older horses. The New York racegoers saw his form and despite his lack
of seasoning made Conquistador Cielo the post time favorite. Under regular
jockey Eddie Maple, the son of Mr. Prospector put on a show, racing with the
early pace and easily pulling away for a 7¼ length victory. The time for the
mile was a new track record, faster than Bald Eagle, Kelso, Bold Lad,
Buckpasser and Forego ever ran in their respective Met Mile victories. The buzz
in the winner’s circle was the idea of entering Conquistador Cielo in the
Belmont Stakes even though it was only five days away. After some thought,
owner de Kwiatkowski, an expansive and enterprising personality, gave the go
ahead, and Woody Stephens, taking a page from trainer Elliot Burch’s playbook who
with his three Belmont Stakes winners had won the Met Mile twice with the other
runner finishing second, recognized a Met Mile – Belmont double was not without
precedent.
Eleven horses entered the Belmont, and the race had all the
prime contenders in Derby winner Gato Del Sol, Preakness winner Aloma’s Ruler,
unlucky Preakness loser Linkage and the unknown factor, Conquistador Cielo. The
handsome colt’s Met Mile win was off the charts, but the prevailing question, was
he too “speedy” with Mr. Prospector and Bold Ruler (through his dam’s sire) in
his bloodlines to handle the 1½ mile distance. A pace duel with Aloma’s Ruler,
seemed likely, compromising both their chances. Adding to the drama, Eddie
Maple, Conquistador Cielo’s rider was injured in a fall at Belmont the day
before and could not ride. Woody Stephens made a phone call late in the day to
California to secure the services of Laffit Pincay, Jr. After some travel
complications, Pincay managed to get to Belmont Park (via Boston) on the
morning of the race to ride a horse he had never seen in the Belmont Stakes.
The public settled on Linkage as the favorite, although
there were also questions about his stamina. Conquistador Cielo was the second
choice and Gato Del Sol the third favorite. A sloppy racetrack on Belmont Day
may have played in “Cielo’s” favor, although he had no previous off track
experience. As the field left the starting gate, Aloma’s Ruler tried to gain
the lead, but he was outsprinted, first by longshot Anemal to his inside, then
by Conquistador Cielo racing very wide around the clubhouse turn. Once the
leaders straightened out on the backstretch, Conquistador Cielo secured the
lead and set credible fractions. His first challenge came from High Ascent who
ranged up on the inside. That was easily repelled and, as Cielo extended his
lead around the sweeping far turn, Linkage became his closest pursuer. However,
the chase was futile, for just as in the Met Mile, Conquistador Cielo was
soaring as the name, “Conqueror of the Sky”, implies. He easily pulled away to
an astounding margin, that, if visions of Secretariat’s Belmont win in 1973 had
faded from memory, this would have been the most dominant Belmont win in recent
history. Some 14 lengths behind the flying “Conquistador” was Gato Del Sol who
rallied to be second, 4 lengths ahead of Illuminate who had 3¾ lengths ahead of
Linkage. Aloma’s Ruler, who dropped out
of contention early, finished ninth. The time was good, considering the sloppy
conditions, and everyone at Belmont was convinced they saw an exceptional
performance by a brilliant colt. Owner de Kwiatkowski and trainer Stephens were
justly rewarded by their courage in running back so quickly, and jockey Pincay
had won his first classic race. (For de Kwiatkowski, this Belmont victory would
be the first of two. For Woody Stephens, this was the beginning of one of the
most incredible streaks in Triple Crown history.)
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| Conquistador Cielo (www.horseracingnation.com) |
The classic picture in 1983 was just as unfocused as 1982 as
the Belmont Stakes approached. The Kentucky Derby winner, David J. Foster’s
Sunny’s Halo, who had finished sixth in the Preakness Stakes avoided the
Belmont Stakes due to his trainer’s aversion to racing in New York, which at
that time prohibited race day medication. However, the Preakness winner,
Maryland bred Deputed Testamony [sic]
owned by Francis Sears and trained by William Boniface, Jr. was in the fifteen
horse field. Favoritism went to Equusequity Stable’s Slew o’ Gold, a tall
sculptured son of Seattle Slew out of the mare Alluvial, making him a
half-brother to 1979 Belmont Stakes winner Coastal. He had finished a good
fourth in the Kentucky Derby and had tuned up for the Belmont with an eye
catching victory in the Peter Pan Stakes. Woody Stephen’s entry was Caveat,
another Maryland, bred who had made a strong impression with a dramatic close
from far back to finish second in the Kentucky Derby. Just like Slew o’ Gold,
Caveat had bypassed the Preakness but had won an allowance race impressively
against older horses in his Belmont prep.
In an unorthodox renewal of the Belmont, Au Point, went
right to the lead and set credible fractions with Slew o’ Gold, in closest
pursuit followed by Deputed Testamony. Angel Cordero, unable to restrain his
mount, allowed Slew o’ Gold to range up alongside Au Point increasing the tempo
of the race. Meanwhile, Laffitt Pincay, who had Caveat initially far back, was
making good progress along the inside, so that by the time the field was
sweeping around the Belmont final turn, Caveat was just behind the leaders on
the inside. At the top of the stretch, Slew o’ Gold moved the lead and Au
Point, who had blocked Caveat’s path, abruptly tired, allowing Pincay to drive
his mount through the opening. Once free, Caveat surged to the front readily
passing Slew o’ Gold to win by 3½ lengths with the latter gamely holding second
by 1¾ lengths over Barberstown with Deputed Testamony in sixth. The time was
good, but what was remarkable was that the first 10 furlongs were run in under
2 minutes with the fifth quarter in under 24 seconds, which I believe cost Slew
o’ Gold the race. (He would show his affinity for the 1½ mile distance in
winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup twice and be voted Champion three year-old in
1983 and Champion Older Horse the following year.)
Caveat’s victory represented continuity in racing as he was
owned in a partnership that involved August Belmont IV (descendant of the
racetrack’s founder), Robert Kirkham and breeder James Ryan (making Maryland
breds victorious in two thirds of this year’s classics). Woody Stephens and
Laffit Pincay were celebrating their second straight Belmont having won the
previous year with Conquistador Cielo. Unfortunately for racing fans, Caveat
came out of the Belmont with an injury that would ultimately force his
retirement.
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| Caveat (www.horseracingnation.com) |
In early 1984, Woody Stephens trained the two highest ranked
sophomores. Hickory Tree Stable’s Devil’s Bag was the undefeated Two Year-old
Champion of 1983 and considered a possible super horse. After a shocking defeat
in the Flamingo Stakes, his career was carefully managed to avoid future
losses. Sensing he was not at his best, Devil’s Bag was retired by his
connections after winning the Derby Trial Stakes, a week before the Kentucky
Derby. Woody Stephens’ other main hope was a sleek dark bay or brown son of
Seattle Slew from a distinguished Claiborne Farm female family, named Swale.
The dam, Tuerta, was sired by Argentinian super horse Forli, so the breeding
represented a serious effort by the owners of Claiborne Farm (and their
partners) at producing a classic racehorse. His two year-old season was marked
by some narrow victories in several major races. Swale came to the forefront of
the three year-old division winning the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.
After a puzzling loss in the slop in the Lexington Stakes at
Keeneland, Swale rebounded with a strong performance to win the Kentucky Derby by
3¼ lengths. The victory marked a long sought after goal of the Hancock’s of
Claiborne Farm, the birthplace of so many outstanding thoroughbreds. Woody
Stephens, who had contracted pneumonia during Derby Week, was miraculously present
in the winner’s circle along with jockey Laffit Pincay. However, their Derby
joy was tempered when Swale ran poorly in the Preakness, finishing seventh to
Ken Opstein’s Gate Dancer who had been disqualified from fourth to fifth in the
Derby.
The Belmont Stakes was viewed as the deciding race between
the two classic winners, Swale and Gate Dancer. However, there was a great deal
of uncertainty whether they would reproduce their best form, given the
inconsistency of this classic group. By post time, astute New York bettors made
Swale the clear favorite based on the win-lose-win rhythm of his campaign, and
the handicapping assumption that being the only real speed in the race, Swale
could control the pace.
Right on cue, Pincay sent the panther-like Swale to the
lead, and, sure enough, they set a leisurely pace for the first 6 furlongs.
Just behind Swale was longshot Minstrel Star and Play On with Angel Cordero
keeping Gate Dancer closer to the pace than usual. Around the far turn, Play On
and Gate Dancer tried to close ground on Swale, but Pincay kept his mount in
front as the stamina in the colt’s pedigree was showing its influence. In the
stretch, Swale continued to maintain a daylight margin as his strove to the
finish winning by 4 comfortable lengths over late closing Pine Circle who was 3
lengths in front of Morning Bob. Gate Dancer, forced out of his best racing
style, finished sixth. The time was good with Swale finishing the last ½ mile
very strongly. Seth Hancock, President of Claiborne Farm and family received
the Belmont trophy in the winner’s circle. For Woody Stephens (who had
recovered from his illness) and Laffit Pincay, this was a Belmont “hat trick”
as they both celebrated their third victory in a row in this classic. (For the
record, Woody Stephens was the first trainer to accomplish this in almost 100
years. However, Mr. Stephens was not done with his Belmont Stakes streak.)
An incredibly sad endnote to the 1984 classic season occurred
eight days after the Belmont Stakes when Swale, returning from a routine gallop
to his barn, rolled over and was pronounced dead a short time later. Cardiac
arrest was suspected, and after a thorough post-mortem examination, it was
discovered the colt had a heart abnormality that might have led to his death.
Many of the tragedies involving horses are hard to rationalize, but this may be
the most inexplicable of all. The adage, “In horse racing the highs are very high
and the lows are very low.”, has seldom been truer than in the case of Swale.
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| Swale (www.pinterest.com) |
Woody’s main classic hope in 1985 was Henryk de
Kwiatkowski’s Stephan’s Odyssey. In the first crop of the owner’s stallion
Danzig, the bay colt, bred for distance, being out of a Gallant Man mare, had a
short but successful juvenile season. After breaking his maiden at Belmont in
October and finishing fourth in an allowance race, Stephan’s Odyssey was shipped
to California, and after winning an prep race, he was victorious in the Hollywood
Futurity. In Florida over the winter, he ran competitively with the best on the
East Coast and went into the Kentucky Derby with a viable chance. However, he
was unable to catch the runaway leader, Hunter Farm’s Spend a Buck, finishing
second by 5¼ lengths. Skipping the Preakness Stakes, Stephens prepared Stephan’s
Odyssey for a run at the Belmont.
However, Woody had another entry in the Belmont in Brushwood
Stable’s Crème Fraiche. The gelded son of Rich Cream, who seemed to be
designated as a “B” level horse, had run second consecutively in the Hutcheson,
Swale and Everglades Stakes, and the Louisiana Derby. He broke that string in
the Derby Trial rallying from off the pace for a ½ length victory on the muddy
Churchill Downs surface. Stephens, after
some thought, did not enter this doughty warrior in the Kentucky Derby. Instead,
Crème Fraiche, ran in the Jersey Derby where he faced Spend a Buck who had avoided
the other Triple Crown races in order to capture a $2 million bonus by winning
four New Jersey stakes races. In the 1¼ mile race, Spend a Buck, just had
enough to hold off Crème Fraiche by a neck at the finish.
On Belmont Day, a field of eleven was assembled on a muddy
track surface. Last year’s Two Year-old Champion, Chief’s Crown, who had
finished third in the Derby and second in the Preakness, was favored. However,
the Woody Stephens’ entry of Stephan’s Odyssey and Crème Fraiche was a close
second choice. (Besides, getting two legitimate contenders on one betting
ticket, horse players were very aware of Stephens’ Belmont Stakes magic.) Mr.
and Mrs. Eugene Klein’s Tank’s Prospect, who had narrowly defeated Chief’s
Crown in the Preakness, was the third choice.
The pace was rapid with both Chief’s Crown and Tank’s
Prospect taking mid-pack positions with the Stephens’ duo parked in the rear.
Around the far turn as the leaders tired, Chief’s Crown launched his dependable
bid while Tank’s Prospect lost ground suddenly and was pulled up lame.
Meanwhile, Crème Fraiche on the outside and Stephan’s Odyssey on the rail were
rallying strongly. At the top of the stretch, the two Stephens’ entrants
sandwiched Chief’s Crown between them, and after a brief struggle, they pulled
away from the juvenile champion. At the finish, Crème Fraiche bested Stephan’s
Odyssey by a ½ length with Chief’s Crown 4½ lengths back in third. A gelding
winning the Belmont is never good for the breed, but since Brushwood Farm
owner, Elizabeth Moran was a major breeder, buyer and seller of horses, Crème
Fraiche’s win was warmly received by the thoroughbred community. For Eddie
Maple, who lost the mount on Conquistador Cielo due to injury on the eve of the
1982 Belmont and had been replaced on other occasions by Laffit Pincay, this
victory was particularly satisfying. For Woody, well, the beat just kept going
on with now four consecutive Belmont victories.
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| Crème Fraiche (www.pinterest.com |
Stephens’ Belmont Stakes horse for 1986 followed a similar path as Conquistador Cielo and Crème Fraiche in racing neither in the Kentucky Derby nor the Preakness Stakes. Henyrk de Kwiatkowski’s Danzig Connection was a rangy bay son of Danzig out of a Sir Ivor mare who as a two year-old rose out of allowance competition to win a minor stakes race (on a disqualification) and finish a close second in the Young America Stakes, both at the Meadowlands Racetrack. In the lead up to the Belmont Stakes, Woody Stephens, brought Danzig Connection back just in time. Beaten in his first two races against older allowance horses, the long-legged son of Danzig showed an improved effort in leading all the way to win the Peter Pan Stakes by a measured ¾ of a length.
The Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes had been won by
two California based runners who were frequent rivals. At Louisville, Mrs.
Howard B. Keck’s Ferdinand trained by the “Bald Eagle” Charles Whittingham and
ridden by Bill Shoemaker pulled an upset, while in the Preakness, Carl
Grinstead and Ben Rochelle’s Snow Chief trained by Mel Stute, unplaced in the
Derby, rebounded to defeat Ferdinand by 4 lengths. Snow Chief’s connections
decided to forego the Belmont and shipped their colt back to California. The
ten horse Belmont field did feature Ferdinand who was completing his
participation in all three classics. The rains came on Belmont Day making the
racetrack sloppy, and the public was uncertain of Ferdinand’s ability to handle
the off going so they settled on the Derby second, Rampage, as the favorite.
Danzig Connection, despite Woody Stephens’ Belmont win streak was fifth choice
at 8-1.
Mogambo, who was unplaced in the Derby, was sent to the lead
followed by Danzig Connection. Ferdinand, a resolute one run horse, was
positioned close by in third on the rail with John’s Treasure fourth just to
his outside. The time for the first ½ mile was fast, but it slowed considerably
with each passing ¼ of a mile. At the ½ mile pole, Chris McCarron on Danzig
Connection went up to challenge Mogambo with Shoemaker on Ferdinand sensing he
had to move earlier than he wanted, did so around the long far turn. In doing
so, Shoemaker had to steady his colt a bit as John’s Treasure, also went after
the leaders. Mogambo dropped back readily, but at the top of the stretch Danzig
Connection, Ferdinand and John’s Treasure were three abreast in what promised
to be a rousing duel to the finish. However, McCarron had not asked all from
his mount, and, when he did, Danzig Connection spurted clear and finished with a
1¼ length margin of victory. In the battle for second, John’s Treasure edged
Ferdinand by a neck.
So Woody Stephens kept his streak going now with five
straight Belmonts. (There may have been no Triple Crown winner this year, but
there was a triple of sorts in that Stephens was the third separate 70+
year-old trainer (along with Whittingham and Stute) to win a classic in 1986.) Owner
Henryk de Kwiatokowski was at the beginning of Stephens’ streak with his
Conquistador Cielo in 1982, but Chris McCarron was new to the classic victory
party.
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| Danzig Connection (www.horseracingnation) |
As a postscript, Woody Stephens’ Belmont Stakes streaked
ended in 1987 when trainee, Hickory Tree Stable’s Gone West finished sixth.
However, his “Five Belmont Straight” is a record that is singular in the history of American thoroughbred classic races.
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