Legends: With Age Comes Wisdom

LEGENDS

With Age Comes Wisdom

WRITTEN BY MARION E. ALTIERI | PHOTOS PROVIDED UNLESS NOTED

Jean Cruguet. Photo courtesy of NYRA.

Rafael Tejada in the Winner's Circle, California.

Lester Piggott

Today’s young jockeys can learn a great deal about racing, longevity and life, itself from the sport’s elder statesmen.

Ageism may be the one lingering bias that’s acceptable in many corners, a state of mind that prevents patriarchal Wisdom from affecting culture, including horse racing. Even the pastoral backstretch of a horse racetrack is not exempt from Ageism’s reach from the world outside the gates.

Three jockeys come to mind when we think of Wisdom gained from experience: Jean Cruguet, Lester Piggott and Rafael Tejano.

Jean Cruguet. Photo courtesy of NYRA

Legendary Jean Cruguet, beloved by race fans and professionals alike, had a special connection to his mount, Seattle Slew. Together with sage direction from (the late, great) Trainer, Billy Turner, the dynamic team crossed victoriously over many finish lines. It’s not necessary to note that the team won hearts around the world when they trounced the competition in 1977, winning the Triple Crown by four lengths on a sloppy Big Sandy. (Belmont)

On paper, it looked like legendary Thoroughbred racehorse Seattle Slew and Jean Cruguet came from very-different backgrounds. Yet the two had something signifiant in common: big souls, wrapped in bodies that were judged by others to be less-than-perfect.

Seattle Slew was foaled on February 15, 1974 in Lexington, at White Horse Acres (now, Cobra Farm) by Ben Castleman. His dam was My Charmer; his sire, Bold Reasoning, descended from Bold Ruler, who’d sired Secretariat in 1970.

Very-well bred, yet it took a while for the big, dark Bay colt to find his groove as a racehorse. (For a while, he was nicknamed, Baby Huey.) Additionally, his right-front leg was a tad crooked; when he walked, the hoof threw itself outward a bit. He was “slewfooted.” (He was not named Slew for this reason – the phrase originated in the mid-19th Century, implying clumsiness of gait.)

Disability aside, the moment Seattle Slew walked onto a track for workouts or racing, his disability corrected itself – and the big colt ran straight as a string. It was beautiful to behold: the near-black, muscular horse, focusing on the task at hand, firing on all eight cylinders.

Jean Cruguet, 1965 at Hialeah Racetrack, one day after he arrived in the U.S.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Jean Cruguet was foaled on March 8, 1939 in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France. He’d been put onto a horse at a very young age, and the spark was lit.

At age five, Jean was placed in an orphanage, after his Father abandoned the family and Jean’s Mother couldn’t cope. He’d been separated from his brother (older by three years), so the young boy was truly alone. Being small of stature, he was the object of ridicule, and bullied by other children. Fortunately, he took this as a challenge, to dig down and find his own sense of worth. His ability to run faster than his tormenters paid off: little Jean looked back at the others and yelled,

“You just wait and see! I’m really going to be somebody someday!"

From ages 10 to 16, he lived in a Catholic secondary school run by priests. At 16, a friend of his Grandfather offered him work at a Thoroughbred racetrack, and the first step on his road to glory was set. His career was side-tracked momentarily when he was drafted for mandatory military service in the French Foreign Legion during the Algerian War. (If this reads like a movie, you’re right – it should be.)

Coming back from the War, Jean’s path to the track seemed stalled for a brief time – then he met and married a pioneering horsewoman, Denyse Pendanx. Denyse was one of the first female exercise riders in Europe, and the first to hold a trainer’s license.

She met her future husband when he rode one of her troublesome horses to victory. “She thought I was a genius, and that’s how we got together,” Jean quipped. The phrase, “soul mates” is overused nowadays, but it was absolutely true about the dynamic racing couple. Every time Jean mounted a horse, he made eye contact with his Denyse, and together they piloted the equine to victory.

Jean Cruguet on filly, Heavenly Decision at Chantilly Race Course.

The couple moved to Hialeah, Florida in 1965; here, in America, his school-age prophecy would be fulfilled. Among many other wins, in 1969 he rode the future Hall of Fame colt, Arts and Letters, to victory in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. (This was but the first of Cruguet’s Belmont wins.)

The Cruguets returned to Europe to race during the 1972 season; there, he tore up the tracks, winning Group One races (e.g., the Prix Vermeille and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in France, and the Champion Stakes in England.) He rode the Champion San San in all her wins for trainer Angel Penna Sr., but sidelined by a racing accident, he had to sit out the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. After finishing second in France's jockey standings for 1972, Jean and Denyse returned to the United States.

In 1976, Fate finally conspired to create one of the greatest, most successful teams in horse racing history when Jean Cruguet was asked to ride two-year-old Seattle Slew in the G1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont. In ’77, the dynamic duo won the Wood Memorial and the Flamingo on their way to the Triple Crown.

When he entered the gate at Churchill 45 years ago May 7th, Seattle Slew was the only horse in history to enter the Triple Crown undefeated since 1919. (The first year acknowledged as the Triple Crown.)

The rest, as they say, is history. Seattle Slew and Jean Cruguet won the Belmont Stakes by a comfortable four lengths, pouring on the juice and whipping fans into a state of impassioned joy.

Jean Cruguet, 1977 Sports Illustrated cover following Triple Crown win on Seattle Slew

The Sports Illustrated cover shows Cruguet standing in the irons, waving his crop in joyous celebration 20 yards before Slew’s mighty hooves hit the finish line. Cruguet was the first equine pilot to do this – a celebration that’s been repeated by victorious Jockeys every day for 45 years.

It’s 2022, and the 83-year-old Cruguet is not sitting on his laurels: he walks several miles every day. He lends his fame and Wisdom generously to so many causes, including equine welfare; memory care and educational. Always happy to chat with fans and advise young Jockeys, Cruguet plans to be in Saratoga for at least a week during this meet: look for him on the grounds, and the paddock. (Hint: the Jockeys’ Room, morning workouts and The Morning Line are also good bets.)

He still moves quickly and decisively: if you can catch up with him, don’t hesitate to introduce yourself, he’s just a Regular Guy. A Regular Guy who was the first Undefeated Triple Crown Jockey, that is. : )

Cruguet’s best advice to young Jockeys no doubt is, “Know yourself. Believe in yourself. Don’t listen to the negative, focus on the positive. Bring your best, and always do your best.” Merci, Jean.

Lester Piggott with HRM Queen Elizabeth II

Lester Piggott, Carrozza, HRM Queen Elizabeth II, 1957.

In May, the racing world lost an international star when the adored British Jockey and Trainer, Lester Piggott, died in his adopted country, Switzerland, at age 86. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain – including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, Piggott was an example of formidable native talent, married to persistence and drive. He was partially deaf and had a slight speech impediment, but these did not keep him from displaying his dry, quick wit, or his reputation for being taciturn. (It was observed that he did not suffer fools gladly. Like the American turf Champion Thoroughbred, John Henry – Piggott’s personality won more fans than foes.)

In 1957, at age 21, Piggott rode Queen Elizabeth II’s Carrozza to victory in The Oaks at Epsom, thus beginning a long and mutually-respectful relationship with Britain’s #1 horse lover. Her Majesty has owned hundreds of horses, and had many Jockeys over the years — but it was just a fact that Lester Piggott was her favorite. So many times, over the decades they were seen together: in winner’s circles, chatting before a race, sharing a laugh. Clearly, the two legends had great affection for each other.

Lester Piggott atop racehorse Apalachee

Lester Piggott at Epsom unveiling one of nine statues of him at British race courses.

At 5’8,” Piggott was tall for a Flat Jockey. Subsequently, he spent his entire career working to keep his weight in check. Thus, he was dubbed, The Long Fellow, for his slight appearance. He overcame his physical disabilities, choosing instead to focus on his abilities: his tremendous strength, focus and determination. He overcame because he had to. Piggott’s lesson for all young Jockeys in this (or any other) century: assess your situation; decide to excel, gaze straight ahead and never, ever back down.

Rafael Tejada inducted to the Hipodromo Camareo Hall Of Fame, Puerto Rico.

The name, Rafael Tejada, may not be a household name to younger American race fans, but at 99, Tejada is the oldest living Jockey – and that, alone, is a huge achievement and worth noting in Equicurean. In a sport where the athletes break bones and bodies, and (sadly) die on occasion – Tejada wove through traffic on American tracks, steering his mounts safely to their appointed finish lines. Coming back from a race unscathed is a good thing.

The first Puerto Rican Jockey to take on the mainland, Tejada barnstormed across America from Rhode island to California, and just-about everywhere in-between. He perambulated across America, winning races and friends all along the trail. His career here spanned the 1950s – ‘70s, trekking between the mainland and Puerto Rico.

Tejada was a contemporary of greats Jean Cruguet, Willie Shoemaker and Violet Smith. (The firsts female licensed in the Pacific Nothwest as a Jockey, the sixth woman to be licensed as a Jockey in the United States.

When he retired from racing, he served with distinction as President of the Hipódromo Camarero, the major racetrack in Puerto Rico. (Many famous American horses raced there, including 1976 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner, Bold Forbes.) Tejada has retired, but still goes to the track to take in the races, and to advise and encoureage up-andcoming Jockeys.