Memories of Preakness - Part I.

 

Memories of the Preakness – Part I.

Joseph Di Rienzi

When the Preakness Stakes is renewed on May 17^th, it will mark some milestones. This will be the 150^th running of what has been called “The Middle Jewel”. It will also mark the last time the race is contested at the current Pimlico Racetrack. The clubhouse and adjacent facilities are scheduled to be reconstructed through state financing. Starting in 2026, the Preakness will be run at Laurel Racetrack, and continue there until the reconstruction is completed. The upcoming relocation of the Preakness is not unprecedented. In fact, Maryland’s signature horserace has, on occasion, been run out of state. In 1890, seventeen years after its inaugural, the Preakness Stakes was run at Morris Park Racecourse in The Bronx, New York. Then from 1891 to 1893 it was not renewed, but from 1894 to 1908, it was contested at Gravesend Racetrack in Coney Island, New York. Returning to Pimlico in 1909, it has remained in Baltimore, Maryland.

The aim of this piece is to recount the most memorable Preakness Stakes in the last 65 years. I have found narrowing the list to a reasonable number has been challenging. Over the many years, I have been following thoroughbred racing, there have been many thrilling editions of the Preakness, in fact this race has often a more dramatic finish than its Kentucky counterpart. So as a compromise, I have divided this essay into a two-part series signaling out three editions of the race in Part I. and three more in Part II. My choice of renewals is purely subjective; an astute reader will note I have omitted the years 1977, 1978, 2015 and 2018 in which a horse on the way to winning the coveted Triple Crown triumphed at Pimlico. Part of my rationale was to highlight some renewals that are not that well remembered yet produced pulsating finishes among evenly matched contestants. I hope you will enjoy my attempt at rekindling the past.

 

1962
The classic crop of 1962 was a contentious bunch of horses, some who shone brightly briefly, others who soldiered on through the winter and spring months. What set this year off from others was the series of tight finishes and objections lodged. The horse who finished first in the Flamingo Stakes and dead heated for the win in the Wood Memorial Stakes (Sunrise County) was disqualified and there was a foul claim in the Florida Derby against the winner, Ridan. The hot favorite for the Kentucky Derby, Meadow Stables’ Sir Gaylord, was injured the day before the race and withdrawn. The flashy Ridan assumed favoritism but could not finish better than third as El Peco Ranch’s Decidedly, rallying from behind, defeated Roman Line by 2½ lengths setting a Derby track record.

The week after the Kentucky Derby, Aqueduct Racetrack carded the mile Withers Stakes, and George D. Widener’s Jaipur who had not contested the Derby won by a length. The victory was satisfactory enough to enter him in the Preakness Stakes which his connections stated would be used as part of his Belmont Stakes preparation. Derby runners Decidedly, Roman Line, Ridan, Sunrise County and Crimson Satan were also in Baltimore for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.

This Preakness provided a thrilling contest with a controversial finish. Jaipur took the lead early, but he would have no response when challengers came. Ridan surged to the lead on the far turn, but he was soon joined by Brandywine Stable’s, Greek Money, a chestnut colt from the Mid-Atlantic region trained by V. W. “Buddy” Raines. Greek Money had an ordinary two-year-old season, but racing at Laurel and Pimlico Racetrack, he had won two of three starts with easy wins in the Chesapeake Stakes and the Preakness Prep allowance race.  Ridden by John Rotz, Greek Money slipped to the lead inside of Ridan, and the two waged a fierce battle down the stretch with the Brandywine color bearer prevailing by a nose after it appeared Ridan would triumph. After the race, a foul claim was lodged by Ridan’s rider, Manuel Ycaza, who claimed interference during the stretch run. The pan shot of the embattled pair failed to disclose any wrongdoing, but the head-on (see photo below) showed Ycaza leaning in towards Greek Money seemingly attempting to push his adversary into the rail. The result was let stand, and Ycaza was suspended for a frivolous claim of foul. As for the others, Roman Line was well back in third, Sunrise County fifth, Crimson Satan seventh, Jaipur who would go on to win the Belmont Stakes tenth, and the Derby winner, Decidedly, a complete absentee in eighth.

Greek Money(right) winning 
the 1962 Preakness Stakes
(nytimes.com)

1969
This year’s crop of three-year-olds was considered first rate and was initially headed by the previous year’s champion two-year-old Top Knight who had won both the Flamingo Stakes and Florida Derby. He was not favored in the Kentucky Derby due to the presence of Majestic Prince. The strapping chestnut son of Raise a Native was sold as a yearling for what then was a world record price of $250,000 to Canadian industrialist Frank McMahon. Trained by retired Hall of Fame jockey John Longden who rode 1943 Triple Crown winner Count Fleet and ridden by four time leading jockey William Hartack, everything about Majestic Prince said this horse was special. Majestic Prince came into the Derby undefeated in seven starts. He was sternly tested in the race, but not by Top Knight. Instead, it was Paul Mellon’s Arts and Letters who was coming into his own after second place finishes (to Top Knight) in the Florida races and a runaway victory in the Blue Grass Stakes. The son of Ribot battled down the Churchill Downs stretch with Majestic Prince, falling short by a neck with Claiborne Farm’s Dike ½ length back in third. Top Knight could do no better than fifth place.

With this result, thoroughbred racing had an undefeated Kentucky Derby winner on his way to the Preakness. However, the Derby also identified a formidable adversary in Arts and Letters who would make Majestic Prince’s Triple Crown quest much more difficult to accomplish.

The Preakness Stakes, two weeks later, featured a rematch of the Kentucky Derby with Majestic Prince and Arts and Letters. Dike was reserved to await the Belmont Stakes, but Top Knight was entered to erase his subpar Derby performance. There were eight entries in the Preakness, with only Al Hattab and Jay Ray given any other consideration. Majestic Prince was the prohibitive favorite with Top Knight, surprisingly, the second choice.

The race had controversy right from the beginning with Majestic Prince bumping Arts and Letters shortly after the break. Then going to the first turn, Majestic Prince bore out slightly into Al Hattab, squeezing Arts and Letters, who was racing in between them, sufficient enough that Braulio Baeza riding Arts and Letters had to steady and drop his mount several lengths back of the leaders. Longshots Glad’s Flame and Greengrass Green contested the pace several lengths ahead of Majestic Prince and Top Knight. Arts and Letters, back in sixth place, began to make up the lost ground down the backstretch. As they approached the far turn, Majestic Prince made his move with Top Knight following. Just as in the Derby, last year’s two-year-old champion was unable to sustain his rally and dropped back before the stretch run. However, Arts and Letters, although forced the go wide on the final turn, was launching a powerful rally. In the stretch, Majestic Prince had a clear lead, but Arts and Letters was closing relentlessly on the far outside. He seemed to be getting to the leader, but the Derby victor had enough left to hold him off, albeit by a diminishing head. Jay Ray was 4 lengths back in third with Top Knight another 4 lengths back in fourth place and Al Hattab fifth. Soon afterward there was a jockey’s claim of foul by Baeza for interference on the part of Majestic Prince early in the race, but after a lengthy deliberation, the Pimlico stewards let the result stand.

Majestic Prince winning the 1969 Preakness Stakes
(Winant Brothers)

In the immediate afterward, trainer John Longden announced that Majestic Prince would not contest the Belmont Stakes, thereby foregoing the opportunity to complete the Triple Crown. Longden indicated that Majestic Prince (and he) were tired from their joint efforts in the Derby and Preakness. The racing press and public thought this was heretical. A little later, Majestic Prince’s owner Frank McMahon overruled his trainer and the undefeated Double Crown hero preceded to attempt to complete the Triple Crown. In the 1½ mile final classic, Majestic Prince found Arts and Letters too strong and finished second, beaten 5½ lengths. 

1973
There was tremendous anticipation leading up to the 1973 Preakness Stakes as a result of Secretariat’s track record performance in the Kentucky Derby. The Meadow Stable runner trained by Lucien Laurin had fulfilled all the promise he had shone has a two-year-old in defeating Sigmund Sommer’s gallant Sham by 2½ lengths. First spoken in whispers, but now proclaimed at loud was the hope that the long drought (since 1948) of a Triple Crown winner may be finally over. However, the Preakness was the bane of the previous year’s Meadow Stable runner Riva Ridge who after winning the Derby could finish only fourth to outsider Bee Bee Bee. (“Riva” subsequently atoned for this lost with a triumphant 7 length victory in the climatic Belmont Stakes.)

The 1973 Preakness had a field much reduced from its Louisville counterpart. The first three finishes in the Kentucky Derby - Secretariat, Sham and Our Native were entered with three longshots – Deadly Dream, Ecole Etage and Torsion all of whom had not contested the Derby. Secretariat had a brilliant workout at Pimlico Racetrack the Sunday before the race and appeared to be coming into the Preakness in peak condition. Sham also seemed to be holding his form, so there was great anticipation they would continue their rivalry. The Meadow Stable team was confident, but cautious, remembering Riva Ridge’s shocking defeat in the Preakness the previous year after also winning the Derby impressively. The charisma of Secretariat was becoming infectious and that brought a record Preakness crowd which officials at Pimlico were unable to adequately control (especially during the race). 

Ecole Etage, as expected, was sent to the lead. Secretariat breaking slowly as usual, dropped back to sixth place, but instead of steering him to the inside as he did in the Derby, jockey Ron Turcotte wheeled the big chestnut colt outside of horses on the clubhouse turn. In doing so, Secretariat made a sudden move that took him quickly from last to first, surprising everyone. Laffit Pincay Jr., riding Sham, who was tracking in fourth, wheeled his colt out in pursuit of Secretariat. Down the backstretch Secretariat had a daylight lead with Sham in second place tracking. Around the far turn, Sham was roused to close the gap, but Turcotte on Secretariat was just letting his horse lope along. My most lasting memory of the stretch run was Turcotte sitting still on Secretariat while Pincay was flailing away on Sham in futile pursuit. At the finish, Secretariat maintained a 2½ length margin on Sham with Our Native 8 lengths back, exactly the finish and margins as in the Derby.

The most controversial aspect of the race was the final time. The official clocking by Pimlico was decidedly slower than handheld times, which registered a new track record. After many years of discussion and reviewing race videos, the Maryland Racing Commission in 2012 recognized the discrepancy and credited Secretariat with a time that broke the existing track record. More importantly this horse was now on the verge of horse racing immortality. As co-owner Penny Tweedy declared in the Preakness winner’s circle, “there is one more river to cross.”

Secretariat winning the 1973 Preakness Stakes
(The New York Times)

(To be continued in Memories of the Preakness - Part II.)