Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series: Tiller

Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series
Number 4: Tiller

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the next installment of the occasional series that features those somewhat forgotten thoroughbreds who did not win any championship but ran exceptionally well and under different circumstances might have garnered awards. Here, we highlight the career of the gelding Tiller who raced very successfully, primarily on grass, against some of the best horses of the late 1970’s.

Tiller with Angel Cordero Jr. aboard
(Vic Stein and Associates photo)

Foaled at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky and, although owned jointly by Claiborne and William Haggin Perry, Tiller raced in the latter’s colors. Born in 1974, the chestnut son of the prominent French imported stallion Herbager from the mare Chappaquiddick was always meant to be a long distance runner. Under the tutelage of trainer David Whiteley, Tiller did not begin racing until 1977. By the end of his sophomore year, he was able to compete in stakes competition, resulting in fourth place finishes in the Lawrence Realization and Man o’ War Stakes. In the latter race, Tiller finished behind two other runners in my “Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series”, namely the winner Majestic Light and the second place finisher, Exceller.

As a four-year-old in 1978, Tiller emerged as a prominent grass performer. Starting with a Florida winter campaign that netted a victory in an allowance race and a third place finish in the Hialeah Turf Cup, Tiller came to New York in the spring and commenced a six race winning streak. Included in this skein were victories in the Fort Marcy, Edgemere, Bowling Green (setting a new Belmont Park turf course record for 11 furlongs) and Tidal Handicaps. Facing the top turf horses in the fall, Tiller finished third in the Manhattan Handicap and second in both the Man o’ War and Turf Classic Stakes (each time to the outstanding French imported filly Waya). In his final start of 1978 in the 1½ mile Washington D. C. International, Tiller just missed by a head of defeating the year’s male turf champion Mac Diarmida (whom he had finished in front in the Man o’ War Stakes) with Waya 3 lengths further back in third.

It was in the first half of 1979 that Tiller reached the zenith of his success, and racing against the best horses of his time, he more than held his own. Spending the winter at Santa Anita Park, where David Whiteley had shipped his trainees, William Haggin Perry’s color bearer started the year (on January 1^st) with a third place finish to Fluorescent Light in the San Gabriel Handicap. When rains forced Tiller’s next start, the San Marcos Handicap, off the turf, David Whiteley found that the son of Herbager could handle the Santa Anita dirt course, winning and setting a new track record for 1¼ mile under top weight of 126 lb. Remaining on the dirt, Tiller next added the San Antonio Stakes to his list of achievements rallying from off the pace to finish 3½ lengths in front of Painted Wagon.

In the climatic Santa Anita Handicap, Tiller faced two future Racing Hall of Fame inductees in Affirmed and Exceller.  Affirmed, the Triple Crown winner of 1978 who had recently regained winning form, was weighted at 128 lb. for the Big Cap with Tiller and Exceller (who had defeated both Affirmed and the 1977 Triple Crown hero, Seattle Slew, in last year’s Jockey Club Gold Cup) weighted both 1 lb. less. As Tiller and Exceller were committed closers, Affirmed used his natural speed to advantage sitting right off the pace of Painted Wagon until the stretch and cruising to a 4½ length victory margin, eclipsing Tiller’s recent 1¼ mile track record. Tiller closing ground, finished second 3 lengths ahead of the dead-heated Painted Wagon and Exceller.

In the marathon turf races during the Santa Anita winter meet, the veteran campaigner Noble Dancer flew in from Florida to win the San Luis Rey Stakes for the second consecutive year. In the 1½ mile rain soaked course, the English bred resisted Tiller’s closing kick by 2½ lengths with New Zealander Good Lord, third 4 lengths further behind. Exceller, who was not able to handle the soft turf, finished sixth. In a vintage renewal of the San Juan Capistrano Handicap (run at a distance of almost 1¾ miles) in April, three top grass horses, Noble Dancer (under 128 lb.), Exceller (127 lb.) and Tiller (126 lb.) along with eight others entered the starting gate. After long time pacesetter Good Lord faded in the homestretch, Exceller burst through the inside for a clear lead and an apparent victory. However, Tiller coming with a tremendous surge, went right past Exceller to win by ¾ of a length. Noble Dancer, finished third an identical margin further back, and Good Lord was in fourth place. If it were the not for the re-emergence of Affirmed, Tiller with three stakes wins and three stakes placings would have been the horse of the Santa Anita meeting on both turf and dirt.

At this point, Tiller was clearly the leader in the quest to be voted male champion turf horse. However, his connections kept trying him on dirt. Shipped east, Tiller was entered in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park in late May but was scratched due to a minor injury. After an allowance win in June, Tiller ran in the traditional July 4 edition of the Suburban Handicap with Calumet Farm’s Alydar (Number 1 on my “Best Horses to Not Win a Championship Series”) (at 126 lb.) favored over Tiller (also at 126 lb.), and Metropolitan Handicap victor State Dinner (118 lb.). Under a hard drive, State Dinner pulled away to win by a ½ length over pacesetting Mister Brea who was second ¾ of a length ahead of Alydar. Tiller, unable to close off the slow pace was fifth and last but beaten only 3 lengths. Persisting on dirt, Tiller ran next in the Brooklyn Handicap, the thinking being he would prove superior at the 1½ mile distance. Alas, he produced only a mild closing punch in finishing fourth to The Liberal Member.

A return to turf failed to find success as Tiller finished third in the Brighton Beach Handicap and second to Fluorescent Light in the Manhattan Handicap, both at Belmont Park. Subsequently, he developed a suspensory leg injury that ended his five-year-old campaign.

Tiller, now six years old, had (for him) an abbreviated campaign in 1980. Not resuming racing until late May, the son of Herbager raced twice without success in allowance races on dirt. Tiller did not regain his best form until turned back to turf winning at Belmont Park the 11 furlong Tidal Handicap. In his next start, the 1½ mile Sword Dancer Stakes, Tiller would face, at equal weights, a burgeoning legend in John Henry who had swept all the major grass races on the West Coast in the first half of the year. Also entered was Sten who had narrowly defeated John Henry (while getting a sizable weight allowance) in the Bowling Green Handicap, and one other horse - Marquee Universal. In a splendid renewal of the Sword Dancer, John Henry, pressing Marquee Universal’s pace, took the lead around the far turn as Sten and Tiller made their respective challenges. The bulldog John Henry repulsed Sten but was worn down grudgingly by Tiller’s relentless drive.  At the finish, Tiller’s winning margin was 1¼ lengths with John Henry, 2 lengths in front of Sten. The final time was just 2/5 of a second off Secretariat’s course record.

The next meeting of these two stellar grass horses was in the 1¼ mile Brighton Beach Handicap in September at Belmont Park. In the interim, Tiller had finished third in the 9 furlong Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga Racetrack. In the Brighton Beach, Tiller was top weighted at 126 lb. in which John Henry carried 1 lb. less. At the finish John Henry defeated Premier Ministre by a neck. However, the real story of the race was that Tiller fractured his hip during the running, just as he was making his characteristic charge around the far turn to reach the leaders. Despite hemorrhaging from the injury, Tiller was, fortunately, able to be saved. However, his racing career was over.

In total, Tiller raced 40 times with 16 victories and 13 other second or third place finishers. He competed at a high level for almost four years, raced against Affirmed and Alydar and finished in front of such stalwarts as John Henry, Exceller, and Waya. For all these reasons, Tiller deserves to be recognized as an unsung hero of the American turf.