The Met Mile - Stallion Maker, Myth or Reality

 

The Met Mile – Stallion Maker
Myth or Reality

Joseph Di Rienzi

Flightline winning the 2022 Met Mile
(bloodhorse.com)

The Metropolitan Handicap, known more familiarly as the Met Mile, run since 2014 on Belmont Stakes Day, has acquired a special status in North American thoroughbred racing as a “stallion maker” race. The group thinking being that if a mature horse can win a top class race at a mile, he has demonstrated the speed and sufficient stamina to pass those abilities to future progeny. Indeed, the current Phenom Du Jour Flightline’s connections had plotted this race as the coming out party for their four-year-old since last December. The question this piece will examine is whether the Met Mile continues to deserve that appellation.

The Metropolitan Handicap has had a long and storied history in New York racing. First run in 1897, it has been contested at 1 mile since 1894. It list of winners include such greats as Equipoise, Gallorette, Stymie, Tom Fool, Native Dancer, Gallant Man, Kelso, Buckpasser and Forego. I will look at the recent victors since 2001 who have at least full three crops of progeny and give a short summary of their stallion careers to assess whether they have been successful sires.

The following chart shows Metropolitan Handicap victors from 2001 - 2015. (I have excluded winners beyond 2015 in that they would have at most only progeny that have raced to their four-year-old season which I deem is too soon to judge their stud career.)

Metropolitan Handicap Victors (2001 – 2015)

Year                       Horse                                    Owner                                                  Trainer

2001                       Exciting Story                     Harry T. Mangurian Jr.                       Mark Casse

2002                       Swept Overboard            J. Paul Reddam                                     Craig Dollase

2003                       Aldebaran                           Flaxman Holdings                              Robert J. Frankel

2004                       Pico Central                        Gary A. Tanka                                    Paulo Lobo

2005                       Ghostzapper                      Stronach Stables                                Robert J. Frankel

2006                       Silver Train                          Buckram Farm                                   Richard E. Dutrow

2007                       Corinthian                           Centennial Farms                               James A. Jerkens                            

2008                       Divine Park                         James J. Barry                                     Kiran McLaughlin

2009                       Bribon (g)                            Marc Keller                                          Rob Ribaudo

2010                       Quality Road                      Edward P. Evans                                  Todd Pletcher

2011                       Tizway                                  William Clifton Jr.                               H. James Bond

2012                       Shackleford                        Lauffer and Cubbedge                         Dale Romans

2013                       Sahara Sky                          Goldmark Farm                                 Jerry Hollendorfer

2014                       Palace Malice                     Dogwood Stable                                  Todd Pletcher

2015                       Honor Code                        Lane’s End Racing                             Shug McCaughey

 

A quick purview of the above list recognizes Quality Road and Ghostzapper as prominent stallions, but one would be hard pressed to cite the others as successes at stud. (Note, Bribon, the 2009 winner, a gelding, did not, of course, breed on.)

Ghostzapper, a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee, was an outstanding racehorse as a four-year-old winning among others the Woodward Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic. His Metropolitan Mile victory in 2005 was his only start as a five-year-old before an injury necessitated his retirement. At stud, he has been a consistently good sire with major stakes winners such as Mystic Guide (Dubai World Cup, etc.), Judy the Beauty (Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, etc.), Contested (Acorn, Test Stakes, etc.), Guarana (Acorn Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks and Madison Stakes), Paulassilverlining (Humana Distaff Stakes, etc.), Shaman Ghost (Queen’s Plate Stakes, Santa Anita Handicap, Woodward Stakes, etc.) and Fearless (Brooklyn Stakes, etc.).

Quality Road, a major performer at age three and four, won such races as the Florida Derby, Donn Handicap, Woodward Stakes as well as the Met Mile. By all measures he has been an elite sire. His progeny include champions Abel Tasman, Caledonia Road and Corniche. He has sired to date four Breeders’ Cup races winners: Hootenanny (Juvenile Filly Turf), Caledonia Road (Juvenile Filly), City of Light (Dirt Mile) and Corniche (Juvenile).  

From the others on the table of recent Met Mile winners, it is difficult to make the case for them as successful stallions. The 2003 winner Aldebaran had seemingly all the credentials at stud. Owned and bred by Flaxman Holdings, the son of Mr. Prospector came from a long female line of Niarchos family stalwarts. Not only a Met Mile winner in 2003, Aldebaran finished second in the 2002 edition.  In a career that spanned four years, he finished no worse than second in 20 of his 25 starts, often times in top races from 7 to 8 furlongs.  As the result of wins in the Met Mile, Carter, Forego and Tom Fool Handicaps, Aldebaran was voted the Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter in 2003.

Retired initially to Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky in 2004, he was sold and exported to Japan in 2008. His only prominent Western progeny was Main Sequence who after finishing second in the English Derby in 2012 became the Champion Older Male Horse in the U. S. with a four race string of major victories on turf in 2014.

Shackleford has had some middling success at stud. A rugged campaigner who competed in all the Triple Crown races of 2011 which included a victory in the Preakness Stakes, the son of Forestry went to stud at Darby Dan Farm in 2015 boasting good looks, a fine pedigree and multiple major victories with total earnings over $3 million. His most significant runners are stakes winners Promises Fulfilled, Malagacy and the currently raced Stilleto Boy. Because of dwindling interest in Shackelford he was sold to South Korean interests in 2020.

Two of the most disappointing horses from the list are Corinthian and Honor Code. They both sported great pedigrees and performances that extended beyond winning the Met Mile. The former a flashing chestnut son of sire of sires Pulpit was initially retired to stud at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky in 2008. Not having initial success with his progeny, Corinthian was moved to Pin Oak Stud Pennsylvania in 2013. Four years later he was exported to Turkey.

Honor Code, Champion Male Older Horse in 2015, is currently still at stud in the U. S., but I fear his future in this country is precarious. Possessed of gorgeous looks, a powerful physique and a pedigree of the highest caliber, he was seen as a natural successor to his illustrious sire A. P. Indy. Standing at Lane’s End Farm he has had three major stakes winners: Honor A. P. (Santa Anita Derby), Maracuja (Coaching Coach American Oaks) and Max Player (Suburban and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes). However, the fact they his progeny have not shown the precocity favored by North American breeders has led to Honor Code having declining recent foal crops (29 in 2021), usually the death toll for a stallion.       

Of the others on the list, there would be an odd runner sired such as champion Lady Eli by Divine Park, or Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf victor Structor by Palace Malice, but for the most part they have been failures at stud.

Two major stallions (Ghostzapper and Quality Road) out of the 15 listed constitute a meager 13.3 % of stallion success which hardly validates the Metropolitan Handicap as a “stallion maker”. As always, the proof of a stallion is in his progeny. The notoriety gained by winning the Met Mile may have provided these victors with the opportunity to be stallions, but their worth needed to be tested on the racetrack. We can only hope this year’s victor Flightline will prove to be to be an exception.  

The Wild and Wonderful Classics of 1962

 

The Wild and Wonderful Classics of 1962

Joseph Di Rienzi

 

Before I chronicle in this piece the horses and races leading up and through the Triple Crown series of 1962, I would like to point out that three of the leading contenders had temperament issues that vexed their connections and may have contributed to their respective performances. Ridan’s behavior was perhaps the easiest to explain. He was a grandson of the hot-tempered Nasrullah whose progeny where known for their brilliance and unwillingness to be restrained in workout and races. From the speedy influences in his pedigree, there were questions from his two-year-old campaign as to how far in distance Ridan would be able to compete in top races. However, he did have a great deal of class and determination to offset these liabilities, but his rankness in certain races (notably, the Kentucky Derby) perhaps cost him victory. Another son of Nasrullah, Jaipur, while not showing unbridled energy displayed a sulkiness that made him difficult to train and an unwillingness to extend himself even in his winning efforts. Now Crimson Satan, had no Nasrullah blood in him, but he also had temperament issues. In races he was something of a rogue, at times bearing in on his competition, and once (in the Belmont Stakes) attempting to bite the horse nearest him.

With this cast of equine characters, the stage was set for a very interesting classic run in 1962. In the beginning, the national thoroughbred spotlight was on Florida where three of the leading two-year-olds of the previous year – Ridan, Crimson Satan and Sir Gaylord were preparing to begin their sophomore season. There was still lingering debate as to whether Ridan or Crimson Satan was the best two-year-old of the previous year (each having been voted champion in separate polls), but horseracing has the advantage of settling arguments on the racetrack. Sir Gaylord was still held in high regard despite four consecutive third place finishes in his final races as a juvenile, and reports from trackside observers indicated how impressively he was training.

Ridan was the first of the trio to emerge in 1962. Owned by a partnership of Mrs. Moody Jolley, John Greer and Ernest Woods and trained by young Leroy Jolley (Mrs. Jolley’s son), Ridan was a magnificent specimen of the breed, a robust handsome bay with a stripe down his face. He started in January winning the 6 furlong Hibiscus Stakes at Hialeah Park beating a good horse in Rainy Lake by 1½ lengths. The victory kept Ridan’s unbeaten record intact (now at eight). Ten days later, Crimson Satan and Sir Gaylord ran in a 6 furlong allowance race at Hialeah. The former was a flashy chestnut son of Spy Song owned by his breeder Crimson King Farm and trained by G. H. Potter while the latter a sleek bay homebred from Meadow Stable conditioned by veteran Casey Hayes. In the allowance race, they finished one-two with Sir Gaylord prevailing by ¾ of a length in a fast final time. In the 7 furlong Bahamas Stakes, Ridan, Crimson Satan and Sir Gaylord all met with the first named the prohibitive favorite. Ridan had the lead heading into the stretch, but he had no response when Sir Gaylord came up to challenge and was beaten nearly 2 lengths with Crimson Satan finishing a non-threatening third. When the trio met again in the 9 furlong Everglades Stakes, Sir Gaylord was now the solid choice, and he did not disappoint. Running perhaps the most impressive race by any three-year-old in 1962, he won the Everglades by a widening 4¾ lengths in very fast time showing clear domination with a longshot, El Peco Ranch’s Decidedly, placing second. Ridan tiring, finished third beaten over 7 lengths and subsequently was disqualified and placed fourth. Crimson Satan, who did not appear to thrive under the humid Florida weather, finished fifth beaten over 16 lengths. Decidedly, a gray son of 1954 Kentucky Derby winner, Determine, was bred in California by his owner George A. Pope and trained by the transplanted Argentinian, Horatio Luro. He had an indifferent two-year-old year mostly running in allowance races, but he was starting to blossom as a three-year-old under Luro’s careful tutelage.

The Flamingo Stakes was intended to be a coronation for Sir Gaylord, but that was not to be as he suffered an ankle injury and was withdrawn from consideration. It was hoped he could still be ready for the Kentucky Derby. With Sir Gaylord, Decidedly and Crimson Satan not running, Ridan was the warm favorite for the Flamingo Stakes with the only doubt concerning whether he could win at the race’s 9 furlong distance. There was also a jockey change in replacing William Hartack with Ismael Valenzuela, Sir Gaylord’s jockey.  Ridan’s connections thought Mr. Valenzuela would be better able to conserve (rate) the headstrong Ridan in the early going.  However, the race was filled with controversy in that Sunrise County, previously inconsequential in stakes races, led from start to finish but in deep stretch carried the challenging Ridan wide across the track. While this was happening, rank longshot Prego crept up the rail to finish second a neck ahead of Ridan who finished nearly on the stand side. After an objection, the track stewards disqualified Sunrise County from first and placed him third behind Ridan, which gave the victory to Prego who most likely would have finished third if there had been no infraction.

Compared to all the excitement in Florida, the California racing scene was rather tepid. The leading contender was initially considered Royal Attack, a decent two-year-old who gradually made his way up the ranks of the West coast three-year-olds culminating in a hard fought win in the Santa Anita Derby. By Kentucky Derby Day, Royal Attack’s prospects had dimmed considerably as he finished out of the money in three races leading up to the Derby. As it transpired, the second and third finishers in the Santa Anita Derby, Admiral’s Voyage and Sir Ribot respectively, would make more of an impact on the Triple Crown races.  Admiral’s Voyage, a son of Crafty Admiral from an Olympia mare, was another product of Fred W. Hooper’s iconoclastic breeding program. Fresh from his placing in the Santa Anita Derby, Admiral’s Voyage shipped into New Orleans and was a narrow winner over Roman Line in the Louisiana Derby. Sir Ribot, a son of the immortal European champion Ribot was owned and trained by the same people who were responsible for the 1959 Kentucky Derby hero Tomy Lee.

The Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park promised, just as the Flamingo did, to be a romp for Ridan. His Flamingo adversaries, Sunrise County and Prego went north to contest races in New York. Once again, there was a rider change for Ridan. This time Manuel Ycaza, thought to be the strongest active rider, was recruited to handle Ridan. However, there was a formidable threat from none other than Meadow Stable in their two-year-old champion filly, Cicada. She had prepped for the Florida Derby with sprint allowance wins and sandwiched between was a strong second to the good older filly Smashing Gail in the Columbia Stakes at 7 furlongs. The Florida Derby was another thriller with a controversial result. Cicada taking a clear early lead met the challenge of Ridan in the stretch and battled back courageously. The image of the diminutive filly fighting nose and nose with the hulking colt is indelible. They bumped repeatedly with Cicada bearing out into her male rival, and Ridan consequently coming in and bumping with her. The photo showed Ridan winning by a nose, but soon after the Inquiry sign flashed, and the result had to be decided in the steward’s room. The officials ruled that Cicada was the instigator of the bumping and let the result stand. Admiral’s Voyage was third beaten six lengths, underlying the superiority of the Eastern form.      

In New York, most of the three-year-old talk centered around George D. Widener’s Jaipur who, although not aiming for the Kentucky Derby, was using the traditional prep races in New York for the other Triple Crown races. A lot of attention was given to him from his two-year-old form, his impeccable breeding, gorgeous looks and the fact that Eddie Arcaro, who retired at the end of 1961, recommended that William Shoemaker be given the ride on the colt. Trained by W. F. “Bert” Mullholland, Jaipur made his first three-year-old start in the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and on a sloppy track he came from just off the pace to defeat Sunrise County by a measured 1½ lengths. Prego, the declared Flamingo winner, and Donut King, Jaipur’s conqueror in the previous year’s Champagne Stakes, were beaten well back in seventh and eighth respectively. Jaipur’s win took him to the top of the sophomore ranks in the temporary absence of Sir Gaylord. However, he suffered a minor injury that forced him to miss the Wood Memorial Stakes. Without him, the Wood resulted in still another wild race and controversial finish as Sunrise County and Admiral’s Voyage dead-heated with Donut King ¾ of a length back in third and Prego fourth. However, as soon as the dead-heat was posted there was an Inquiry that resulted in Sunrise County, clearly a star crossed horse, once again being disqualified from a major three-year-old race and placed second behind Admiral’s Voyage.

In Kentucky at Keeneland Racetrack, Roman Line recorded a facile win in the Forerunner Purse over Decidedly. The two met in the Blue Grass Stakes, but were regulated to second (Decidedly) and third (Roman Line) to Ridan who ran one of his best races to win by 4 lengths in nearly track record time. Roman Line followed with a very impressive win in the Derby Trial indicating his sharpness for the impending Run for the Roses.

However, the most significant development in the weeks leading up to the Derby was the return of Sir Gaylord in the 7 furlong Stepping Stone Purse at Churchill Downs one week before the big race. Racing against Sir Ribot, Sir Gaylord rallied just off the pace to win as the chart of the race indicates, “with complete authority”. What is even more impressive was that he was allowed to continue running after the race, and his gallop out time for 10 furlongs was faster than the final time of several previous Kentucky Derbies. This performance cemented his leadership in the three-year-old standings and solid favoritism for the Kentucky Derby. However, in a bitter twist of fate, he suffered a sesamoid fracture of his right front ankle in a workout the Friday before the Derby and was retired to stud. A further intrigue was that Meadow Stable had co-entered Cicada in both the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby and decided even after Sir Gaylord’s injury that Cicada would run in the Oaks which she won easily.

So once again, Ridan in a big race would be the strong favorite due to the absence of others. In some respects the Kentucky Derby of 1962 was a repeat of the Blue Grass with the same principals finishing in the top three. However, the race unfolded differently with outsider Lee Town setting a torrid pace, and Ridan difficult to restrain in pursuit. Decidedly made a strong run from 10^th place to rest the lead from Ridan and pulled away to win by 2½ lengths with Roman Line besting Ridan by a neck in track record time previously set by Whirlaway in 1941. Sir Ribot was a strong finishing fourth. This was a great triumph for Decidedly’s conditioner Horatio Luro who with this win would cultivate a reputation for bringing out the potential in a young horse. The victory was also sweet revenge for winning jockey Bill Hartack who had been taken off Ridan prior to the Flamingo Stakes but gained the mount on Decidedly for his Kentucky races.

Decidedly winning the 1962 Kentucky Derby
(Los Angeles Daily News)

The week after the Kentucky Derby, Aqueduct carded the mile Withers Stakes, and it was the stage for Jaipur’s return after a brief setback. He won, defeating Green Ticket by a length, again not dominating but doing just enough to secure the victory. The win 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 (fifth) and Crimson Satan (sixth) were also in Baltimore for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.

Not to belabor the expression, but the Preakness provided another thrilling contest with a controversial outcome. Jaipur under substitute rider Robert Ussery (Shoemaker had a commitment elsewhere) took the lead early, but he would have no response when challengers came and faded to 10^th. 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 in very close quarters after it appeared Ridan would triumph. After the race, a foul claim was lodged by Ridan’s rider, Manual 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 and the Derby winner, Decidedly, a complete absentee in eighth.

 

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

In these years, the Jersey Derby at Garden State Park could serve as a prep race for the Belmont Stakes. And in 1962, run on Memorial Day, it would feature the first three finishers in the final classic. Jaipur, back from his Preakness debacle, was entered and so was Roman Line, Crimson Satan and Admiral’s Voyage who skipped the Preakness. Again the race resulted in nail biting finish with an inquiry, and this time a resultant disqualification. In a finish with three noses on the line, Crimson Satan, finding his two year old form, just edged Jaipur who had a similar nose margin on Admiral’s Voyage. But this was 1962, and if you have been paying attention, you know the race is not over until the Official sign is posted. The riders of Jaipur (Larry Adams) and Admiral’s Voyage (Braulio Baeza) lodged foul claims against Crimson Satan for bearing in down the stretch on Admiral’s Voyage who in turn bumped Jaipur. The foul claims were upheld, and Crimson Satan was placed third with Jaipur getting the win and Admiral’s Voyage placed second.

In the Belmont Stakes, all major contenders, save Ridan were present. This was the race Jaipur’s owner, George D. Widener, wanted to win above all. He had tried 10 previous times to no avail. Jaipur’s cause was helped in that he was reunited with William Shoemaker. The race unfolded with Admiral’s Voyage under Braulio Baeza setting an even pace with Jaipur stalking. Greek Money who was prominent early would not stay the distance and faded. Crimson Satan would slowly improve his position, and at the top of the Belmont stretch as Jaipur joined Admiral’s Voyage in the lead, “The Red Devil” loomed large. However, just as he appeared to roll on by the embattled pair, he bore in again, and it looked like he was attempting to bite (“savage”) Admiral’s Voyage. Manuel Ycaza, now Crimson Satan’s rider, probably had visions of another disqualification and subsequent riding suspension so he yanked Crimson Satan away thereby preventing a foul but losing the horse’s momentum. The race wound up another tooth and nail battle between Jaipur and Admiral’s Voyage with the Widener colt prevailing again by a nose. Crimson Satan who proverbially snatched defeat from victory was a 1¼ length back in third with Decidedly finishing a weak fourth. The celebration in the winner’s circle was genuine as George D. Widener, a pillar of American thoroughbred horse racing, had finally fulfilled his quest.  

Jaipur (center)
(nytimes.com)

The three-year-old championship would be largely settled in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Racetrack when Jaipur edged Ridan by a nose in a race where the two combatants raced head-and-head for the entire 1¼ mile distance. Neither horse would ever achieve as much again and were both retired early in their four-year-old season. On the other hand, Decidedly, Greek Money, Admiral Voyage’s and Crimson Satan continued racing through age five, all winning stakes races, with “The Red Devil” the most successful of the trio. Of the 1962 sophomore crop, it was Sir Gaylord, although retired just before the Derby, who would make the most impact. As a stallion, he sired top level European stakes winners, Sir Ivor and Habitat. Although his name recognition primarily comes from his half-brother Secretariat who would win the Triple Crown in 1973 and is largely regarded as the greatest racehorse in modern times.

Riva Ridge - The Unsung Champion

 

Riva Ridge – The Unsung Champion

Joseph Di Rienzi

by Richard Stone Reeves
(bloodhorse.com)

Champions and classic winners are cherished in thoroughbred racing. Most owners and or breeders will tell you to accomplish either in a racehorse is the pinnacle of success. This is the story of a horse who was both a dual champion and a dual classic winner but due to some unusual circumstances and a distinct aversion to rain soaked racetracks did not receive his just deserve during his racing career.

Riva Ridge, a foal of 1969, was a thin bodied, light colored bay son of the 1958 Champion Two-Year-Old First Landing from the mare, Iberia. He was owned and bred by Meadow Stable of Doswell, VA. The family patriarch, Christopher Chenery, had been in failing health and the stable operation was run by his daughter, Mrs. Helene “Penny” Tweedy. The horse’s name was derived from a favorite ski trail in Vail, CO at a resort that was co-founded by Mrs. Tweedy’s husband, John, who in turned named it after a mountain in Italy that was the scene of a strategic Allied victory in World War II.

Prior to Riva Ridge’s first start as a 2 year-old in 1971, there was a disruption in the racing operation of Meadow Stable as the result of an unexpected tragedy in a rival outfit. The Phipps family stable trainer, Eddie Neloy, died suddenly of a heart attack. The question in the aftermath of Neloy’s passing was who would be the Phipps’ next trainer?  Roger Laurin, at the time training for Meadow Stable, was offered the position. Despite the caliber of horses Meadow Stable could produce, Laurin believed the Phipps’ stable was racing’s premier operation, and with a potential superstar in the making in two-year-old filly Numbered Account, he accepted. However, in leaving Meadow Stable, he made a recommendation for his replacement, namely, his father Lucien, which was agreed to by the stable. It is rare in recorded history, and certainly so in thoroughbred racing, when a son did more for the professional advancement of his father. Not only would veteran Lucien Laurin train Riva Ridge to championship and classic success, but Meadow Stable had a yearling that in a little over a year would electrify the racing world as no horse in modern times would. That horse was Secretariat.  

Riva Ridge did not make his debut until June, and it was an uneventful seventh place finish at Belmont Park. He broke his maiden at next start at the same racetrack beating by 5½ lengths a horse that would be a rival the next 3 years - Rokeby Stables’ Key to the Mint. Unplaced in the Great American Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, Riva Ridge went on to win his first stakes race in the 6 furlong Flash Stakes at Saratoga Racetrack where he made the acquaintance with jockey Ron Turcotte.

Riva Ridge next raced in Belmont’s Futurity and emerged with a thoroughly professional 1½ length victory. By now, Riva Ridge was considered the leading male 2 year-old in the U. S.  He cemented that position with an impressive 7 length victory in the one mile Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park. Then traveling to Laurel, MD, Riva Ridge demolished the field in the 8½ furlong Pimlico-Laurel Futurity by 11 lengths in stakes record time.

While Riva Ridge was dominating his male peers, Numbered Account was doing the same in female counterpart races for juvenile fillies, and the consensus was she was better than him. In an uncharacteristic but sporting gesture, Roger Laurin and the Phipps stable decided to run Numbered Account in the 8½ furlong Garden State Stakes where she would face Riva Ridge. The latter’s trainer Lucien Laurin had great respect for the filly, but he was very confident his horse would prevail, using the racing adage, “a good colt will always beat a good filly”. Whether this was true in this instance or the fact that Numbered Account had just raced a week earlier (winning the Gardenia Stakes) was too much to ask, was not clearly established. In any case, she raced evenly along the inside and never mounted a challenge finishing fourth. Riva Ridge won by 2½ lengths over Freetex with Key to the Mint a neck back in third. Riva Ridge concluded the year with 7 wins in 9 starts, whereas, Numbered Account’s record was 8 wins in 10 starts. They both received championship honors in their respective divisions.

There were winds of change in the air at the start of 1972. Gulfstream Park had won a court battle over Hialeah Racetrack to have the “middle dates” in the Florida winter racing calendar. This meant the early 3 year-old races would be at Gulfstream Park including the Florida Derby. Hialeah re-shuffled its schedule such that the Flamingo Stakes actually preceded the Everglades Stakes, its traditional prep -. There was also an unofficial boycott by some leading New York stables of Gulfstream races. These outfits either waited till the Gulfstream meet was over or shipped to California to race. This delayed some of their horses’ 1972 debuts until Hialeah opened in March. Lucien Laurin identified a schedule for Riva Ridge that would only involve 3 preps leading to the Kentucky Derby, a minimization that at the time was unorthodox.

On March 22, Riva Ridge made his 3 year-old debut in the 7 furlong Hibiscus Stakes and came away with a handy 2¼ length victory. Riva Ridge’s next start was the 9 furlong Everglades Stakes where he faced Florida Derby winner Hold Your Peace. The race was run on a sloppy racetrack and a major upset resulted in Head of the River, rallying off the pace, while getting 10 lb. from Hold Your Peace, defeating the latter by ¾ of a length. Riva Ridge, not previously showing a dislike for the slop, finished fourth while trapped on the rail, beaten about 6 lengths. Most of the racing world was stunned by this loss, but Lucien Laurin took the defeat in stride and claimed his champion was still on target for the Derby as he shipped him to Kentucky. In the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Racetrack, Riva Ridge put his Everglades race in the background with a totally professional 4 length victory.  

The Kentucky Derby had 16 entries including the previous year’s Two-Year-Old Champion in Riva Ridge, Hold Your Peace and Louisiana and Arkansas Derbies victor No Le Hace. Riva Ridge was back in form, but it was assumed he would be strongly tested early in the race by Hold Your Peace. There was also good support for No Le Hace, whose closing style seemed to fit the race shape. As it transpired, the Derby was pretty straight forward. Ron Turcotte guided Riva Ridge to the front and set a sensible pace with Hold Your Peace in nearest attendance. Down the backstretch, Hold Your Peace was sent up to challenge the front runner, and both he and Riva Ridge raced as a team around the final turn. Once they straightened into the stretch, Riva Ridge readily pulled away and opened a commanding lead. No Le Hace launching his rally from sixth place closed well to gain second 3¾ lengths behind Riva Ridge with Hold Your Peace finishing a tired third, another 3½ lengths back. On a fast track, the final time was good, and there seemed no excuses for anyone.

Riva Ridge winning the 1972 Kentucky Derby
(courier-journal,com)

Riva Ridge, thus, became the first 2 year-old champion to win the Kentucky Derby since Needles did it in 1955. For Meadow Stable, it was a victory long in coming. They had previously finished second with Hill Prince in 1950 due to bad racing luck, third with First Landing in 1959 who was not in top form due to illness, and then suffered the disappointment of the strong favorite Sir Gaylord scratching due to injury on the eve of the 1962 Derby. Penny Tweedy graciously and enthusiastically accepted the trophy for her family. For Lucien Laurin and Ron Turcotte, it was also their respective first taste of Derby glory.

As the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racetrack loomed, it appeared Riva Ridge’s main rival would be Key to the Mint. The colt was not ready for the Derby due to an injury suffered in Florida that set back his preparation, but he had won both the Derby Trial and a race at Pimlico the week before the Preakness. The “Middle Jewel” attracted a field of only 7 starters with Riva Ridge the prohibitive favorite. Also in the race was Derby runner up No Le Hace.

On Preakness Day, the track was sloppy and longshot Bee Bee Bee, owned by young William Farish III and trained by veteran Del W. Carroll went to the front under jockey Eldon Nelson. Both Riva Ridge and Key to the Mint raced close together in mid-pack. They seem poised to mount a challenge, but as the field turned into the stretch, Bee Bee Bee bounded ahead and opened a lengthy lead. Both Key to the Mint and Riva Ridge seemed to be struggling with the slop and finished third and fourth, respectively, a neck apart, about 6 lengths behind the winner. Just as in the Derby, No Le Hace closed significant ground to finish second beaten just 1¼ lengths. The Preakness result derailed any hopes for a Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes. It also marked the second time that Riva Ridge was fourth in a race run on an off track.

On Belmont Stakes Day, the skies were clear, and the track was fast. Riva Ridge was made the solid favorite in the field of 10 with Key to the Mint (who had just won the Withers Stakes) and No Le Hace nearly co-second choices. (The connections of Bee Bee Bee chose not to contest this classic.) The race was a tour de force for Riva Ridge. He took over the lead by the clubhouse turn, set steady fractions and just galloped the field to submission. At the end, he was 7 lengths in front of Ruritania who had a ¾ length margin on Cloudy Dawn. Key to the Mint, who gave chase to Riva Ridge down the backstretch, tired from his efforts to finish fourth, beaten over 12 lengths. No Le Hace was a never a factor in finishing sixth. The time of the race marked one of the fastest at the current 1½ mile distance. In retrospect, it was one of the most impressive performances ever in the Belmont Stakes, but in a twist of history, Riva Ridge’s Belmont victory will be dwarfed in 1973 by his stablemate Secretariat’s epochal win. In the winner’s circle, the Meadow Stable owners and Ron Turcotte celebrated their first win in this classic. For Lucien Laurin, this was his second Belmont Stakes winning trainee, the first being Amberoid in 1966.

Less than a month after his Belmont Stakes triumph, Riva Ridge was sent west to contest the 1¼ mile Hollywood Derby and assigned 129 lb. In a race which his connections considered his “hardest”, Riva Ridge was pressed all the way, but he held on to win by a neck over Bicker, carrying 114 lb. At this point, the Meadow Stable star was considered the presumptive 3 year-old champion as well as a leading candidate for Horse of the Year honors.

Back on the East Coast, Riva Ridge traveled to the New Jersey Shore on August 5 to run in the Monmouth Invitational Handicap where he carried top weight of 126 lb. On a fast track, Riva Ridge, in contending position for much of the race showed no punch when the real racing began and retreated to fourth, beaten some 6 lengths behind Freetex (117 lbs.) whom he had defeated decisively 4 times previously. The result at the time seemed inexplicable, and his connections speculated that their horse had been given a tranquilizer, but in retrospect, it appears the trip to California, combining with Riva Ridge’s grueling effort in the Hollywood Derby took a toll on the slender colt.

After this defeat, Riva Ridge was given a month off before returning to the races in the Stymie Handicap at Belmont Park. There he faced the 1971 Kentucky Derby winner Canonero II who had been winless in 6 starts in 1972. In this rare meeting between two Derby winners, the 4 year-old Canonero carrying only 110 lbs. collared pacesetting Riva Ridge (123 lbs.) around the stretch turn and drew away to a 5 length win in world record time for the 9 furlong distance.

With Key to the Mint ascending since his loss in the Belmont Stakes with victories against older horses in the Brooklyn Handicap and Whitney Stakes and against his own age in the Travers Stakes, the 3 year-old championship was no longer a foregone conclusion for Riva Ridge. The two rivals met in the Woodward Stakes run in 1972 at 1½ miles. Alas, for Riva Ridge, the Belmont surface had been inundated with rain, and the son of First Landing, after contesting the pace, fell back to finish fourth (again) with Key to the Mint holding on for the victory. Racing against each other one more time in 1972, this time in the 2 mile Jockey Club Gold Cup, the sophomores faced a stern rival in the 4 year-old Autobiography who had been promoted to second after suffering interference in the Woodward. As luck (all bad) would have it for Riva Ridge’s connections, the Gold Cup was run during a drenching downpour. Autobiography dominated the raced winning by 15 lengths with Key to the Mint besting Riva Ridge for second (and subsequent 3 year-old honors).

There was still more pain for the Meadow Stable crew in that they accepted an invitation to run Riva Ridge in the Washington D. C. International, and on a soggy turf course (still more rain!), he finished a well beaten sixth. Despite Riva Ridge’s disastrous second half of year campaign which saw championships slip from his grasp, it was not all gloom and doom for his connections. A horse Meadow Stable owned and bred was not only the Two-Year-Old Champion of 1972, in that Eclipse Award voters saw in this colt so much, he was acclaimed Horse of the Year. Of course, I am talking about the incomparable Secretariat. 

By the time Riva Ridge made his 4 year-old debut on May 12, 1973, the racing fortunes of Meadow Stable had altered considerably. Christopher Chenery had died in early January. In order to continue the operation of the racing stable, Penny Tweedy and her siblings sold future breeding shares in their greatest asset - Secretariat for a total syndicate value of $6.08 million – a sum unprecedented at the time for a horse who had only raced as a juvenile. Under intense scrutiny from the shareholders (and the racing public) Secretariat had come through with a track record setting win in the Kentucky Derby.

With little fanfare, Riva Ridge won his initial start, a 6 furlong allowance race at Aqueduct. By the time he made his next start in the 1 mile Metropolitan Handicap, Secretariat had won the Preakness in remarkable fashion and all the racing world was now waiting breathlessly for the completion of the first Triple Crown sweep in 25 years. In the Met Mile, “Riva” faced his old rival Key to the Mint, weighted equally at 127 lb. As if the fates continued to conspire against him, it rained heavily at Belmont Park, and Riva Ridge floundered in the slop finishing seventh with Tentam under 116 lb. upsetting Key to the Mint.

A little over a week after Secretariat ran the most monumental race in American thoroughbred racing history in the Belmont Stakes, Riva Ridge, almost unnoticed, bounced back on a fast surface at Suffolk Downs in the Massachusetts Handicap with a track record equaling performance. This set up another meeting with Key to the Mint and Tentam in the 9½ furlong Brooklyn Handicap at Aqueduct. Assigned top weight of 128 lb., Key to the Mint was a slight favorite over the Meadow Stable representative who carried 127 lb. with Tentam at 119 lb. In an exciting renewal of the Brooklyn run on a fast racetrack on Independence Day, Tentam went to the lead setting a rapid pace closely pursued by Key to the Mint with Riva Ridge just off the pace in third. Ron Turcotte sent Riva Ridge to challenge the leaders in the stretch, and after Key to the Mint faltered, Riva Ridge edged clear of Tentam. Once in the lead, Riva Ridge needed all his courage to hold off the oncoming True Knight (117 lb.) by a head. Tentam finished third 2 lengths back with Key to the Mint fourth, beaten another 3½ lengths. In winning, Riva Ridge had set a new world record for the distance on dirt.

Finally deigning to forego racing on a wet surface, the connections of Riva Ridge withdrew him from the Suburban Handicap which was won by Key to the Mint. Racing twice at Saratoga Racetrack during the month of August, Riva was second in an allowance race on grass and won narrowly a similar type race on dirt.

In an effort to capitalize on the national attention given to Secretariat, the Marlboro Tobacco Company initiated a race that would bring together all the major horses racing in 1973 for a large purse that would serve as a “championship” race. Run at Belmont Park in September at 9 furlongs, the Marlboro Cup Handicap, as the race was called, was a precursor to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Many times these “invented” races fail to attract a competitive fail, but the initial running of this race exceeded beyond any expectations. The field, by invitation only, contained (with weights): 3 year-olds Secretariat (124 lb.), who had not raced since a shocking loss in the Whitney Stakes, and Travers Stakes winner Annihilate ‘Em (116 lb.); older runners Riva Ridge (127 lb.), Key to the Mint (126 lb.), Cougar II (126 lb.), Kennedy Road (121 lb.), and Secretariat’s Whitney Stakes conqueror Onion (116 lb.). Ron Turcotte chose to ride Secretariat while Eddie Maple received the assignment aboard Riva Ridge.

Before the Marlboro, questions swirled around Secretariat after his loss in the Whitney. However, the betting public made the Secretariat – Riva Ridge entry the overwhelming favorite. (Is it any wonder, as combined they represented horses who had been awarded 3 championships and had won 5 classics?) As the race unfolded, Secretariat, had the benefit of perhaps, the most illustrious “rabbit” in racing history, namely Riva Ridge. His Meadow Stable entry mate challenged both Onion and Kennedy Road for the lead down the backstretch forcing a torrid pace as Secretariat was poised in fifth on the outside. Riva Ridge deposed of his rivals around the final turn as Secretariat ranged up on the outside. In the stretch, Secretariat pulled away from Riva Ridge. At the finish, Secretariat was 3½ lengths in front of Riva Ridge who had 2 lengths on Cougar who closed strongly from last place. Onion was fourth, Annihilate ‘Em, fifth, Kennedy Road, sixth and Key to the Mint finished last. The time of the 9 furlong race was a new American dirt record, and the result gave the public what they came to watch - a great horse triumphant.

After his strong second in the Marlboro Cup, Riva Ridge would face the starter 2 more times. (He was scratched out of the Woodward Stakes due to a sloppy track.) In the 9 furlong Stuyvesant Handicap at Aqueduct and carrying a career high 130 lb., Riva set a new track record winning by 3 lengths. In the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Prove Out, who had upset Secretariat in the Woodward, showed his victory was no fluke in dispatching Riva Ridge who faded to sixth and last in his final race. Additional honors were accorded Riva Ridge as he was voted an Eclipse for Champion Older Male Horse. His career record shows 17 wins, 3 seconds, and a third from 30 starts and earnings of over $1 million.

Riva Ridge had been syndicated (at $5.12 million) for stud duties in the summer and joined his stablemate Secretariat at Claiborne Farm, Paris, KY. As a stallion, Riva Ridge had some success with his best performers being major stakes winners Tap Shoes, Blitey, Alada and Expressive Dance. He died from an apparent heart attack in 1985.

Despite having his initial trainer abandon him and being overshadowed for a good part of his racing career by his illustrious stablemate, Riva Ridge won some hearts, especially Penny Tweedy, who had said repeatedly Riva was her favorite, giving him credit for helping save the racing stable from dissolution. The racing community finally recognized the colt’s achievements when in 1998 he was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. No longer unsung, Riva Ridge is now celebrated among horse racing’s pantheon of stars.

Frank Whiteley Jr. - The Fox of Laurel, Part II

 

Frank Whiteley Jr.
The Fox of Laurel – Part II.

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the second of a two part series on the best horses trained by Frank Whiteley Jr. Known as “The Fox of Laurel” for his furtive training methods and his affinity to stable his charges at his home base of Laurel Racecourse away from the glare of the national media. In part I, the racing careers of the first champions Whiteley trained, Tom Rolfe and Damascus, were reviewed. In this final part, Whiteley’s association with two of thoroughbred racing’s legends, Ruffian and Forego, will be examined.

Frank Whiteley, Heliodoro Gustines and Martha Gerry with Forego
(The Blood-Horse)

           

Ruffian began her storied career as spectacular as one could imagine. Entered somewhat unheralded in a maiden race for two-year-old fillies at Belmont Park on May 22, 1974, she won by 15 lengths equaling the 5½ furlong track record. Ruffian was a nearly black daughter of Reviewer out of the mare Shenanigans by Native Dancer, making her a half-sister to the good racehorse Icecapade which Frank Whiteley had also trained. Owned and bred by Barbara Phipps Janney and Stuart Janney Jr.’s Locust Hill Farm, Ruffian was breathtaking to watch both in motion and in repose. Tall and long, she seemed an animal set apart from her contemporaries. Season race goers whispered things about her ability that seemed other-worldly. Whiteley, for his part, tried to downplay her potential, but his cryptic comments suggested he stood in awe of her.

Ruffian
(bloodhorse.com)

In her second start in the Fashion Stakes, Ruffian again equaled her track record, winning by 6¾ lengths. Moving to Aqueduct for the Astoria Stakes, she won by 9 lengths and just missed its track record for 5½ furlongs by a 1/5 of a second.  

Traveling to the Jersey Shore for Monmouth Park’s 6 furlong Sorority Stakes, Ruffian faced another undefeated filly in Hot N Nasty. Racing on the lead, Ruffian was challenged by the much smaller Hot N Nasty, and, for a brief moment in the stretch, the outcome was in doubt. However Ruffian responded to Jacinto Vasquez’s urging and drew clear to win by 2¼ lengths setting a new stakes record time. 

In the 6 furlong Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga, Ruffian ruled the prohibitive favorite in the four horse field. As her wont, she took the lead early and drew out at will finishing the race 12¾ lengths in front of the second place horse. The time, a new stakes record was 3/5 of a second slower than the track record for the distance. Ruffian did not race again in 1974. In training she suffered what was determined to be a hairline fracture of a hind leg. Despite her abbreviated campaign, Ruffian, undefeated in five starts, was the overwhelming selection for the Eclipse Award for Two-Year-Old Filly Champion.

Wintering in South Carolina to recover from her injury, she was sent to New York in the early spring to prepare for the New York Filly Triple Series. In mid-April, Ruffian made her sophomore debut in a 6 furlong allowance at Aqueduct winning easily by 4¾ lengths. The daughter of Reviewer ran as she had in all her other races - brilliantly fast, winning by 4¾ lengths. She next appeared in the 7 furlong Comely Stakes and won by 7¾ lengths. The time was a new stakes record and over a second faster than four-year-old stakes winner Hatchet Man’s win in an allowance race on the same card. 

In the 1 mile Acorn Stakes at Aqueduct Ruffian’s main competition appeared to be Sarsar who was trained by David Whiteley, Frank’s son. But the latter scratched when it was clear Ruffian would run. As usual, Ruffian made a shambles of the field winning by 8¼ lengths in stakes record time. Giving testimony to the awe that was attached to Ruffian, the connections of Sarsar, seeking an easier race, entered her against male horses in the Withers Stakes which she won by 2 lengths.

The Mother Goose Stakes was next on Ruffian’s dance card, and she carried her speed and brilliance 9 furlongs to win by 13 lengths in another stakes record time. Remaining with her own gender, Ruffian next sought to complete the New York Filly Triple Crown Series in the 1½ mile Coaching Club American Oaks. The only question was whether she was “too speedy” to manage the marathon distance of the race. There was also an interesting rival in Equal Change, who had just won two allowance races by a total of about 25 lengths. Equal Change’s pedigree, being a daughter of Belmont Stakes winner Arts and Letters from the female family of Triple Crown winner Assault, gave every indication she would relish the CCA Oaks’ distance. Fears of Ruffian being too rank in the early running were unfounded as she set a moderate pace. When Equal Change challenged Ruffian at the ½ mile pole, Jacinto Vasquez let her run a little to keep a safe distance, and she maintained that margin to win comfortably by 2¾ lengths over a game Equal Change. Ruffian’s final time in CCA Oaks was slightly faster than Avatar’s win in the Belmont Stakes two weeks earlier. Having run out of female competition, there was a groundswell that Ruffian should face the top male three-year-olds next and proposals were initiated to stage a special race.

Attempts to bring the winners of the three classic races together to face Ruffian dissolved into a match race at 1¼ mile between the filly and Kentucky Derby victor Foolish Pleasure at Belmont Park on July 6, 1975. The match race between Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure was a race that never should have happened. In an effort to boost attendance, the New York Racing Association persuaded Stuart Janney Jr., co-owner of Ruffian, to race her in this “exhibition” through his brother-in-law, Ogden Phipps, an influential member of the NYRA. However, there were plenty of opportunities on the racing calendar, such as the Travers Stakes and the Marlboro Cup Handicap for Ruffian to face the best male horses. How Frank Whiteley felt about this “exhibition” was uncertain, as he kept his characteristically private counsel.

There were also some bad feelings going into the race. Jacinto Vazquez, who was the regular rider for both Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure, chose to ride the filly. LeRoy Jolley the latter’s trainer, somewhat miffed, picked Braulio Baeza as his jockey who had a grudge against Frank Whiteley Jr.  At the start, Ruffian on the inside, broke at little slow but was rushed up to contest the lead. Baeza, knowing that almost all match races are won on the front end, rode Foolish Pleasure very aggressively squeezing his rival toward the rail and pressuring Ruffian to run faster than she would normally have at this early stage of the race. It was over in an instant down the backstretch when Ruffian shattered her right front ankle. The sound was so audible that Baeza on Foolish Pleasure heard it. The sight of Foolish Pleasure galloping solely to the wire is seared in the memory of the race. A remark in the winner’s circle by LeRoy Jolley alluding to thoroughbred racing as a blood sport seemed tasteless and would stigmatize him.

Efforts to save Ruffian were desperate but heroic. She had surgery soon after the injury, but regaining consciousness after the procedure, Ruffian trashed so violently that she had to be euthanized. Her owners, Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Janney Jr., consented to have Ruffian buried in the infield of Belmont Park where she rests there still. In over 60 years of being a part of thoroughbred racing, this tragedy was by far the worst I have witnessed and certainly cast a pall on the sport. Whiteley, stoic as ever, kept his emotions to himself, but in a telling gesture, permanently closed Ruffian’s stall door at his Camden, S. C. training facility, saying, “no other horse was worthy of entering it.” 

The last great horse conditioned by Frank Whiteley Jr. was different than the others in that he did not develop the horse, but inherited a champion to train as a six-year-old. Forego in 1976 was already a two time Horse of the Year when Whiteley took over the training duties as Forego’s previous trainer Sherill Ward retired at the end of 1975. Owned and bred by Martha Gerry of Lazy F. Ranch, Forego was a gigantically tall bay gelding by Argentinian champion Forli. In Forego, Whiteley had in his barn a horse of great courage and ability but with chronic leg problems. Under judicious handling of the gelding, Forego would go on to two more championship seasons and be regarded as the greatest weight carrying racehorse in modern times. (Resorting to his tried and true “water therapy”, Frank Whiteley could be seen daily outside the track barn hosing down Forego two or three hours a day, so that the puddles that resulted were affectionately dubbed, “Lake Whiteley”.)   

After wintering in South Carolina, Forego made his six-year-old debut in May 1976, winning an allowance race at Belmont Park. Assigned 130 lb. for the 1 mile Metropolitan Handicap, Forego under regular rider Heliodoro Gustines produced his customary rally from the off the pace to win by a neck over 1975 Preakness Stakes winner Master Derby. Winning the Nassau County Handicap under 132 lb., he lost the Suburban Handicap under 134 lb. by a nose to Foolish Pleasure who was assigned 125 lb. with Lord Rebeau (116 lb.) also a nose back in third. Gaining revenge, Forego (134 lb.) beat both Lord Rebeau (114 lb.) and Foolish Pleasure (126 lb.) in the Brooklyn Handicap run less than three weeks later.

Prepping for a fall campaign, Forego traveled to Monmouth Park and finished a close third under 136 lb. in the Amory L. Haskell Handicap to light weighted Hatchet Man (112 lb.). The Woodward Handicap was run this year at 9 furlongs under handicap conditions. Forego was assigned 135 lb. with his recent conqueror, Hatchet Man at 114 lb. Second top weight in the 10 horse field was recent Travers Stakes winner Honest Pleasure at 121 lb. Under new rider, Bill Shoemaker (a Frank Whiteley favorite), Forego made his characteristic charge from last place around the Belmont turn to win by 1¼ lengths over Dance Spell (115 lb.) with Honest Pleasure and Stumping (106 lb.) dead-heating for third place, 2¾ lengths behind. Hatchet Man finished a non-threatening sixth. Two weeks later the Marlboro Cup was run at 1¼ miles, again under handicap conditions. Forego was assigned 137 lb. giving from 18–28 lb. to his 10 rivals. Compounding Forego’s task, the track condition was sloppy, a surface his connections tried to avoid. In a race that crystalized his greatness, Forego rallied as only he could from what looked like an impossible situation as Honest Pleasure (119 lb.) setting all the pace was holding off rivals until Forego’s surge could not be denied as he dropped his head in front just at the finish.

The Jockey Gold Cup appeared to be a reward for Forego’s herculean efforts in the Woodward and the Marlboro Cup. At weight for age and at 1½ miles, the gigantic gelding seemed the proverbial sure thing. Unfortunately in his Marlboro victory, he re-injured his troublesome ankle and for the second year in a row was forced to miss the Gold Cup and not race again in 1976. At the Eclipse Award Ceremony, he was named Champion Older Male Horse and Horse of the Year, both for the third consecutive year.

Following the same script as in the previous year, Forego wintered well and returned to the races in 1977 with a victory in allowance race followed by a win in the Met Mile, this time carrying 133 lb. He followed that with a victory in the Nassau County Handicap under 136 lb., but failed by a neck to shoulder 138 lb. in the Suburban Handicap while giving an incredible 24 lb. to victorious Quiet Little Table. Showing perhaps his age, Forego was beaten over 11 lengths by Great Contractor in the 1½ mile Brooklyn Handicap while conceding to the winner 25 lb.

After a seventh place finish in the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, albeit under 136 lb. and on a sloppy track, it appeared the tides of time and injuries had sapped Forego. With two consecutive double digit length losses, there were questions of whether Forego’s best races were behind him. But the old warrior had one more arrow in his shaft. Back at Belmont, in the Woodward Handicap at 9 furlongs, Forego received a weight break being assigned “only” 133 lb. He was facing his Brooklyn conqueror Great Contractor (114 lb.). Forego’s connections debated whether the gelding should run on the sloppy Belmont oval, but in the end Frank Whiteley gave the green light an hour before the race. Straightening in the stretch, Forego closed strongly and surely to win by 1½ lengths over Silver Series (114 lb.) with a Great Contractor a neck away. This was the fourth consecutive Woodward victory for this grand gelding. What was even more remarkable is that Forego had won the race under different conditions, twice at 1½ miles at weight for age conditions, and twice at 9 furlongs as a handicap.

James Hampton, Frank Whiteley, Martha Gerry and Bill Shoemaker
with Forego after 1977 Woodward Handicap

The Woodward was last major win of Forego’s storied career. He had to return to the sideline for the rest of 1977 as his sore legs once again got the better of him. Not voted Horse of the Year (that Eclipse Award went to Triple Crown hero Seattle Slew), Forego nonetheless was voted Champion Older Male Horse for the fourth consecutive year. A campaign as an eighth-year-old was aborted after a fifth place finish in the Suburban Handicap, and Forego was officially retired.

Frank Whiteley eventually turned over his training chores to his son David who had great success with such stalwarts as champions Revidere, Waya and Just A Game, Belmont Stakes winner Coastal and stellar grass performer Tiller. Frank was inducted into the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in 1978. He retreated to his beloved Camden, S. C. training facility in 1984, where for several years he provided early training for young thoroughbreds. Finally succumbing to illnesses of age, he died in May 2, 2008. Besides David, others such as Shug McGaughey and Barclay Tagg who worked under Frank Whiteley have been able to carry forward his legacy of attention to detail, honesty and no pretensions of fame – attributes not common in today’s horse trainers.