Clement L. Hirsch
Encyclopedia
Clement Lang Hirsch was an American businessman and a prominent Thoroughbred
racehorse
owner who co-founded Oak Tree Racing Association
.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri
to a very successful family of retail merchants, Clement Hirsch moved to California as a young man. During World War II
he served with the United States Marine Corps
and was part of the Guadalcanal Campaign
.
In 1936, Clement Hirsch founded the Dog Town Packing Company in Vernon, California
which became a highly successful pet food producer he later renamed Kal Kan Foods, Inc. In 1968, Mars, Incorporated
acquired the company and today it forms part of their Pedigree Petfoods
division. He also was the founder of Stagg Foods of Costa Mesa
which he built into the a major producer of canned chili
. He sold Stagg Foods in 1996 to Hormel Foods
.
In 1963 Clement Hirsch and his first wife Edith were divorced . She remarried to actor Desi Arnaz
. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,896621,00.html Married four times, Clement Hirsch had six children from his marriages.
. He first hired Robert H. McDaniel Red McDaniel then after he decided to move to Las Vegas
, he hired Warren Stute who remained with him for more than forty years.
A member of The Jockey Club
, as an owner Clement Hirsch was successful with a number of horses imported from South America
, among them the colt Figonero
who won the 1969 Hollywood Gold Cup
and set a world record for 1⅛ miles in winning the Del Mar Handicap
. He was also successful with the filly
Magical Maiden who won the 1991 Hollywood Starlet
and the 1992 Las Virgenes Stakes
. In 1993, Magical Maiden won the Chula Vista Handicap at Del Mar Racetrack, a race that track officials would rename the Clement L. Hirsch Handicap
in his honor. Hirsch retired Magical Maiden to broodmare duty and she is the granddam of the 2009 Kentucky Derby
entrant Papa Clem
, owned by Hirsch's son Bo Hirsch. The name "Papa Clem" stems from the name Clement Hirsch's grandchildren called him.
While successful racing horses, Clement Hirsch is best remembered in the sport as a co-founder and President of the Oak Tree Racing Association
. In 1968 the operators of Del Mar Racetrack
in Del Mar, California
decided to cancel their fall racing program and to host only a summer meet. Clement Hirsch, along with businessman/racehorse owner Louis R. Rowan
, veterinarian
Dr. Jack Robbins, and other racing enthusiasts, formed the Oak Tree Racing Association to annually host a fall meet at Santa Anita Park
. It would prove to be highly successful and Clement Hirsch would serve as its president from its inception until his death in 2000.
In 1998, Clement Hirsch was awarded the Commissioners Cup by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association
. Following his death in 2000, the Oak Tree Racing Association honored him by changing the Oak Tree Turf Championship Stakes to the Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship for the 2000 renewal.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
owner who co-founded Oak Tree Racing Association
Oak Tree Racing Association
The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American not-for-profit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California.-History:...
.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
to a very successful family of retail merchants, Clement Hirsch moved to California as a young man. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served with the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and was part of the Guadalcanal Campaign
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
.
In 1936, Clement Hirsch founded the Dog Town Packing Company in Vernon, California
Vernon, California
Vernon is a city five miles south of downtown Los Angeles, California. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census, the smallest of any incorporated city in the state....
which became a highly successful pet food producer he later renamed Kal Kan Foods, Inc. In 1968, Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is a worldwide manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products with US$30 billion in annual sales in 2010, and is ranked as the 5th largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes. Headquartered in McLean, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia,...
acquired the company and today it forms part of their Pedigree Petfoods
Pedigree Petfoods
Pedigree Petfoods is a subsidiary of the american group Mars, Incorporated specializing in pet food, with factories in Great Britain at Melton Mowbray, Peterborough and Birstall, Leeds; and offices at Waltham-on-the-Wolds.-Manchester:...
division. He also was the founder of Stagg Foods of Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
which he built into the a major producer of canned chili
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
. He sold Stagg Foods in 1996 to Hormel Foods
Hormel
Hormel Foods Corporation is a food company based in southeastern Minnesota , perhaps best known as the producer of Spam luncheon meat. The company was founded as George A. Hormel & Company in Austin, Minnesota, U.S., by George A. Hormel in 1891. The company changed its name to Hormel Foods...
.
In 1963 Clement Hirsch and his first wife Edith were divorced . She remarried to actor Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,896621,00.html Married four times, Clement Hirsch had six children from his marriages.
Thoroughbred horse racing
Clement Hirsch purchased his first Thoroughbred racehorse in 1947. A rarity in the racing industry, during his more than fifty years racing horses, Hirsch employed only two trainersHorse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
. He first hired Robert H. McDaniel Red McDaniel then after he decided to move to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, he hired Warren Stute who remained with him for more than forty years.
A member of The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club, formed on February 9, 1894, is the keeper of The American Stud Book. It came into existence after James R. Keene spearheaded a drive in support of racehorse trainers who had complained about the Board of Control that governed racing in New York State.-History:On its formation, The...
, as an owner Clement Hirsch was successful with a number of horses imported from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, among them the colt Figonero
Figonero
Figonero was a Thoroughbred racehorse who is best known for racing in the United States where he set a world record for 1⅛ miles in winning the 1969 Del Mar Handicap at Del Mar Racetrack in California....
who won the 1969 Hollywood Gold Cup
Hollywood Gold Cup
The Hollywood Gold Cup is an American Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions...
and set a world record for 1⅛ miles in winning the Del Mar Handicap
Del Mar Handicap
The Del Mar Handicap is an American thoroughbred horse race run each year during the third week of August at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California...
. He was also successful with the filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
Magical Maiden who won the 1991 Hollywood Starlet
Hollywood Starlet Stakes
The Hollywood Starlet Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies run each December at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. Currently offering a purse of $400,000, the Grade I event, it was raced on dirt until 2006 when the new synthetic Cushion Track was...
and the 1992 Las Virgenes Stakes
Las Virgenes Stakes
The Las Virgenes Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade I event run at a distance of one mile on dirt, it is open to three-year-old fillies and currently offers a purse of $250,000.-Records:Speed record:*...
. In 1993, Magical Maiden won the Chula Vista Handicap at Del Mar Racetrack, a race that track officials would rename the Clement L. Hirsch Handicap
Clement L. Hirsch Handicap
The Clement L. Hirsch Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run each year at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The race is open to filles and mares, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on Polytrack synthetic dirt...
in his honor. Hirsch retired Magical Maiden to broodmare duty and she is the granddam of the 2009 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
entrant Papa Clem
Papa Clem
Papa Clem is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was a contender for the 2009 U.S. Triple Crown. Papa Clem was bred and raced by Bo Hirsch who named the Southern California-based colt for his late father, Clement Hirsch, a respected Thoroughbred owner/breeder and a co-founder of the Oak Tree...
, owned by Hirsch's son Bo Hirsch. The name "Papa Clem" stems from the name Clement Hirsch's grandchildren called him.
While successful racing horses, Clement Hirsch is best remembered in the sport as a co-founder and President of the Oak Tree Racing Association
Oak Tree Racing Association
The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American not-for-profit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California.-History:...
. In 1968 the operators of Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. Operated by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogan: "Where The Turf Meets The Surf." It was built by a partnership...
in Del Mar, California
Del Mar, California
Del Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...
decided to cancel their fall racing program and to host only a summer meet. Clement Hirsch, along with businessman/racehorse owner Louis R. Rowan
Louis R. Rowan
Louis R. Rowan was an American businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder.A native of California, Rowan was educated in England. In 1968, along with Clement L. Hirsch and Dr. Jack Robbins, he co-founded the Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
, veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
Dr. Jack Robbins, and other racing enthusiasts, formed the Oak Tree Racing Association to annually host a fall meet at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
. It would prove to be highly successful and Clement Hirsch would serve as its president from its inception until his death in 2000.
In 1998, Clement Hirsch was awarded the Commissioners Cup by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association
National Thoroughbred Racing Association
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic...
. Following his death in 2000, the Oak Tree Racing Association honored him by changing the Oak Tree Turf Championship Stakes to the Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship for the 2000 renewal.