Citation -- 1948 Triple Crown Winner!

Citation was a Calumet Farms horse who was 8th of the 11 Triple Crown winners! His parents were Bull Lea by Hydroplane by Hyperion. He was in the Kentucky Derby with his half-brother, Coaltown by Bull Lea and Easy Lass by Blenheim. These two brothers were so scorching hot that only 4 other horses had the courage to enter the Derby that year!

The day of the Derby was wet and sloppy, but Citation pulled immediately into the lead. Eddie Arcaro pulled him back and let Coaltown surge ahead. But finally, Arcaro let him go, and Citation went on to win by 3 1/2 lengths!

Eddie Arcaro, one of the best jockeys of all time, said of Citation, "Citation was the best. He was so fast he scared me." Jimmy Jones was Citation's trainer, and his dad, Ben Jones, also a famous trainer, told him the night before the race, "Jimmy, you can sleep well tonight, and you can take this as gospel: any horse Citation can see, he can catch. And he's got perfect eyesight."

Now just a small recap of his racing career! He ended with 45: 32-10-2, and had to take some time off for an osselet in his fetlock joint. He was the first horse to earn more than $1 million. In 1947, he was voted the Champion 2-year-old colt. In 1948, his big year, he earned Champion 3-year-old colt and the Eclipse Horse of the Year, and, of course, won the Triple Crown! He was the first horse in the U.S. to win 16 races in a row, and the second in the world. He had 19 wins in 20 starts. In 1950 and 1951, he was Champion Older Male.

Of his 1948 season, it can be said that he won at every distance, won at 10 different tracks, won in 7 different states, travelling in unairconditioned trucks and rail cars. He won all his races by a total of 66 lengths, and won the Triple Crown races by a total of 17 lengths. He ended his racing career in 1948 (at that point) with a 29-27-2-0 record! His 16 race winning streak made it as #67 of Horse-Racing's Top 100 moments according to Blood Horse, and Blood Horse reported that the owners of the horses entered in the Belmont the year Citation swept the Triple Crown were true good sports, "These gentlemen deserve some credit for their sportsmanship, for they knew when they entered they were filling a race for Citation." He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1959. And he was voted #3 of the Top 100 racehorses of the 20th century.

His trainer, Jimmy Jones, said that he would put Citation above Secretariat in that ranking, at #2, saying "He was the best horse I ever saw. Probably the best anybody else ever saw, I expect. Citation didn't have a fault. He could sprint, he could go two miles, he could go in the mud, and could go on a hard track. He could do it all. Secretariat couldn't run a bit in the mud." His dad, Ben Jones, put Citation at #1, saying "Man o' War? Citation is a better horse."

Of the Derby win, writing in his autobiography, Eddie Arcaro reported thinking of Ben Jones' words, "the horse that Citation could not run down had not yet been born." And Jimmy Jones said, "My horse could beat anything with hair on it."

My girls are related to this superstar most immediately through Bull Lea, Hyperion, St. Simon and Isinglass.This blog entry received help from Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments, Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, and Two Minutes to Glory: The Official History of the Kentucky Derby.

You can read more about Citation who is buried at Calumet Farms at the following links:
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/citation.html
or
http://horseracing.about.com/od/famoushorses/l/aa012998.htm
or
http://horseracing.about.com/library/blcitation.htm
or
http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/citation.htm
or
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014135.html
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation_(horse)

Top Flight and My Girls!

Top Flight was a young lady with not that great a pedigree. Her parents were not big winners, but they had genetic potential! By the end of her brief racing career, she retired as the all-time top money-earning filly, which she held for 14 years. She was the first 2-year-old to earn more than $200,000. Her final record was 16: 12-0-0, and $275,900. She beat colts, was unbeaten in 7 starts at 2, including 3 times when she ran against colts. Indeed, she beat Burgoo King, a Kentucky Derby winner, twice!! At 2, she won the Futurity Stakes, Pimlico Futurity, Saratoga Special, Spinaway Stakes, Matron Stakes, Arlington Lassie, and Clover Stakes, and at 3, the Acorn Stakes, Coaching Club American Stakes, Arlington Oaks, Alabama Stakes, and Ladies' Handicap.

She was enrolled in the Hall of Fame in 1966, and was voted 66th of the Top 100 Race Horses of the 20th century! She passed in 1949 and she is buried at CV Whitney Farm which is part of Gainesway Farm. At the link below, you can read about their famous equine cemetary and see Top Flight's stone. Anyway, she had 7 foals, including a stakes winner, and the sires were Gallant Fox, Man o' War, Peace Chance, and Mahmoud.

My girls are related to her, primarily through Commando, Broomstick, Audience, and St. Simon. This photo is from an Ebay ad, and pictures here in Turf and Sport Digest . She was bred by Harry Payne Whitney, but he passed away in 1930 before he got a chance to meet her. So, his son, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, owned and raced her!

You can read more about her at the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Flight_Handicap

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=153

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Graves/cem/GraveMattersWhitney.html

Twilight Tear and My Girls!

My girls are closely related to a very famous racing filly, Twilight Tear. In fact, Violet is very closely related to her. Twilight Tear "Suzie" was born in 1941 and she was the daughter of Bull Lea and Lady Lark, Blue Larkspur's daughter. Suzie was Calumet Farm's first champion sired by Bull Lea and was 1 of 3 champions in his very first foal crop -- Durazna and Armed. It's important to note that Bull Lea was a leading American Sire 5 times, producing 58 stakes winners, 4 Horses of the Year, and 3 Kentucky Derby winners! His daughter Suzie was one of those Horses of the Year! Her trainer, Ben A. Jones, who had already trained Whirlaway, said of her that she was the best he had ever trained, though later he would train her daddy's Triple Crown son, Citation!. So, no faint praise for her! She beat Violet's Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner relative, Pensive. She even beat boys with a 2 length victory in the Arlington Classic! That was her 11th straight victory in her third year! She closed out that year when "she met two-time handicap champion Devil Diver in the Pimlico Special. The older colt was beaten in the first quarter, and Twilight Tear went on to win by 6 lengths, tying the track record set by Seabiscuit in his 1938 victory over War Admiral" (cited from the Unofficial thoroughbred hall of fame website). So, at the close of her third year, she claimed the Eclipse Horse of the Year award, the first filly to do that since 40 years earlier by Beldame. She also had taken the 2 year-old filly of the year, 3 year-old filly of the year, and Champion Handicap Mare! Her final track record was 24: 18-2-2, $202,165. She retired in her fourth year because of bleeding. She was inducted into the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame in the year of my birth, 1963! And she was voted 59th out of the Top 100 race horses of the 20th century. And in a 1955 trainers' association poll, she was voted the second greatest filly in American racing history, behind the fabulous Gallorette. She is related to both my girls, but is closely, closely related to Violet. Among many, they share Ormonde, St. Simon, Bull Lea, Blue Larkspur, Durazna. You can read more about this super amazing filly at the following links:

http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/twilighttear.html

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Tear

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=156

Moccasin and My Girls!

My girls are related to Moccasin, a champion racing filly and broodmare! Moccasin was born in 1963, just like me, and she looks so much like Violet. She was a chestnut with two white hind socks and a white fore sock on the left side. Here is a picture of her grandchild K One King that she produced through her son Apalachee out of Round Table. Moccasin is considered a Blue Hen, having produced 9 foals, with 8 runners, 7 winners, and 7 stakeswinners! She is in many good blood lines, and is even the third dam of Hail Atlantis. Her notable kids include Apalachee (of course) and Indian, Nantequo, Brahms, Belted Earl, Scuff, and Flippers. Her own race record was so good at age 2 that she was voted co-Champion U.S. Horse of the Year -- the only time a 2 year-old filly took such an honor. She was also voted U.S. Champion 2 year-old filly. She was bred by and raced for Claiborne, and ran her races so convincingly that they looked like easy victories by a wide margin. She had 8 undefeated races in a row. Her final record was 21: 11-2-4 for a total earnings of $388,075. She was so good that the Moccasin Stakes in Hollywood Park were named after her. Her sire was Nantallah out of Nasrullah and her dam was Rough Shod. Here's something interesting -- her full-sibling is Ridan, the horse that Violet's relation, Jaipur, defeated in the famous match race the Travers Stakes. This girl is buried at Marchmont Farms in Paris, Kentucky. She is related to my girls in many ways, including the following: Nasrullah, Blandford, Isinglass, Stimulus, Sir Gallahad, Commando, Orme, Ormonde, Love Wisely, and St. Simon. You can read more about this amazing competitive filly and excellent mother at the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moccasin_(horse)
or
http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Graves/cem/GraveMattersMarchmont.html
or about Moccasin's sire Nantallah and his famous pedigree:
http://www.reines-de-course.com/nantallah.htm
or about Moccasin's dam Rough Shod and her famous pedigree:
http://www.equineinfo.com/roughshod.htm
or about Moccasin's boyfriend, Round Table:
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/roundtable.html
or about Moccasin's grandchild, K One King:
http://www.reines-de-course.com/k_one_king.htm
or an example of a mixed-horse related to Moccasin:
http://www.ckappaloosas.com/mares.html

Seabiscuit and My Girls!!!

I know I've mentioned him before, and I'm sure I will mention him again. My girls are related to Seabiscuit. He was 1938's Horse of the Year!! And in a match race, he beat Violet's direct relation, the Triple Crown winning War Admiral. Anway, they are related through many lines, including Man 'O War, Rock Sand, Whisk Broom, St. Simon. Violet is related very directly as a direct relation to Seabiscuit's mom, Swing On. Swing On foaled Brown Biscuit for Violet as well as her sweet Seabiscuit. You can read more about this macho grand horse at the following link:
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/seabiscuit.html

Andrew Hoy and Master Monarch!

Here are Andrew Hoy and Master Monarch after their first-day dressage test at the 2006 Kentucky Rolex! They went on to win Rolex. Also, in 2006, Andrew Hoy won the Badminton Horse Trials on Moonfleet! Andrew Hoy was born in 1959 in New South Wales and has competed in 6 Olympics, including the 2004 Athens Games. He is married to Bettina Hoy, a German eventing competitor. Master Monarch was born in 1991 and he is 16.1 hh. In this photo, the audience just shouted, "Andrew! Andrew! Andrew! Oy! Oy! Oy!" It was a hoot. Not surprisingly, my two girls are related to this amazing creature. Their shared relatives include Pharos, Orme, Vampire, Galopin, Ormonde, St. Simon, Isonomy, Isinglass, Dark Ronald, Bay Ronald, The Tetrarch, Swynford, Spearmint, Sir Gallahad, Teddy, and Sun Star! You can read more about Master Monarch's amazing victory at Rolex at the following link:

http://www.horsenpony.com/news/eventing/equinews_display.asp?id=2095