SWC75
Bored Historian
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Here are the 18 horses that didn’t win the Derby but did come on to win the Preakness and the Belmont:
CLOVERBROOK
The concept of the Triple Crown didn’t really exist until the 1930’s, although Sir Barton won all three races in 1919. At times before the 30’s the Preakness was held before the Kentucky Derby or even on the same day. There was also an eastern and “western” division of horse racing enthusiasts and some eastern owners just didn’t bother with the Derby. Thus there were many early champion horses that participated in the Preakness, (which began in 1873) and the Belmont, (which began in 1867) but not the Derby, (which began in 1875). Cloverbrook, in 1877 was the first horse to win the Preakness and Belmont. He didn’t compete in the Derby. Searching the internet, I wasn’t able to find out anything about the horse. The Derby winner, Baden-Baden ran third in the Belmont. He wasn’t in the Preakness.
DUKE OF MAGENTA
The Duke did the same thing as Cloverdale a year later, (1878). Actually he did a bit more, becoming one of three horses to win the Withers, the Preakness, the Travers, and Belmont. The other two are Man O’ War and Native Dancer. The Duke was one of the most famous 19th century race horses. Ironically he was a Kentucky-bred horse but the Derby just wasn’t a prestigious race yet. His owner was George Lorillard, his trainer R. Wyndham Walden. His jockey in the Preakness was “C. Holloway” and in the Belmont “W. Hughes”. He had a career record of 15-3-1 in 19 races.
He gets inducted into the Hall of Fame:
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/duke-of-magenta.asp
GRENADA
Grenada took the same route in 1880. He was another George Lorillard horse, (George, a tobacco millionaire, owned horses that won 5 straight Preaknesses from 1878-1882 and three Belmonts in that period. His horses didn’t run in the Derby. Walden was his trainer for all those horses. Walden trained horses that won 7 Preaknesses and 5 Belmonts. Lloyd Hughes was the jockey for the Preakness, “W. Hughes” for the Belmont. Other than that, I was able to find nothing about the horse.
SAUNTERER
Another Lorillard/Walden horse I know nothing about except he won the Preakness and Belmont in 1881. There is a Wikipedia article on his jockey, Tom Costello. One of a number of young employees Lorillard gave work at his stables who had been an inmate at the New York House of Refuge, a place for children who were convicted of criminal activity or vagrancy, he became so successful as a jockey he was worth $30,000, (which would now be worth $670,000 today), at the age of 15.
An article on Lorillard and his stable workers and jockeys:
http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/enterprise/CCE_1881%20(E)/issues/12-22-1881_7.pdf
I hope he was as nice as he seems…
BELMAR
Belmar won “the Big Two” in 1895. He was owned by The Preakness Stables and George W. Smith, trained by Edward Freakes and ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Fred Taral. His career record is unknown. He didn’t race in the Derby. He’s said to have been famous for winning races in close finishes, often by a neck.
MAN O’ WAR
When I was growing up there were occasional discussions of horse racing. Various famous horses were discussed: Citation, Kelso, Buckpasser, etc. But when the subject of the greatest horse of all time came, the name “Man O’ War” was stated in hushed, reverential tones. It was made clear that there was Man O’ War and then came all the other horses. He was often compared to his contemporary, Babe Ruth. And like Ruth, his reputation has survived the achievements of those who came after. In 1999 Blood horse magazine chose him as the #1 US race horse of the 20th century:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood-Horse_magazine_List_of_Top_100_Racehorses_of_the_20th_Century
He was also #1 in an associated Press poll and won a “dream race” conducted by USA Today:
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2004/may/24/man-o-war-defeats-secretariat-in-usa-todays-dream-derby.aspx
Here is another analysis:
http://www.horseracegame.com/community/content/blogs/puddles/21-04-2011/match-race-life-time-man-o%E2%80%99-war-vs-secretariat-who-would-win
Comparing Man O’ War and Secretariat is like comparing Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis: the numbers favor the later performer but arguments are made about training methods and track conditions suggesting that if the earlier performer had had the advantages of the later one, he would have been as good or better. Basically Jesse Owens was the Carl Lewis of his time, (even if it meant more), and Carl Lewis was the Jesse Owens of his time. It’s the same with Man O’ War and Secretariat. Both were chestnut colts nicknamed “Big Red”. Man O’ War was 16.2 hands high with a girth of 72 inches and weighed 1125 pounds. Secretariat was the same height, had a 75 inch girth and weighed 1150 pounds. Per this comparison, Secretariat had a superior stride angle, (88% to 110%), and better times at every level, just as Lewis had better numbers than Owens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ0jnHuqsX4
This video says that Man O’ War had a stride of 28 feet and Secretariat 24 feet, compared to 22 for the average race horse and that Man O’ War’s stride is the “best in the world”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC108p52VCY
Both horses own track and world records that still stand, including Man O’ War’s winning a ’race’ by 100 lengths. Nobody wanted to race him so his owner’s niece entered a horse named “Hoodwink”. The race was a bit of a hoodwink. Man O’ War had a better numerical record than Secretariat. Both raced 21 times. Secretariat won 16 of them placed second three times and third once. He was out of the money in one race. Man O’ War lost only once, when, with the primitive ropes that were used as a starting gate at the time, he was confused and facing the other direction when they lifted the ropes and started way behind. He rallied to finish second by half a length. He won all his other races, skipping the Derby as so many of these early horses did, (the concept of the “Triple Crown” really began in the 1930’s), but winning the Preakness in record time and the Belmont by 20 lengths. He then won a match race with Sir Barton who had won the first Triple Crown the previous year, (but nobody knew it), by 7 lengths.
The one horse who beat Man O’ War was called “Upset” and it’s been written for decades that this is the source of the term “upset” meaning a victory by an underdog. It’s since been proven that the term was used in that context earlier than that but it’s a good story. “Upset” was a sibling of “Regret”, the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby and his name meant to be emotionally upset.
Man O’ War was originally named “My Man O’ War by Mrs. August Belmont, wife of the original owner, who was serving in World War I at the time. He was later bought by Samuel Riddle, trained by Louis Feustel and ridden by Johnny Loftus, (who had ridden Sir Barton) and then Clarence Kummer.
A 6 minute documentary on Man O’ War:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESLobHGVeM
There wasn’t “only one of them”. There were two of them.
CLOVERBROOK
The concept of the Triple Crown didn’t really exist until the 1930’s, although Sir Barton won all three races in 1919. At times before the 30’s the Preakness was held before the Kentucky Derby or even on the same day. There was also an eastern and “western” division of horse racing enthusiasts and some eastern owners just didn’t bother with the Derby. Thus there were many early champion horses that participated in the Preakness, (which began in 1873) and the Belmont, (which began in 1867) but not the Derby, (which began in 1875). Cloverbrook, in 1877 was the first horse to win the Preakness and Belmont. He didn’t compete in the Derby. Searching the internet, I wasn’t able to find out anything about the horse. The Derby winner, Baden-Baden ran third in the Belmont. He wasn’t in the Preakness.
DUKE OF MAGENTA
The Duke did the same thing as Cloverdale a year later, (1878). Actually he did a bit more, becoming one of three horses to win the Withers, the Preakness, the Travers, and Belmont. The other two are Man O’ War and Native Dancer. The Duke was one of the most famous 19th century race horses. Ironically he was a Kentucky-bred horse but the Derby just wasn’t a prestigious race yet. His owner was George Lorillard, his trainer R. Wyndham Walden. His jockey in the Preakness was “C. Holloway” and in the Belmont “W. Hughes”. He had a career record of 15-3-1 in 19 races.
He gets inducted into the Hall of Fame:
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/duke-of-magenta.asp
GRENADA
Grenada took the same route in 1880. He was another George Lorillard horse, (George, a tobacco millionaire, owned horses that won 5 straight Preaknesses from 1878-1882 and three Belmonts in that period. His horses didn’t run in the Derby. Walden was his trainer for all those horses. Walden trained horses that won 7 Preaknesses and 5 Belmonts. Lloyd Hughes was the jockey for the Preakness, “W. Hughes” for the Belmont. Other than that, I was able to find nothing about the horse.
SAUNTERER
Another Lorillard/Walden horse I know nothing about except he won the Preakness and Belmont in 1881. There is a Wikipedia article on his jockey, Tom Costello. One of a number of young employees Lorillard gave work at his stables who had been an inmate at the New York House of Refuge, a place for children who were convicted of criminal activity or vagrancy, he became so successful as a jockey he was worth $30,000, (which would now be worth $670,000 today), at the age of 15.
An article on Lorillard and his stable workers and jockeys:
http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/enterprise/CCE_1881%20(E)/issues/12-22-1881_7.pdf
I hope he was as nice as he seems…
BELMAR
Belmar won “the Big Two” in 1895. He was owned by The Preakness Stables and George W. Smith, trained by Edward Freakes and ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Fred Taral. His career record is unknown. He didn’t race in the Derby. He’s said to have been famous for winning races in close finishes, often by a neck.
MAN O’ WAR
When I was growing up there were occasional discussions of horse racing. Various famous horses were discussed: Citation, Kelso, Buckpasser, etc. But when the subject of the greatest horse of all time came, the name “Man O’ War” was stated in hushed, reverential tones. It was made clear that there was Man O’ War and then came all the other horses. He was often compared to his contemporary, Babe Ruth. And like Ruth, his reputation has survived the achievements of those who came after. In 1999 Blood horse magazine chose him as the #1 US race horse of the 20th century:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood-Horse_magazine_List_of_Top_100_Racehorses_of_the_20th_Century
He was also #1 in an associated Press poll and won a “dream race” conducted by USA Today:
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2004/may/24/man-o-war-defeats-secretariat-in-usa-todays-dream-derby.aspx
Here is another analysis:
http://www.horseracegame.com/community/content/blogs/puddles/21-04-2011/match-race-life-time-man-o%E2%80%99-war-vs-secretariat-who-would-win
Comparing Man O’ War and Secretariat is like comparing Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis: the numbers favor the later performer but arguments are made about training methods and track conditions suggesting that if the earlier performer had had the advantages of the later one, he would have been as good or better. Basically Jesse Owens was the Carl Lewis of his time, (even if it meant more), and Carl Lewis was the Jesse Owens of his time. It’s the same with Man O’ War and Secretariat. Both were chestnut colts nicknamed “Big Red”. Man O’ War was 16.2 hands high with a girth of 72 inches and weighed 1125 pounds. Secretariat was the same height, had a 75 inch girth and weighed 1150 pounds. Per this comparison, Secretariat had a superior stride angle, (88% to 110%), and better times at every level, just as Lewis had better numbers than Owens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ0jnHuqsX4
This video says that Man O’ War had a stride of 28 feet and Secretariat 24 feet, compared to 22 for the average race horse and that Man O’ War’s stride is the “best in the world”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC108p52VCY
Both horses own track and world records that still stand, including Man O’ War’s winning a ’race’ by 100 lengths. Nobody wanted to race him so his owner’s niece entered a horse named “Hoodwink”. The race was a bit of a hoodwink. Man O’ War had a better numerical record than Secretariat. Both raced 21 times. Secretariat won 16 of them placed second three times and third once. He was out of the money in one race. Man O’ War lost only once, when, with the primitive ropes that were used as a starting gate at the time, he was confused and facing the other direction when they lifted the ropes and started way behind. He rallied to finish second by half a length. He won all his other races, skipping the Derby as so many of these early horses did, (the concept of the “Triple Crown” really began in the 1930’s), but winning the Preakness in record time and the Belmont by 20 lengths. He then won a match race with Sir Barton who had won the first Triple Crown the previous year, (but nobody knew it), by 7 lengths.
The one horse who beat Man O’ War was called “Upset” and it’s been written for decades that this is the source of the term “upset” meaning a victory by an underdog. It’s since been proven that the term was used in that context earlier than that but it’s a good story. “Upset” was a sibling of “Regret”, the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby and his name meant to be emotionally upset.
Man O’ War was originally named “My Man O’ War by Mrs. August Belmont, wife of the original owner, who was serving in World War I at the time. He was later bought by Samuel Riddle, trained by Louis Feustel and ridden by Johnny Loftus, (who had ridden Sir Barton) and then Clarence Kummer.
A 6 minute documentary on Man O’ War:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESLobHGVeM
There wasn’t “only one of them”. There were two of them.
