Sarazen
Encyclopedia
Sarazen was an American
Hall of Fame
Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. Owned by Colonel Phil T. Chinn's Himyar Stud, Sarazen won his first three starts in impressive fashion. Chinn then sold him for a huge profit to Virginia Fair Vanderbilt
, who raced him under her Fair Stable
banner.
A small horse at only fifteen hands tall, Sarazen had a difficult temperament that made him hard to handle and his original owner had him gelded
. After his sale to Fair Stable, Sarazen was trained by Max Hirsch
and he wound up his two-year-old racing season undefeated, capturing all ten races he entered. At age three, health problems saw Sarazen's handlers pass up the U.S. Triple Crown races. When he came back to the track, he dominated racing and earned the first of his two consecutive unofficial United States Horse of the Year
awards.
Sarazen's 1925 wins included the Dixie Stakes on Preakness Day on the turf at Pimlico Race Course
in Baltimore, Maryland. He also won the International Special No.3
at the Latonia Race Track
in Covington, Kentucky
, over a field of top American and Europe
an horses. While setting a Latonia track record, 3-year-old Sarazen defeated Belmont Stakes
winner Mad Play
, the future Hall of Fame filly
Princess Doreen
. ("The Princess" came back to beat him in the 1926 Saratoga Handicap
), and Pierre Wertheimer's
4-year-old colt Epinard
, the champion 2-year-old of France
who was unofficially named American Champion Older Male Horse
.
Sarazen came back the following year and became the only horse to have his name engraved twice on one of the oldest trophies in American sports, "The Annapolis Subscription Plate
." The plate is presented to the winner of the Dixie Stakes run at "Old Hilltop" since 1870 (the race was formerly called "The Dinner Party Stakes"). To date, Sarazen is the only repeat winner of the Dixie. He was named Horse of the Year for the second straight time in 1925, winning five of his ten starts.
. Sarazen died at age nineteen on December 12, 1940. Following its creation, he was posthumously inducted into the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
in 1957.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
Champion
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
Thoroughbred
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...
. Owned by Colonel Phil T. Chinn's Himyar Stud, Sarazen won his first three starts in impressive fashion. Chinn then sold him for a huge profit to Virginia Fair Vanderbilt
Virginia Fair Vanderbilt
Virginia Fair Vanderbilt was an American socialite, hotel builder/owner, philanthropist, owner of Fair Stable, a Thoroughbred racehorse operation, and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family.-Biography:...
, who raced him under her Fair Stable
Fair Stable
Fair Stable was an American Thoroughbred horse racing stable owned by heiress Virginia Graham Fair that operated during the 1920s and the first half of the 1930s. Ms. Fair was the daughter of the wealthy mining magnate James Graham Fair...
banner.
A small horse at only fifteen hands tall, Sarazen had a difficult temperament that made him hard to handle and his original owner had him gelded
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
. After his sale to Fair Stable, Sarazen was trained by Max Hirsch
Max Hirsch
Maximilian J. "Max" Hirsch was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Born in Fredericksburg, Texas, Hirsch became one of the most successful trainers in Thoroughbred horse racing history. He spent part of his formative years working as a groom and jockey at Morris Ranch in...
and he wound up his two-year-old racing season undefeated, capturing all ten races he entered. At age three, health problems saw Sarazen's handlers pass up the U.S. Triple Crown races. When he came back to the track, he dominated racing and earned the first of his two consecutive unofficial United States Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
awards.
Sarazen's 1925 wins included the Dixie Stakes on Preakness Day on the turf at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
in Baltimore, Maryland. He also won the International Special No.3
International Special
The International Specials of 1924 were a series of three Thoroughbred horse races held in September and October at three different race tracks in the United States...
at the Latonia Race Track
Latonia Race Track
Latonia Race Track on Winston Avenue in Latonia Kentucky, six miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio, was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened in 1883. The track hosted a spring-summer racing series and a second in late fall. It was once regarded as among the United States' top sites for racing,...
in Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
, over a field of top American and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an horses. While setting a Latonia track record, 3-year-old Sarazen defeated Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
winner Mad Play
Mad Play
Mad Play was an American-bred Thoroughbred stallion racehorse. Bred by August Belmont, Jr., he was sired by the great Fair Play, which made him a half brother to Man o' War, out of another Rock Sand mare, Mad Cap. He was a full brother to 1921 U.S...
, the future Hall of Fame 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....
Princess Doreen
Princess Doreen
Princess Doreen was a Thoroughbred racehorse best known for being the top American female money-winner.Bred by John E. Madden at his stud farm, Hamburg Place, in Kentucky....
. ("The Princess" came back to beat him in the 1926 Saratoga Handicap
Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap
The Saratoga Breeders’ Cup Handicap was, until it was discontinued in 2005, a Thoroughbred race for horses three-years-old and up run at Saratoga Race Course...
), and Pierre Wertheimer's
Pierre Wertheimer
Pierre Wertheimer was a French businessman.In October 1910, Pierre Wertheimer married Germaine Revel, a daughter of a stockbroker and a member of the Lazard family of investment bankers....
4-year-old colt Epinard
Épinard
Épinard was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who was given the French name for spinach. He is considered a racing legend by French racing authority France Galop....
, the champion 2-year-old of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
who was unofficially named American Champion Older Male Horse
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse
The title of American Champion Older Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up. Prior to 1971, this award was referred to as "Champion Handicap Male Horse", and was open to any horse, three years old and up...
.
Sarazen came back the following year and became the only horse to have his name engraved twice on one of the oldest trophies in American sports, "The Annapolis Subscription Plate
Annapolis Subscription Plate
The Annapolis Subscription Plate is the name given both to the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland and to the silver trophy awarded to the winner of the race...
." The plate is presented to the winner of the Dixie Stakes run at "Old Hilltop" since 1870 (the race was formerly called "The Dinner Party Stakes"). To date, Sarazen is the only repeat winner of the Dixie. He was named Horse of the Year for the second straight time in 1925, winning five of his ten starts.
Retirement
Sarazen was not put out to stud because he had been gelded and could not sire any offspring. He continued to race for another two years but became raucous and unwilling to make much of an effort. He was retired after the 1928 season to Brookdale Farm on Spur Road near Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Sarazen died at age nineteen on December 12, 1940. Following its creation, he was posthumously inducted into the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
in 1957.