iRACEHORSE
Volume 2 Number 1
1
iRACEHORSE Volume 2 Number 1
In this issue
Photographing Horse Racing: Cheryl Ann Quigley The Father of Santa Anita: Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin A Useful Horse: In the Money Halloween Contest: Fact or Fiction?
2
Dear Fr iends-
We hope that you were unharmed by the terrible storm that came down so forcefully over the past days. We wish quick recovery to those of you who suffered damage to their homes and have had to brave days without power. Horse Racing fans are getting ready for a great weekend of horse racing at one of the most beautiful racetracks in the United States: Santa Anita Park. We decided to introduce you to a very interesting figure in the history of American horse racing, a man who once was powerful and had some of the best horses in this country. His legacy as a businessman and founder of Arcadia, the home of Santa Anita Park, is more prominent than his legacy as a great lover of the sport of horse racing. We hope you enjoy as much as we did getting to know Mr. Lucky Baldwin. Santa Anita Park introduced photographer Cheryl Ann Quigley to horse racing and she fell in love with the sport. She expresses her passion for the sport and her admiration for its beautiful equine athletes in the pictures she makes and we are excited to show her art in iRacehorse. Who would not want to have her or his picture taken once in the winner’s circle! Well, there are horses who will earn their oats and hay racing but will not pose with their connections for the track photographer. Racing fan and horse lover Vin Rogers brings their story to you. And we have a new feature: Our first contest – and you can win a price worthy of a horse racing fan
We hope you enjoy – Yours,
Angelika Hala Kerr
3
Editor:
Angelika Hala Kerr
Co-Editor: Sean Kerr Contributors: Cheryl Ann Quigley Vin Rogers Photographs: Courtesy Cheryl Ann Quigley The Library of Congress Los Angeles County Arboretum Published by: 5R Media
COVER PHOTO: Rosie Napravnik by Cheryl Ann Quigley. All rights reserved. Halloween Contest: due to Hurricane Sandy we were late in publishing this issue but decided to keep the Halloween contest regardless. We hope you enjoy it. Good Luck!
4
“Trifecta” Horse race shot at slow shutter speed to enhance motion effect. Deliberate high saturation for dramatic effect.
A
You might have noticed her mong the flock of
on a sunny day at Belmont
track photographers
Racetrack, you might have
trailing the horses on race
seen her braving the rain
days and lining the rail with
appearing more voluminous
their monstrous telephoto
with her gear pack hidden
lenses pointed at the thundering mass of horses and jockeys coming down
Cheryl Ann Quigley is a photographer and horse racing fan
underneath her rain cape at Aqueduct. From
the stretch one person might have
childhood
on
caught your eye: A crown of white hair
Cheryl Ann Quigley loved photography
in a boyish cut, cheerful green eyes and
and she immersed herself deeply into
the prettiest smile you can imagine.
the art and technique of the still image in college.
5
“Uncle Sam and Rafael Bejarano” Two-year-old Uncle Sam (red & white stripes), under Rafael Bejarano, breaks his maiden at Santa Anita Park on Dec 27, 2010 in Arcadia, CA.
Quigley first experimented in street and
documentary
capturing
every
day
“All it took was for those fabulous
photography,
thoroughbreds to run past me one time
scenes
and I was hooked!”
and
characters she encountered on the go, but eventually she discovered how much she liked photographing “things that go”, and she experimented with wildlife photography, still a part of her
The camera eye opened an entirely new dimension and intimacy of seeing horses and horse racing for Cheryl. She describes the thrilling experience of getting close to the action:
current portfolio.
“The first
time I viewed a field of thoroughbreds Cheryl had not even been close to a racetrack
when
she
moved
rounding the far turn close up through a
to
500mm lens, being able to see the quick
Pasadena, a mere 10 miles from Santa
glance of a jockey to his rival coming up
Anita Park. It was a matter of time until
behind him, or grimacing through a
she wanted to explore the “things that
shower of mud, or a horse’s ears
move” around the oval of the racetrack.
twitching in response to sounds that
“I did not know a thing about horse
signaled another horse’s field position, I
racing at that time,” she remembers, but
was completely absorbed.”
6
“Last Race”
Photographing these powerful and beautiful animals and the action of the horse racing has become Cheryl Ann Quigley’s passion. Her art ranges from the race action shot where her roots in documentary
photography
create
pictures in the style of classic sports photography
to
the
impressionist
motion-blur images that capture her feelings and experience in pictures that are dreamy and almost painterly. For
Cheryl,
both
forms
“To me they best convey the speed, grace, and flow of horse racing. You see the whip moving through the air and the horses’ hooves flying across the track. Not
everyone
likes
motion-blur
photography; in fact one of my friends says it gives him a headache! There is nothing like a crisp, sharp shot, taken at a fast shutter speed; you get a great image.
However, these images can
also seem static. They don’t seem to of
photographic expression are important
convey the experience of horse racing to me.”
to her art: 7
Zenyatta 8
Among of the images Cheryl selected
positioned. Cheryl recalls how she read
for you there are two portraits very
disappointment in the jockey’s face but
special to her: The rather unusual photo
also
of jockey Rosie Napravnik on the cover
consummate pro, and the hard work of
and the portrait of one of horse racing’s
horse racing and the unpredictable
great mares, the wonderful Zenyatta.
outcomes are part of her life.”
acceptance.
“Rosie
is
a
There is
no equal to a photographic moment like The portrait of Rosie is the work of the
documentary
candid
image
intimacy.
of
photographer, immediacy
a
this to convey the physical and mental demands of the sport on the jockey.
and
The photograph was made
Like so many of us Cheryl is a
when after a disappointing loss in the
huge fan of Zenyatta: “I totally fell in love
Coaching
with Zenyatta”, she comments when we
Club
American
Oaks
at
Saratoga Racetrack; Rosie rode by a
ask her why she chose to include two
platform where the photographer was
9
images of the mare in her portfolio.
the horse back to the barn. “The crowd was left behind”, she recalls, “and I was
“I was in California through much of the time she was racing so I was fortunate to be able to follow her career closely.
able to get a nice close-up of her in a relaxed
posture
to
show
the
fine
features of her beautiful head.”
Her personality, power, and talent are not
often
matched.”
mare’s
Cheryl Ann Quigley’s photography
attention
has quite a following and she informs
their horse was getting and contributed
her community of fans regularly about
greatly to allowing Zenyatta’s fans to
new work and available art for purchase.
enjoy her racing career. “Jerry and Ann
She does not work on commission but
(Moss), John (Shirreffs), Mike (Smith),
prefers the freedom of working at her
Dottie (Shirreffs), her exercise rider
own
Steve Willard and her groom Mario
independence
Espinoza were always glad to do
frequently between California and New
interviews, sign memorabilia, and just
York.
parade her around for us. I wish I had
concern Cheryl deeply, she regularly
been in New York to see more of Rachel
contributes her work to “After the Finish
Alexandra’s races.
Line” at their fundraisers at Del Mar
connections embraced
The the
When those two
mares retired I felt a real loss. I can’t
pace
and
with –
a
geographic
Cheryl
travels
The welfare of the horses
Racetrack.
wait for their babies to run.” The portrait of Zenyatta though
photographed
in
- even a
similar
spontaneous moment as the portrait of Rosie Napravnik – has the qualities of a classic close-up portrait, capturing the character in a quiet and dignified manner.
After Zenyatta’s win in the
Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita Park, Cheryl caught the beautiful
To see more of Cheryl Ann Quigley’s work please go to her website at http://www.cherylannquigley.com//cherylannquigley/
mare’s profile when her groom guided 10
~ E. J. “Lu cky” Bal dwin ~
The Father of Santa Anita
T
he
history
horse
racing
of
across the great planes
in
towards California, lured
America is mostly
by the call of gold.
told along the moneyed East coast titans of Thoroughbred
Among those traveling
racing, the Whitneys, the
westward in the 1850s was
Vanderbilts,
Phippses,
one Elias Jackson Baldwin
the Belmonts, and to this day
with his wife Sarah Ann
the most coveted trophy to
Unruh and
the
strive for is to win the sport’s
Eliah J. “Lucky” Baldwin
Triple Crown, or at least one jewel of it,
their little
daughter Clara.
Instead of picks and shovels as his
with all of the competition’s three races
wagonload
Elias
brought
brandy,
run at one of the historic racetracks in
tobacco and tea. At 25 years of age he
the Eastern United States.
had already sharpened his skills as a businessman for more than a decade
When Saratoga held its first race
with an instinctive understanding that
meets in the 1860s and match races
imagination and a bit of shrewdness are
were run between the Eastern North
valuable tools towards success.
and South the only horses racing in the West pulled covered wagons rumbling
11
As a 12-year old boy Elias had driven hogs from Indiana to Cincinnati, making up for the animals’ weight loss over the four-week journey by feeding them salt and water before selling them for a generous profit.
The money earned
launched young Elias’ horse-trading business and he won his first turf race at 16 in South Bend, Indiana, for a purse of
Baldwin’s hotel in San Francisco
$ 200.00. Speculating is a gamble and Baldwin made sure to invest in solid and Baldwin understood that luck is a
conservative business transactions but,
welcome contributor to any business
in
the
end,
the
Comstock
Ore
endeavor but that one cannot count on
speculations would prove that Baldwin
luck to be a successful businessman.
well deserved his middle name “Lucky”.
His wagonload of goods sold at great
When Baldwin’s marriage to Sarah Ann
profit during his voyage from Indiana to
Unruh Baldwin had ended in divorce,
California, and the horses he bought
Baldwin set out to travel the world
from the proceeds while continuing his
leaving his shares in the silver mines to
voyage west fattened his wallet when he
his broker to sell at the best possible
sold them upon arrival in San Francisco.
time.
Within days of settling his family in the Golden City he owned a hotel, ventured
When Baldwin returned - bringing a
begun
vaudeville circus with him including a
speculating in the newly discovered
live tiger - one of the mines he had
Nevada silver mines.
invested
into
real
estate,
and
had
in
showed
enormously
profitable. Baldwin’s broker had wanted to sell earlier when the price was right but had been unable to sell: His boss had taken the key to the safe with the
2
stock papers along with him on his trip – now a rather unexpected fortune earned Elias Jackson Baldwin his nickname “Lucky” Baldwin. The lucky businessman did not fare quite as well in love or to be more specific in Lucky’s case, in marriage. By the time Lucky was in his fifties, he had
At Rancho Santa Anita
divorced three wives and was known for multiple
amorous
affairs
of
which
several landed him in court.
Perhaps the Santa Anita ranch was Lucky’s true love. In 1875 Baldwin bought the Rancho Santa Anita, a
Baldwin married one last time a
gorgeous
8,000
acres
lush
green
woman forty years his junior who
property in Bear Valley in the San
maneuvered her affair with the much
Bernardino Mountains, for $ 200.000.00
older man into a marriage contract and
in cash. He added another 50,000 acres
saw to being well taken care of. She
of
was not interested in sharing house and
defaulted on their obligations and had to
home with her husband – she made her
hand over the land and title to Lucky.
land
when
business
partners
home in San Francisco and never lived with
her
husband
at
his
ranch
-
Baldwin
could
finally
bring
his
nicknamed “Harem” for good reasons
Thoroughbred
inhabited by a man who greatly enjoyed
enterprise to California. His exquisite
female company and lots of it.
breeding
stock
breeding from
and
racing
Saratoga
and
Kentucky, two stallions, Grinstead and Rutherford, and 6 fillies (Jennie D, Blossom, Clara D, Santa Anita, Glenita and Ophir), Lucky bred very successful runners.
Jockeys wearing Baldwin’s
silks, the Maltese cross in black and red
3
crossed the finish line on winning horses
Southern California finally had its own
15 of 25 starts at Saratoga Racetrack.
horseracing venue, the one-mile Santa Anita Race Track.
With the railroad came the demand for land for developments and brought
Baldwin negotiated with the Southern
Lucky another opportunity to increase
Pacific Railroad to build a spur track to
his wealth – and to build his own town:
his
Arcadia.
accessible to horses and racing fans.
racetrack,
making
it
easily
The first day of its inaugural race meet in December of 1907 brought 20,000 visitors, and the overjoyed owner is quoted The grandstand at Santa Anita Racetrack
On the site of a Mexican ramshackle
saying:
"I
desire
no
other
monument. This is the greatest thing I have ever done."
settlement on his property Baldwin began to build housing, hotels, a casino, and at last, a racetrack. He finally got to breed, train and race his horses right where he lived, he worked with a private trainer and employed his own jockeys, young African-American men he brought
Santa Anita train station
to California from the Carolinas. Lucky Baldwin was to enjoy Santa Alonzo “Lonnie� Clayton started at age 12 as exercise rider for the Baldwin Stable. At 15 he was the youngest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby in 1892 aboard Azra.
Anita for little more than a year, he died of pneumonia at eighty years of age, fortunately before California outlawed horse racing only one year later. The racetrack would host various other amusements like rodeos and bull riding events and after the grandstand burned down in 1912, the site was taken over 4
by the Army for a Balloon school and
horse racing and the name of his
the stables were turned into housing for
racetrack was to live on after his death.
soldiers.
Anita, his youngest daughter from his third marriage, by her name so deeply
After the soldiers left, the 180-acre
connected to her father’s love for his
site of Lucky’s Santa Anita Race Track
ranch and for horse racing, perhaps not
was turned into Arcadia County Park.
a surprise since Lucky loved her mother
Today
Jennie Dexter deeply, forayed into horse
the
surrounding
affluent
neighborhood of the park bears no trace
racing and track ownership.
of the boisterous and colorful but undoubtedly seedier saloons, hotels and
In the 1930s, Anita cleared the path
amusement facilities of Lucky’s Arcadia.
for a new Santa Anita racetrack against
Baldwin’s influence on Californian
quite some resistance of the town’s
5
people who were concerned that horse
Lucky’s barn:
racing would bring along the lusty
winners Volante, 1885, Silver Clous,
demimonde that they had been glad to
1886, Emperor of Norfolk, 1888, and
see go.
Rey El Santa Anita, 1894.
The outlook of money
in
the
The American Derby
employment and
community’s
coffers
convinced Arcadians to give in to Anita’s request.
Anita had partnered for the
track enterprise with the builder of Hialeah,
Joe
Smoot,
but
their
relationship soured, and the deal to build the track fell apart. Immediately, the Los Angeles Turf Club jumped on the opportunity to build a racetrack within city limits, and the construction of Santa Anita began on a 400 acre site, part of the original Baldwin estate.
Lucky’s Maltese cross memorial
So we might want to remember the
The track opened on
Baldwins alongside the Whitneys, the
Christmas Day in December of 1934,
Vanderbilts, the Phippses, and the
twenty-seven years after E.J. Baldwin
Belmonts, when we think of the history
brought horse racing to Los Angeles.
of horse racing in this country, because without Lucky we might have never
There is a small reminder of the
seen the “Biscuit” lift the hearts and
father of horse racing in Southern
spirits of thousands of Americans in a
California at Santa Anita Park just off
time of great trial as only a hero of the
the saddling paddock:
common man can do.
A sculpture of
the Maltese cross that adorned Lucky Baldwin’s
racing
silks,
and
bronze
plaques for some of the great horses in
6
WINSTAR FARMS – STABLEMATES By Sean Kerr
As I met with Gerry Duffy, Stallion Manager at Winstar Farms, it occurred to me that several of my best betting choices in Graded Stakes races turned out to be WinStar Farm horses: Any Given Saturday, Summer Bird, Drosselmeyer, Colonel John, Tiznow and even Funny Cide by way of their consignments. Gerry told me about their StableMates website where you can become a member and participate in WinStar Farm’s breeding and racing program: you can visit the farm 24/7 by watching the horses through their web cam! Go see for yourself at http://stablemates2.winstarfarm.com/ It’s fun!
1
charmer; an athletic-looking, steely grey colt with bedroom eyes, perky ears and a nuzzler
In The Money By Vin Rogers
to boot. He was irresistible. He went at auction for a mere $1500. Since he had no name when purchased, we’ll simply call him
I
t was August 1978: temperature 92 degrees, humidity 80%.
“Max.”
Ed Smith (a
fictitious name) and his wife Mindy were attending a yearling sale at Ocala; they wanted to buy a racehorse.
Ed managed a small barn in Maryland; perhaps eight or ten horses, nothing like Pletcher, Baffert or Zito, but not the end of the line, either.
His barn housed two or
three steady allowance types, one minor stakes filly, four claimers, and a groom who had nowhere else to sleep.
I was deeply involved with horses at that time.
I’d joined a syndicate of 45
dreamers, and our team purchased ten yearlings at an earlier auction in Lexington. All ten were vanned to Ocala where they would
soon
be enrolled in
racehorse
kindergarten.
Ocala is, of course, horse country par excellence. It’s home to some of the finest training facilities in thoroughbred racing, and an acknowledged Mecca for yearlings.
Any horseman will tell you that you
Ed, too, had made the decision to
mustn’t fall in love with the first horse you
ship his new purchase to Ocala, and Max
see if you’re looking to buy. It’s easy to do,
showed up one afternoon at the same facility
happens often, and usually ends badly. But
our syndicate manager had chosen for our
they did fall in love: Hip #155's breeding
horses.
and confirmation was certainly acceptable though not exceptional, but he was a
2
training, and eventually, if all went well, look for a suitable spot for his racing debut. That One morning, while I was watching a
opportunity came in mid-May; a 5-furlong
coal black filly being pampered by a groom
sprint, $12,000 Maiden special for state-
old enough to have picked Seabiscuit’s feet,
breds at a major Eastern track.
a fortyish, baseball-capped, binocular-laden guy stopped to admire the filly. introduced
ourselves,
chatted,
and
We he
suggested coffee - I agreed.
With
steady
if not
spectacular
works, Max was a respectable 12-1 at post time.
He finished fourth; the chart read
“Dwelt at gate.” His second race resulted in a fifth place finish; chart read “Clipped heels at 1/4 pole.” Ed and I were together at Ocala for about a week. The babies were learning how
Third race: no “dwelt,” no
“clipped heels,” good start. Max ran in midpack and closed for third.
to become racehorses and we were there every morning at trackside to monitor their progress. I was content to be an observer, but Ed, a trainer himself, took a proactive
Ed, Mindy, and their team of grooms,
role in Max’s education. Max was, in every
hot walkers, and exercise riders wanted a
way, a perfect gentleman, popular with
win. Ed tried a change in riders, a change in
exercise riders, grooms, vets and farrier. He
distance - he added and subtracted blinkers.
wasn’t a spectacular mover, but was focused
Results? Three more starts, no wins - but in
and efficient; worked 3 furlongs in a
the money every time.
comfortable 0 :38, 4 in a leisurely 0 :52. Advice came from many quarters; A few weeks later, school was out;
mostly “Why not drop him into a maiden
time for Ed to ship Max home, get him
claimer?” But this Ed could not do; Max had
acclimated to a new barn, continue his
become a family pet - his kids adored him.
3
He could not take the chance of losing him
Two weeks later, Max was entered in
via the claiming box.
another maiden special - this time for a $16,000 purse.
The Ed barn brain trust met to discuss their horse’s future. He’d had seven
It’s the day of the race; Max is
starts, in the money five of the seven. They
brushed, combed, and polished for the
concluded that Max, as lovable as he was,
occasion. The barn’s blue and white silks
was at best an ordinary runner with an
almost glow in the afternoon sun. His rider -
unfortunate tendency to prefer racing with
I’ll call him Joe - arrives. Ed puts a fatherly
and among horses rather than ducking it out
arm around the diminutive jock and they
alone either in front or in the rear. Mindy
confer for an animated five minutes or so.
handled the barn’s books, and in a quick
Ed gives Joe a leg up, and Max heads for the
review of Max’s monetary history, pointed
track. Max is 4-1 on the board (the public
out that he had earned $14,625 so far in his
can’t resist backing a horse that has finished
freshman year with his five in the money
in the money six times).
performances. The race goes off; Joe positions Max “And how much has he cost us so
fifth from the rail, comfortably surrounded
far?” asked Ed. “I mean everything; feed,
by runners on either side. At the 8th pole,
vet, workouts - how much?” Mindy turned
Joe clucks, Max surges forward, passes two
to her books and calculator, clicked away,
horses, and finishes a respectable third,
and reported that Max’s total expenses for
earning about $1000 for his connections.
the racing year were not quite $3,650. “You sure?” asked Ed. “Check those numbers again.” She did - they were indeed correct.
Max raced ‘til he was five (an injury kept him off the track during his four-yearold season).
He never made it to the
4
winner’s circle. He was a perfect 0 for 32, but his lifetime earnings box showed
Zippy (in the orange silks of the number 7 horse) with jockey Willie Belmonte aboard
$56,000. Indeed, the grey charmer had more than paid his way in each of his competitive seasons.
But, perhaps wisely, was never
A huge crowd showed up; he was everyone’s sentimental favorite and was bet down to 7-2. The Zip never made a move
asked to face winners.
and finished last; now he was a perfect 0 for 100. But Zippy’s dismal record had brought both notoriety and big bucks to his connections. Max’s story reminds me a little of the infamous Zippy Chippy.
Zippy
became
a
national
phenomenon during his 14 years of racing. Despite
royal
lineage
(parented
by
Compliance and Listen Lady and a blood relative to Northern Dancer) he had lost 99 consecutive races when he went to the post for the last time on Friday, September 10, 2004, at the Northampton, Massachusetts fair.
Max was never in Zippy’s class, hard to beat no wins in 100 tries. Yet, he had followed a similar path, proving that mediocrity could indeed be made to pay off.
The famously
legendary taught
that
Vince
Lombardi
“Winning
isn’t
everything - it’s the only thing.”
Not always. 5
Vincent Rogers is a retired professor of education of the University of Connecticut.
His first retirement project at age 63 was learning to ride in the university’s equestrian program; his second was buying a share in a racehorse partnership. Vin is also a Jazz trumpeter, a writer, and considers himself a political junkie.
6
TALES OF THE DARK SIDE FACT OR FICTION?
HALLOWEEN CONTEST Welcome to our firs t iRacehorse mystery quiz! The backstretch of Santa Anita is like the backstretch of every racetrack full of tales, funny tales, tragic tales, and curious tales – some so curious that we wonder if they are really true. We would like to share with you four stories from the shed rows of California – will you help us to tell fact from fiction? Of course, your efforts should not go without reward! If you are the first person to accurately respond to ALL the following mysteries, we will give you a free gift of a secret horse racing prize (no strings, ligaments or bodily tissues attached!) – you WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED!
7
Let’s get started! You must tell us which of each of the following mystery tales is: a) fact or b) fiction or c) fact and fiction or d) simply not true. And: You must also tell us who the person or character is. Deadline for entries is November 30th, 2012 Please send your answers to office@5Rstables.com Good Luck!
8
First tale:
A young Japanese-American grew and allegedly went deep into space long after being forced to live in a Japanese internment camp not long after Seabiscuit won the Santa Anita handicap.
Second tale:
The ignition switch for the fuse of the first atomic bomb was tested and managed by Robert Oppenheimer in the Santa Anita starting gate.
Third tale:
A stable boy in one of the Santa Anita barns who later became a horse bettor was seen running out of a hotel with a lady in a polka dot dress minutes after a high profile murder. The boy was arrested and claimed that he had been brainwashed by the lady in the polka dot dress.
Forth tale:
The fast talking man played a toy xylophone and wore shoes on his hands as he interviewed people about Seabiscuit’s match race.
9