Fifty
Years. Half a century. A lifetime ago. Seems like yesterday. There is something
about anniversaries, excluding weddings and births, that make us remember
events we normally don't give that much thought to. When you reach way back and
pull out a 50th anniversary, it brings your life into perspective.
There is
no year in memory that evokes more nostalgia and brings back historical events
than 1969. That means this year we will be remembering the 50th anniversaries
of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20 and Neil Armstrong's famous words: "One small step for
man, one giant leap for mankind;
the New York Jets' upset of the Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl on Jan. 12
and Joe Namath's guarantee of victory; the Cinderella New York Mets beating the
powerful Baltimore Orioles in the World Series on Oct. 16; the Woodstock music
festival in upstate New York on Aug. 15-18; the horrific Manson murders in Los
Angeles that shocked the nation on August 8 and 9; investigative journalist
Seymour Hersh breaking the My Lai massacre story and the slaughter of over 100
Vietnamese villagers on Nov. 12; and the mystifying incident at Chappaquiddick
on July 18, in which Senator Edward Kennedy drove off a bridge at night killing
his lone passenger Mary Jo Kopechne.
But there
was another date that year that has profound meaning to only one person, a
former Wall Street employee who had been out of work for nine months with no
skills or aspirations and no idea what the future held. But on Oct. 14, 1969
that all changed when he was hired as a copy boy at the old Morning Telegraph, better known as "The
Telly," which was the Eastern and main edition of the Daily Racing Form located on West 52nd Street in the heart of
Hell's Kitchen. From the wilds of the Flatlands section of Brooklyn, it took a
10 minute walk, two bus rides and two subway rides--and hour and a half total
to get there--but worth being let loose in the library every day. It is a story
that has been told here before.
In a year
of such turbulence and unlikely sporting events, there was something pure and
simple about it to a naïve 22-year-old former page boy and printer's apprentice
who was attempting to break free from the bonds of Wall Street and escape into
the newly discovered world of Thoroughbred racing.
Sitting in Battery Park every morning, feeding the pigeons, reading Sam
Toperoff's captivating book "Crazy Over Horses," the realization hit that Wall
Street was a thing of the past. Racing was all encompassing, a breakthrough
into another world, but with no future, until my father strongly suggested
after nine months of unemployment to try to get a job in racing, as far-fetched
as that seemed. It went from far-fetched to a reality on Oct. 14.
But when it comes to 1969, let's back up and recall a year in racing that will
always remain dear to my heart, coming on the heels of Damascus, Dr. Fager, and
Buckpasser, all of whom brought racing to life for me.
Going into 1969 and the Triple Crown trail it was all about Top Knight and
Reviewer, the one-two finishers of the Hopeful Stakes.
Top
Knight went on to romp by six lengths in the Futurity and 3 1/2 lengths in the
Champagne, but could only finish a fast-closing third in the Garden State
Stakes behind Ogden Phipps' late-running Beau Brummel, whom he had beaten
handily in the Champagne. Despite the defeat in a race that was probably one
too many, Top Knight was voted champion 2-year-old and established as a
clear-cut Future Book favorite for the Kentucky Derby.
That late summer and fall, several other youngsters emerged in maiden races
that would have a major impact on the Derby trail and eventually help define
this crop as one of the deepest and most talented of all time. Their names
still roll off the lips -- Majestic Prince, Arts and Letters, who became my new
favorite horse, being a son of Ribot; and Ack Ack, Dike, Al Hattab, and Fast
Hilarious.
The last five joined Top Knight in Florida to embark on the Derby trail, while
Reviewer, now fully recovered from a hairline fracture, was sent directly to
New York. Majestic Prince was based in California and was creating quite a
buzz. The Prince, as he became known, was racing's golden boy. As a physical
specimen, the red chestnut son of Raise a Native was as close to perfection as
any horse in memory. At the 1967 Keeneland July yearling sale, he sold for a
then-world-record $250,000. Purchased by Frank McMahon from the Spendthrift
Farm consignment, Majestic Prince was turned over to former riding legend
Johnny Longden to train. With the controversial Bill Hartack aboard, The Prince
would capture his first six starts, all in California, including runaway scores
in the Los Feliz, San Vicente, and San Jacinto Stakes. He then romped by eight
lengths in the Santa Anita Derby, but still was dismissed by the experts back
East, who felt he had beaten nothing and had run his 1 1/8-miles in the Santa
Anita Derby in a "slow" 1:49 1/5. But what they didn't notice was the
ridiculous ease with which he won and the long, graceful strides that seemed to
propel him off the ground. He was a thing of beauty, whether in action or
standing still.
Back in Florida that winter, Top Knight debuted with a late-running victory
over the impressive Hibiscus winner, the fleet-footed Fast Hilarious, but was
disqualified and placed third. Winning the other division was Cain Hoy Stable's
Ack Ack, who out-dueled the hard-hitting Al Hattab by a head.
Top Knight then was upset in the nine-furlong Everglades Stakes by Rokeby Stable's
diminutive Arts and Letters, who powered to a three-length score while in
receipt of 10 pounds from Top Knight. Ack Ack was a non-threatening fourth and
showed he wasn't up to a mile and a quarter at that time, pointing instead to
the one-mile Derby Trial, which he won by seven lengths, equaling the track
record.
But at equal weights, Arts and Letters proved no match for Top Knight, who
defeated him handily in both the Flamingo and Florida Derby, both in fast
times. The son of Vertex looked like racing's next superstar. In between, Arts
and Letters also finished second to Al Hattab in the Fountain of Youth Stakes.
It was apparent he was still a work in progress.
Meanwhile, up in New York, Claiborne Farm's flashy chestnut Dike, who had
failed to show his best form in Florida, demonstrated a powerful closing kick,
coming from far back to win the Gotham Stakes and defeating Reviewer and Al
Hattab in a thrilling three-horse photo in the Wood Memorial. Reviewer was back
in form after winning the seven-furlong Bay Shore Stakes under 130 pounds, but
he and Al Hattab had no designs on the Kentucky Derby, leaving Top Knight and
Majestic Prince as the two heavy favorites, with Arts and Letters and Dike not
far behind.
Arts and Letters had one more opportunity to prove he was no bridesmaid after
his three second-place finishes. That came in the Blue Grass Stakes, run nine
days before the Derby, and the smallish chocolate colored chestnut dazzled the
crowd with a stunning 15-length romp over Arkansas Derby winner Traffic Mark.
His time of 1:47 4/5 was two-fifths off Round Table's track record.
There was another horse who still had something to prove to the Eastern press
corp, and that was Majestic Prince, the Hollywood golden boy who had beaten up
on inferior competition in slow times. Longden decided to prep The Prince in
the seven-furlong Stepping Stone Purse at Churchill Downs the Saturday before
the Derby, where he would get a good test from the speedy Fast Hilarious.
All Majestic Prince did was demolish Fast Hilarious by six lengths in 1:21 3/5,
just a fifth off the track record. California's pretty boy was for real.
The stage was set for one of the most anticipated and intriguing Kentucky
Derbys in years. So powerful were Top Knight, Majestic Prince, Arts and
Letters, and Dike that only four others were entered - Traffic Mark, Fleet
Allied, second to Majestic Prince in the San Vicente and third to Ack Ack in
the Derby Trial, and two no-hopers, one of whom was the Ohio-based sprinter
Ocean Roar, the likely pacesetter.
By Derby Day, Majestic Prince's reputation had soared and he was made the 7-5
favorite, with Top Knight 2-1 and Arts and Letters (who was being ridden for
the first time by Braulio Baeza after an injury sidelined Bill Shoemaker)
and Dike both 4-1. Top Knight's odds reflected the concern many people had over
his five-week layoff, which was extremely rare back then. The other three were
running back in two weeks, nine days, and seven days, which was more the norm.
Ocean Roar, as expected, shot to the lead, with Arts and Letters and Top Knight
in excellent position on the inside and Majestic Prince right in the hunt on
the outside. Dike, in his typical style, was taken back and sat patiently,
waiting to make his big late run.
As he had done in the Florida Derby, Top Knight took over the lead approaching
the half-mile pole, with Majestic Prince closing in from the outside and Arts
and Letters looking for an opening along the rail. Whether it was the five-week
layoff or a physical ailment that many believe was the catalyst for the layoff,
Top Knight began his retreat that would result in an uncharacteristic
fifth-place finish.
Majestic Prince stuck his head in front nearing the quarter pole, but in a
flash, Arts and Letters came shooting through along the inside to take a short
lead into the stretch. The Prince responded immediately and stuck his neck back
in front, as Dike closed in for the kill. The stately Prince maintained a short
lead, with the smaller Arts and Letters refusing to buckle. Dike was now
gaining, but only in inches. At the wire, it was Majestic Prince by a neck,
with a tenacious Arts and Letters a half-length in front of Dike. The Prince
had covered the 1 1/4 miles in a solid 2:01 4/5, coming home the final quarter
in a rapid :24 1/5, as did his two adversaries.
The racing world had a new hero, and Californians were jubilant. Top Knight
came back for another try in the Preakness, but Dike waited for the Belmont and
was substituted by another Claiborne closer, California Derby winner Jay Ray.
Al Hattab also showed up in another eight-horse field.
The story of the Preakness was pretty much the same as the Derby, although Arts
and Letters was squeezed badly by Majestic Prince going into the first turn,
causing him to drop much farther back than he liked. Top Knight once again showed
he had lost his form, finishing a well-beaten fourth, but The Prince and Arts
and Letters put on another show. The Derby winner took the lead at the head of
the stretch and bounded clear, but Arts and Letters was flying well out in the
middle of the track.
Baeza hit Arts and Letters right-handed and the colt drifted in toward Majestic
Prince, who could now look his rival in the eye again. The pair battled to the
wire, with The Prince winning by a head.
"Baeza told me if he had ridden Arts and Letters before the Derby, he never
would have been beaten," trainer Elliott Burch said years later. "And he was
fouled by Majestic Prince in the Preakness, causing him to drop far back. There
was a foul claim that wasn't allowed, but it was pretty obvious. I also think
he would have won had Baeza not hit him. When he did, the horse shied from the
whip and pinned his ears."
So, for the first time in history, racing had an undefeated horse attempting to
sweep the Triple Crown, something that hadn't been accomplished in 21 years.
Here was a true glamour horse who epitomized the beauty, nobility, and courage
of the Thoroughbred. The New York newspapers couldn't get enough of The Prince.
All the while, the foreboding presence of Arts and Letters was lurking in the background.
In the back of everyone's mind, they knew that it was Arts and Letters, a son
of Ribot, who would be the one who relished the 1 1/2 miles of the Belmont.
Racing fans, like those recently, wondered if any horse would ever sweep the
Triple Crown following the failures of Derby/Preakness winners Carry Back
('61), Northern Dancer ('64), Kauai King ('66), and Forward Pass (who was
awarded the '68 Derby after the Butazolidin positive and subsequent
disqualification of Dancer's Image).
But The Prince was different. This was to be a horse for the ages. Longden,
however, felt the colt wasn't 100% and was beginning to feel the effects of the
Triple Crown. Shortly after the Preakness, he shocked everyone by announcing
that Majestic Prince might not run in the Belmont. The news filled the entire
back page of the New York tabloids. McMahon backed his trainer, but the
pressure to run became too intense and several days before the race, he
announced The Prince would run, especially after a Sports Illustrated article
suggested he was ducking Arts and Letters. Longden was incensed that McMahon
had overruled him and the two could be heard in a shouting match at the barn.
But the universal thinking was, no Derby and Preakness winner skips the Belmont
unless he has a serious injury. That's like making it to the gates of the
pantheon and deciding you've gone far enough.
When Majestic Prince had shipped to Belmont Park, photographers followed him
everywhere. The media couldn't get enough of this undefeated Hollywood star. A
full page photo of the colt walking off the van appeared on the back page of
the Daily News. Articles on him appeared every day in the New York papers.
A week before the Belmont, however, the mood began to change after Arts and
Letters defeated older horses, including champion Nodouble, in the Metropolitan
Handicap, drawing away to a 2 1/2-length victory in a blazing 1:34 for the mile
over a dead track under Jean Cruguet, substituting for Baeza, who had the call
on Ogden Phipps' Vitriolic. Arts and Letters had come from 10th in an 11-horse
field, closing his final quarter in a spectacular :23 1/5.
Arts and Letters' trainer, Elliott Burch, had used the Met Mile as a
steppingstone to a Belmont victory twice before, with Sword Dancer and
Quadrangle, both of who also competed in the Derby and Preakness.
Burch was amazed at the little colt's resiliency (he stood just over 15.1
hands) and his ability to bounce back off tough races. You don't see horses
explode like that in the Met Mile against top older horses having just run two
grueling races in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
Only five days after his victory, Arts and Letters blew out a blistering
half-mile (two days before the Belmont), galloping out five furlongs in an
unheard of :57 3/5, pulling up six furlongs in 1:11. Repeat, two days before
the mile-and-a-half Belmont. Majestic Prince worked two hours later and
galloped out his five furlongs in :59. Burch had no misgivings about the tough
schedule, insisting Arts and Letters had an uncanny ability to "train himself"
and relax when his work was done. "He was a remarkable horse from day one; the
best I ever trained," Burch said.
So now it was the Rokeby Stable colt who began to command the headlines.
Support for Arts and Letters had grown since the Met Mile, and predictions of
The Prince's downfall were rampant. With Longden still not having declared the
colt a definite starter, a headline in the New York Post read: "Majestic Prince
Scared Off by Arts and Letters?"
Security tightened around Majestic Prince's barn and tension began to build. It
was an odd sight seeing assistant trainer Mike Bao, wearing his customary love
beads, threaten physical ejection to a DRF columnist, to whom Longden had taken
exception. Then there was Bill Hartack, who treated reporters as if they had
leprosy. The night before the Belmont, Hartack appeared on the "Dick Cavett
Show" and aired his gripes and dislike of the media, much to the delight of
Cavett and his audience.
Meanwhile, Arts and Letters was his usual placid self, showing no ill effects
of his grueling 3-year-old campaign, which saw him run nine times already,
eight of them in major stakes. When a news wire photographer walked in the barn
and sheepishly asked Burch if he could take a couple of head shots of the colt
in his stall, Burch replied, "Sure, go ahead, but you may have to wake him up
to do it."
A record Belmont Stakes crowd of 66,115 turned out to see if this time history
would be made. But the Belmont turned out to be an oddly run race. The early
pace was so slow the late-running Dike went for the lead going into the
clubhouse turn, much to the shock of the crowd. Baeza and Arts and Letters were
right on his heels, but Hartack elected to keep Majestic Prince three to four
lengths back through an agonizingly slow three-quarters in 1:16 1/5. When Baeza
gunned Arts and Letters to the front nearing the final turn, the race was all
but over. The colt drew off to win by 5 1/2 lengths, closing his final quarter
in :24 2/5, with Majestic Prince finishing second, never to race again.
"He had a check ligament going into the Belmont that was just not right,"
Longden said years later. "It wasn't real bad, but the horse wasn't 100%. I was
looking forward to racing him as a 4-year-old and I thought it was tough asking
him to go a mile and a half when he was not 100%."
Majestic Prince, after spending the rest of the year at Longden's ranch in
Arcadia, Calif., was retired to stud the following winter as a result of the
check ligament. After siring numerous top-class stakes winners, including
Belmont Stakes winner Coastal and grade 1 winners Majestic Light, Sensitive
Prince, and Eternal Prince, he died of a heart attack at Spendthrift Farm in
1981 at the young age of 15. In 1988, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The vision of him, with his Adonis-like frame, glistening red chestnut coat,
and bounding stride will never be forgotten. One of the great racing photos
ever taken appeared in Sports Illustrated following the Santa Anita Derby. It
was a close-up head-on shot of Majestic Prince crossing the finish line, with
the late afternoon sun illuminating his mane and chin whiskers into a fiery
glow. That is the everlasting image of Majestic Prince.
Dike ran his share of big races, but the gap between him and Arts and Letters
continued to widen and he became no match for the Rokeby colt. He lived to the
age of 19, residing at Big "C" Farm near Reddick, Fla.
Reviewer went on to set a track record for 1 1/8 miles at Belmont in the Nassau
County Handicap and was beaten a head by Nodouble in the 1970 Met Mile. He, of
course, is best known as the sire of the legendary Ruffian. Sadly, he fractured
a leg in a paddock accident and had to be euthanized at the age of 11. He is
buried at Claiborne Farm.
Al Hattab won numerous stakes, including the Monmouth Invitational Handicap.
His daughter, Sharon Brown, produced Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Holy
Bull. Another of his daughters, Hat Tab Girl, produced Horse of the Year and
Breeders' Cup Classic winner Black Tie Affair.
Ack Ack was sold by the Estate of Harry Guggenheim to E.E. ‘Buddy' Fogelson and
his wife, actress Greer Garson, and earned his way into the Hall of Fame with
an astounding 5-year-old campaign in California under the care of Charlie
Whittingham, winning the Hollywood Gold Cup under 134 pounds. In 1971, he
became the first Eclipse Award-winning Horse of the Year and was inducted into
the Hall of Fame in 1986. Among his best offspring was the multi-millionaire
and champion sire Broad Brush and French Derby winner Youth. He also was buried
at Claiborne Farm following his death in 1990 at age 24.
Top Knight's life took a totally different turn. He disappeared into obscurity
after proving infertile. Brought back to the races three years later, the
one-time champion raced until he was 9, competing in cheap allowance races at
tiny Narragansett Park and Lincoln Downs in Rhode Island. He did manage one
victory as a 9-year-old, winning by seven lengths at Lincoln Downs, but lost
his next six races. He was retired for good with a hoof infection, losing the
bottom half of his foot, which took a year and a half to grow back. He lived
out the rest of his years at a small farm near Rehobeth, Mass. in the company
of donkeys, mules, and ponies. According to his owners at the time, Charlotte
and Edward Pritchard, who would take in old run-down horses and find them a
home, he was "having a picnic". The last report on him was in 1992, and he was
living a happy life at the age of 26. A young racing novice will never forget
his dominating victories in the Hopeful, Futurity, Champagne, Flamingo, and
Florida Derby. That was the real Top Knight, a champion long forgotten.
To show what an amazing year this was for talent. In addition to the three male
Hall of Famers, there also were three 3-year-old filly Hall of Famers, Gallant
Bloom, Shuvee, and Ta Wee, and an older female Hall of Famer, Gamely.
As for Arts and Letters, he went on to romp by 10 lengths in the Jim Dandy,
then trounced Dike by 6 1/2 lengths in the Travers, equaling the track record.
Before the race, the large crowd around his saddling tree had to be roped off
as they gathered nine and 10 deep to get a close-up look at racing's newest
superstar.
As written in Sports Illustrated, "Few horses these days possess box office
appeal, but Arts and Letters is clearly one of them. Not since the days of
Kelso and before that Native Dancer has the Saratoga paddock been as jammed as
it was on Travers day. With the wonderfully smooth, rhythmic strides that often
distinguish the great horses from the good ones, Arts and Letters began eating
up his field. The enthusiastic crowd leaped up, and its cheers rolled in one
loud wave across the lush infield."
Arts and Letters then took on the nation's top older horses, Nodouble and
Verbatim, in the Woodward Stakes, and won under a hand ride by two lengths to
nail down Horse of the Year. Nodouble tried him again in the two-mile Jockey
Club Gold Cup, but Arts and Letters turned the marathon into a procession. He
won with ridiculous ease by 14 lengths, concluding his campaign with six
consecutive major stakes victories. He had run from January to October, racing
at least once in every month with the exception of July.
The following year, after a shocking defeat under 130 pounds in the Westchester
Handicap (a lot of weight that early in the year, especially for such a small
horse), he unleashed an explosive and desperate stretch run to win the Grey Lag
Handicap under 128 pounds. Burch and Mellon then stunned everyone by announcing
that the champ was being pointed for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in France.
But a bowed tendon suffered in the Californian Stakes ended his career.
Arts and Letters was retired to Greentree Stud, where he sired Preakness winner
Codex. He became buddies with 1968 Belmont winner Stage Door Johnny and the two
stallions would remain close friends for the next 26 years until Stage Door
Johnny's death in 1996 at age 31. In their younger days, they would race each
other along the fence every day, putting on the brakes just before reaching the
gate, kicking up a cloud of dirt. They would quickly look over at each other as
if to see who won, then walk back up the hill and come charging back down. Each
one would become visibly upset when the other was led to the breeding shed.
When they became too old to race they would stand under the same shade tree
that separated their paddocks and just keep each other company.
They had become so close that when Gainesway Farm took over the Greentree
property in 1989, part of the agreement was that both stallions remain together
in adjoining paddocks. When Stage Door Johnny died in 1996, he turned over his
title as the oldest living Belmont winner to Arts and Letters, who held it
until his death two years later at age 32. Arts and Letters was inducted into
the Hall of Fame in 1994.
The class of '69 has now faded into memory, recalling one of the most
passionate and volatile eras in American history. Somewhere in its time capsule
are two special Thoroughbreds and a magnificent supporting cast who helped
elevate their sport to another level and one person to a life he once could
only dream of from afar.
