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► i ■ ■" 1 " i Citation Best to Race for Calumet First Millionaire7 In History of Turf Hailed as Wonder Horse | And Often Compared With j Man o War as Best in U. S. By Staff Correspondent When it comes to selecting the best horse ever to carry the devils red and blue livery of Calumet Farm there can be but one choice — Citation. The son of Bull Lea — Hydroplane H, by Hyperion, is the unanimous selection of all connected with Calumet, as well as turf scribes and those recognized as authorities in the sport. Racings first "Millionaire" and the worlds leading money winner until supplanted by Nashua last season, Citation set a bevy of records during his four-year active career on the race track from 1947 to 1951 he did not race in 1949. Now he is at stud at his home at Calumet and is proceeding to send out prospective champions to the races. Already he has sired Fabius, the 1956 Preakness winner; Manteau, Evening Time and Beyond, among others. Citation started 45 times and on only one occasion, May 11, 1951, in the Hollywood Premiere Handicap, did he fail to earn part of the purse. He won 32 races, was second once and third on 10 other occasions for earnings of ,085,760. Citation has been hailed as the "Wonder r Horse" of his age and comparisons between him and Man o War have been made from his three-year-old season on. And there Record of a Champion Sts. 1st. 2d 3d. Uiip. Amt.Won 45 32 10 2 1 ,085,760 were many qualified horsemen who placed the Bull Lea scion ahead of "Big Red," who was considered without a peer in the 20th century of thoroughbred racing. Ben A. Jones, then head trainer for Calumet; unhesitatingly gave his opinion of Citation shortly after his stablemate, Coal-town, had run the mile in 1:34 with 130 pounds up, and some observers began opining that here was one better than Citation. "Still doesnt make any difference," Ben said, "Citation would take him by the head, at any point of the race and run away from him. Possibly the time would be 1:35 or 1:36. Citation doesnt need to run fast. He looks em in the eye, goes on by, and the race is over. Thats what makes a great horse. Time makes little difference." H. A "Jimmy" Jones, now head trainer for Calumet and as much responsible for Citations development as anyone connected with the stable, said of the "Great One"; "Ive never seen a horse like him. There is nothing he cant do. I just couldnt imagine any horse Ive ever seen matching him at any distance — six furlongs or six miles." And Eddie Arcaro,/ who rode -"Cy" in many of his races, summed up his feelings . succinctly: "Why. its a crime to take money for riding such a horse. It is a privilege and an honor. A jockey would pay to ride him." Other jockeys who rode Citation in addition to Arcaro all agree on his greatness. They were Albert Snider, N. Leroy Pierson, Douglas Dodson and Steve Brooks. Supplanted Stymie on June 3, 1950 Citation ascended the worlds leading money-winning throne on June 3, 1950, at Golden Gate Fields, winning the Golden Gate Mile and with it a purse of 4,500 which sent his actual earnings to 24,630, enabling him to supplant Stymie 18,485 as the worlds money king. In the Golden Gate Mile, Citation was clocked the distance in 1:33% with 128 pounds up. That time stood as a worlds record until Swaps was clocked in 1?33and in the Argonaut Handicap at Hollywood Park June 9, 1956. Following that Golden Gate performance he started nine more times and added 61,130 to his total before being retired following his Hollywood Gold Cup victory on July 14, 1951. There was only one Tartar for Citation during his career and that was Noor whom he met five times and finished back of the Irish-bred four times. In the 1950 Sari Antonio, Citation was second and Noor third. In the Santa Anita Handicap the same year, Noor 110 beat Citation 132 by a length and a quarter. In the San Juan Capistrano it was Noor 117 by a nose over Citation 130. In the Forty-Niners Handicap at Golden Gate June 17, 1950, Noor 123 won by a neck from Citation 128, while in their final meeting in f the Golden Gate Handicap seven days later Noor 127 won by three lengths over Citation 126. Paul Ebelhardt, farm manager at Calumet, reports that Citation was foaled April 11, 1945, at 9:30 pan. Ebelhardt, himself, witnessed the foaling and kept notes on the ■ ■" 1 " i Photo i y Meadors. CITATION youngster from his birth. "He struck my eye from the beginning," Ebelhardt* said. "He always had that domineering look about him. He had a perfect growing period and grew into a well-balanced colt that made us all make rash predictions every time we saw him playing about in the fields. When we put our horses on the trains and ship them to Hialeah as yearlings after they have been fundamentally educated, it our practice to put the best youngsters closest to the front. When we shipped that group to Florida, Citation had what we believed to be the choice spot. It would be likened to a drawing room as compared to a regular coach." Lost to Bewitch in Washington Futurity Citation started nine times as a juvenile, only losing to his stablemate, Bewitch, in the Washington Park Futurity. However, there are those who witnessed the race who will state without equivocation that Citation woufd have won it had he so desired Bewitch was unbeaten at the time, too. Steve Brooks was non-committal when that question was posed to him. He won four purses in a row in his freshman year of 1947, then he captured the Elementary Stakes at Washington Park before losing in the Futurity to Bewitch. Shipped east, he accounted. for the Futurity Trial at Belmont and then took down the Futurity itself with a net purse of 8,430. He concluded his juvenile season with a victory in the Pimlico Futurity arid won 55,680 in that limited campaign. Walkover in Pimlico Special In his three-year-old season, Citation started 20 times and won all but one race, running second to Saggy in the Chesapeake Trial. Before the years end, he had compiled earnings of 09,470, the .largest amounf ever won in a single year of competition and far greater than Assaults previous record of 24,196 set just two .years before. In Florida he won the Seminole, Everglades and Flamingo, then proceeded North and after the Chesapeake Trial won the Chesapeake itself. Next came the Derby Trial and the Triple Crown sweep of the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Citation was the eighth and last Triple Crown hero. Sandwiched between the Preakness and Belmont was an easy foray in the Jersey Stakes at Garden State Park. The Stars and Stripes Handicap at Arlington and the American Derby at Washington fell to his lot. Then followed another trip east with victories in the Sysonby Mile, Jockey Club Greatness Detected From Yearling Days . Bull Lea-Hydroplane Colt Last to Win Triple Crown; Now Success at Stud Gold Cup, the Gold Cup at Belmont Park, the Pimlico Special a walkover and the Tanforan Handicap. In winning the Kentucky Derby, Citation shattered the myth that no Belmont Futurity winner ever could win the Derby. When it came to balloting for Horse of • the Year honors for 1948, Citation was the unanimous choice. And since he started in both the Stars and Stripes and Tanforan handicaps, the experts also selected him as the Best Handicap horse, even though only a three-year-old. Injures Leg in Tanforan Handicap . In the Tanforan Handicap, Citation in- jured a leg and after being shipped to Florida for the v/inter had the firing irons applied. It was not until 13 months later to the day that he was returned to competition in an overnight race at Santa Anita which he won in the slop. He started nine times in 1950, winning two races, including the Golden Gate Mile in which he set the worlds mark of 1:33% for the mile and took over as the leading morfey-winning horse of the world. The Golden Gate Handicap on June 24 was his last starj; for Warren Wright, as the master of Calumet Farm passed away December 28, 1950. Citation remained idle until April 18 of 1951 when trainer Jimmy Jones and Mrs. Wright now Mrs. Gene Markey brought their star_back to the races at Bay Meadows. A pair of thirds at the San Mateo course, a fifth in the Hollywood Premiere and a second in the Argonaut were to follow before the Bull Lea scion hit the win trail again in the- Century Handicap at the Inglewood course. He proceeded to win the American Handicap, in which he ran the nine furlongs in 1:48% and the 00,000 Hollywood Gold Cup in which he traveled the mile and one-quarter in 2:01. A further campaign had been planned but the Calumet board of strategy. decided* that since he had passed the million mark in earnings, which was the desire of Mr. Wright, it was apropos that he be retired. So the decision was made and the bay was shipped East, first to Chicago for a farewell appearance and then to Calumet in Lexington there to spend the remaining days of his life. So ended the racing career of the turfs first "millionaire" who now is making a name for himself in the stud, witness Manteaus easy victory in the Ohio Derby last Saturday. BENJAMIN F. LINDHEIMER left and WARREN WRIGHT, late master of Calumet Farm, at Arlington Park, where the Calumet horses have cut a wide swathe in the racing for many years. Wright at one time held stock in Arlington Park.
