Kelso (horse)
| Kelso | |
| Race: | English blood |
| Father: | Your host |
| Mother: | Maid of Flight |
| Mother, father: | Count Fleet |
| Gender: | gelding |
| Year of birth: | 1957 |
| Year of death: | 1983 |
| Country: | USA (Kentucky) |
| Colour: | Dark brown |
| Breeder: | Claiborne Farm |
| Owner: | Allaire du Pont |
| Trainer: | 1) Dr. John Lee 2) Carl Hanford |
| Record: | 63 starts: 39 wins, 12 place |
| Prize amount: | $ 1,977,896 |
| Greatest wins, titles and awards | |
| Greatest victories | |
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• Jockey Club Gold Cup (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964) • Metropolitan Handicap (1961) • Brooklyn Handicap (1961) • Suburban Handicap (1961, 1963) • Woodward Stakes (1961, 1962, 1963) • Whitney Handicap ( 1961, 1963, 1965) • Aqueduct Handicap (1963, 1964) |
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| title | |
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• Outstanding US 3-Year-Old Male Horse (1960) • American Champion Older Male Horse (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964) • US Horse of the Year (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964) |
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| Awards | |
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• United States Racing Hall of Fame (1967) • Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame (1977) • # 4 - Top 100 US Racehorses of the 20th Century |
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Infobox last modified on: September 19, 2011. |
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Kelso (* 4. April 1957 in Paris , Kentucky ; † 16th October 1983 in Chesapeake City , Maryland ) was a successful American thoroughbred racehorse that the horse racing dominated in the United States in the first half of the 1960s. Coming from inconspicuous breeding, it developed under its trainer Carl Hanford to the greatest public darling of horse racing for more than 20 years. To this day, Kelso is considered the most successful gelding of all time and was particularly famous for his spectacular victories with serious weight disadvantages in equalization races (handicaps) and his much-praised nimble and elegance. In his unusually long racing career - Kelso started in eight seasons - he won more prize money than any horse before him and set, or at least equalized, a world record, three US records and eight track records. With a time of 3:19.20 minutes it still holds the US record over two miles .
Life
Early years
Kelso's pedigree didn't look very promising. He was born on Claiborne Farm near Paris , Kentucky , and was descended from the mare Maid of Flight and the stallion Your Host . His father, also a well-known racehorse, had not yet appeared in breeding and his mother - although daughter of the US Triple Crown winner Count Fleet and maternal granddaughter of the famous Man o 'War - had only three of them in her racing career Won 18 competitions and achieved a few podium positions in stakes races and was therefore almost entirely unknown. She gave birth to Kelso as her first foal and he was one of 10,792 registered foals of the year in the United States. From the beginning he was owned by Allaire du Pont (* 1913; † 2006), who ran the Woodstock Farm in Chesapeake City , Maryland and with their horses under the nom de course "Bohemia Stable" ( de .: "Stall Bohemia ”) competed. It got its name after Kelso Everett, a friend of its owner. The nickname Kelly became established for both of them . At first, Kelso was a comparatively problematic animal and there was little to suggest that it might be suitable for racing. He was skinny, relatively short, and extremely difficult to control. Before he even set foot on a racetrack for the first time, he was neutered at the age of two at du Pont's request - in the hope of both stimulating his growth and calming his mind. However, the measure showed little success; Kelso remained a headstrong and comparatively uncultivated animal throughout his life - even under his training rider Dick Jenkins.
Trained by Dr. John Lee and ridden by jockey John Block, Kelso made his debut on Friday, September 4, 1959 as a two-year-old racing at the Atlantic City Race Course in Mays Landing , New Jersey . It was a typical first race, at the end of which Kelso, who was also traded as a 6-1 favorite, crossed the finish line as the winner in front of 13,626 spectators. For the second event ten days later, he was therefore considered an easy favorite (4: 1), but had to admit defeat to the competitor Dress Up and could only secure second place. In the third race on September 23, he also led the seeding lists 9: 5 - and once again fought for second place behind Windy Sands . After this racing series, Kelso's season as a freshman ended within a month.
1960–1966: racing career
A new star in the racing sky
At the turn of the year Lee was replaced as coach by Carl Hanford (* 1916; † 2011). Due to this personnel decision, which had to be processed in full at first, Kelso's season as a three-year-old - generally the most important in the life of a racehorse - only began late after the prestigious Triple Crown . However, this circumstance should not have a negative effect in the further course. After a few smaller runs, Kelso won the Monmouth Stakes in Oceanport , New Jersey by ten lengths . Kelso's first victory in a major race was therefore very convincing and seven more followed within a year. In 1960 he secured a total of eight wins in nine starts with outstanding odds. In the mile race on the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens , he set a new record for his age group with a run time of 1:34.20 minutes and outclassed the competition. This was followed by a seven-length win at the Choice Stakes and when Jerome Handicap was subsequently won , the gelding was ridden for the first time by jockey Eddie Arcaro (* 1916; † 1997). In order to so-called equalization race ( s .: to create a level handicap races) conditions, stronger horses must carry to a coefficient assigned weights. For example, Kelso's success in the Discovery Handicap was four kilograms more buckled than the runner-up Careless John . He achieved another sensational race at the Lawrence Realization Stakes when he took Tompion , the favorite for the Kentucky Derby , four and a half lengths and also set the record time of Man o 'War over 1005,842 meters (1⅝ mile) of 2:40, 80 min could equalize. At the end of the year Kelso also prevailed at the important Jockey Club Gold Cup in Belmont Park in Elmont , New York - among other things against two older and therefore more experienced horses. Following that win, Arcaro said:
“There's no doubt about it. He's the best horse in America today. He can beat anything at any distance. "
"There is no doubt. He's the best horse in America right now. He can beat anything and everyone over any distance. "
Kelso was the dominant racehorse of the three-year-old season in 1960 - the competition only managed to beat him in his first stakes race, the Arlington Classic, and he finished the event in eighth place - and accordingly received several awards. He received the honors of Outstanding US 3-Year-Old Male Horse and US Horse of the Year from the horse racing newspaper Daily Racing Form .
"Unbeatable" Kelso
| year | Starts | 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | Prize money in $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3,380 |
| 1960 | 9 | 8th | 0 | 0 | 293.310 |
| 1961 | 9 | 7th | 1 | 0 | 425,565 |
| 1962 | 12 | 6th | 4th | 0 | 289,685 |
| 1963 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 569,762 |
| 1964 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 311,660 |
| 1965 | 6th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 84.034 |
| 1966 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 500 |
As in the previous year, Kelso's season started late in 1961 - because he twisted his kneecap , he was only able to intervene in the racing scene in May. He won seven of his nine starts and impressed steadily growing audience numbers with his performances. However, he won the Whitney Handicap in Saratoga , New York only after the original winner was disqualified , as he was subsequently awarded first place. At the latest when he celebrated a success of eight lengths at the Woodward Stakes, he had already found his dominance again. Although he only finished fourth in the Washington Park Handicap, he won the Jockey Club Gold Cup for the second time in a row - five lengths ahead, which earned him further recognition. His greatest victory in 1961 was winning the New York Handicap Triple , which is made up of the Metropolitan Handicap, the Suburban Handicap and the Brooklyn Handicap. All three races are held in Belmont Park and are each very prestigious in their own right. Hanford later described his appearance at the Metropolitan as Kelso's best race of the whole year, and spectators and experts were also euphoric by the course. The journey was difficult and so it was all the more astonishing that Kelso was able to run for victory. Carrying 130 pounds, he competed neck and neck almost the entire distance before crossing the finish line first. In the Suburban, he received weights of 133 pounds in accordance with his favorite role and still won five lengths lightly. Eighteen days later, he was 136 pounds at the Brooklyn, eighteen more than the runner-up Divine Comedy . He fought a long duel with Kelso, but Allaire du Pont's horse finally won with a little more than a length. With his triumph, Kelso went into the statistics as only the third overall winner of the New York Handicap Triple in its 70-year history. It is mainly thanks to this success that he was able to defend his title as horse of the year and that he was also recognized as an outstanding racehorse over three years.
A virus infection cost Kelso valuable preparation and training time in early 1962. So it was hardly surprising that at the start of the season he was unable to seamlessly build on the successes of the previous year. In his first race, the Metropolitan Handicap, it was enough for him under 133 pounds and with jockey Bill Shoemaker in the saddle only to sixth place. Then he won a small allowance mile race, but had to admit defeat in the Suburban Handicap Beau Purple . In the Monmouth Handicap, too - this time behind Carry Back - he only achieved silver. These three failures prompted Hanford and du Pont to change their jockey, with Ismael "Milo" Valenzuela (* 1934; † 2009) engaged . This initially managed to lead Kelso to victory in a purse race on grass; at another event of this kind, a fourth place followed. As a five-year-old, however, Kelso experienced a mixed season for his standards with only six wins from twelve starts. The favorites for the horse of the year title were initially Carry Back and Beau Purple . It wasn't until September that Kelso managed to secure the Stymie Handicap over a mile and a quarter on the Aqueduct Racetrack and thus his first win of the year in a stakes race. From then on, his form curve rose again: with a four and a half lengths ahead, he triumphed at the Woodward Stakes and outclassed the competition by ten lengths in his third win of the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Then Hanford Kelso signed up for the Man o 'War Stakes in Elmont, where he had to admit defeat to Beau Purple , while the other stubborn competitor Carry Back did not run into the prize money. On December 1, 1962, in front of 29,661 enthusiastic spectators on the Garden State Park Racetrack in Cherry Hill , New Jersey , Kelso won the last race of the year with the first ever Governor's Plate. With a lead of five lengths and a time of 2:30, 20 minutes, he set a new track record over a mile and a half. At the same time, this victory increased his total prize money to over 1,000,000 US dollars - only four other horses had achieved this before. It was also thanks to this fact that Kelso was honored as Horse of the Year for the third time in a row, more often than any other before.
The year 1963 was to be the most successful of Kelso's racing career. As he was in great shape, Hanford and Valenzuela also took part in a few races during the winter. They traveled to warm Florida , where Kelso initially took fourth place in the Palm Beach Handicap. He already celebrated his first victory in the subsequent Seminole Handicap and came second in the Widener Handicap with 131 pounds. He also won the Gulfstream Park Handicap under £ 130. Most racehorses have already been withdrawn from competitive sports at the age of six - or at least no longer able to keep up in the upper performance range. But Kelso continued his career with undiminished success. The interlude in Florida was followed - after the horse and team had returned to the northern climes - a winning streak of seven major stakes in a row, admired in disbelief by the spectators, experts and journalists. It started with the JB Campbell Handicap at the Bowie Race Track in Bowie , Maryland , where Kelso dominated under 131 pounds. He continued the line at the Nassau County Handicap (£ 132), the Suburban Handicap (£ 133), the Whitney Stakes and the Woodward Stakes. He had already won the latter in the two previous years; now the victory was three and a half lengths ahead of Never Bend . From race to race he had to carry more weights in an attempt to achieve equal opportunities and so he started the Aqueduct Stakes with 134 pounds, which did not endanger his lead by five and a half lengths over Crimson Satan . On October 19, Kelso crowned the season with his fourth triumph at the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Two days earlier, one of his ankles was still swollen, but in front of 50,131 spectators - most of whom cheered from the stands just because of him - he prevailed on the racetrack without any problems, as expected. Valenzuela commented on this performance with the words:
“He gets better all the time. He was galloping today. He could have beaten his own track record if we'd tried. "
“He just keeps getting better. He galloped today. He could have broken his own track record if we had tried that. "
In 1963, with nine victories from twelve races, Kelso received almost 570,000 US dollars in prize money and thus his highest individual income in a racing year and because of these achievements and consistency he again received the US Horse of the Year and American Champion Older Male Horse awards - now for fourth or third time in a row.
Kelso celebrated successes in series and seemed to be able to dominate the competition at will. The fans loved him and he achieved a popularity that has not been enjoyed by any racehorse at least since Seabiscuit . Nevertheless, his "sphere of influence" was mainly limited to the east coast of the United States - he ran particularly often in Laurel (MD), Queens (NY), Saratoga Springs (NY) and Elmont (NY) or in Florida. In order to increase his profile in the West and to establish him as a fixture in California , he was registered for two races there. But neither in the Los Angeles Handicap nor in the Californian Stakes, Kelso succeeded in not placing in the prize money. After these results, Hanford and du Pont concentrated again on the proven successful events. Although he prevailed under 136 pounds of weight in a small race in the US state of New York, Kelso did not have a good start to the season and he needed some time to set his first important victories. He was first with 131 pounds in the Suburban Handicap and shortly afterwards with 130 pounds in the Monmouth Handicap and second behind Mongo . An embarrassing - and unusual for an experienced and harmonious duo like Kelso and Milo Valenzuela - mishap happened to the gelding at the Brooklyn Handicap. His head hit the gate of the starting box, was slightly dazed during the following race in which he carried 130 pounds and only achieved a disappointing fifth place. The year 1964 was marked by some sensational duels between Kelso and Gun Bow , the winner of the Brooklyn Handicap. For example, Kelso won the Aqueduct Handicap before Gun Bow , but had to admit defeat in the Woodward Stakes in a photo finish . The result was so close that the responsible organizers initially wanted to place both horses equally. The duels electrified the audience and concealed the fact that Kelso was gradually showing the first signs of deteriorating performance. Nonetheless, he won the Jockey Club Gold Cup again with five and a half lengths ahead of Roman Brother and Quadrangle , securing this trophy for the fifth time in a row and also setting a new US record over two miles in 3: 19.20 minutes. To date, he is one of only three horses to win this race at the age of seven. After the 1964 season, in which he won five out of eleven races, Kelso had won more prize money than any horse before him.
The "Curse of Laurel"
Just as Kelso's victories in the Jockey Club Gold Cup or for example the Woodward Stakes for annual tradition, were also developed his appearances at the Washington, DC International Stakes over one and a half miles (2,414 meters) on the turf track of Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel , Maryland , a almost predictable pattern with always the same result.
In 1961 he was beaten by half a length by TV Lark , who was more likely to find the underground. After Kelso's otherwise very successful year, fans began to speculate that he would not be able to win on grass. The fact that the two horses had broken the track record with their runs and the competition was around twelve lengths behind did not detract from the talk. During the race, Kelso also suffered an ankle injury and had to rehabilitate at Woodstock Farm. The 1962 event was particularly significant. Despite a few victories, Kelso hadn't made a particularly convincing impression during the season and was challenged by the extremely strong stallions Carry Back and Beau Purple . The trio met again in Laurel and it was considered certain that the winner would be named US Horse of the Year. Beau Purple led the race from the start and tried to dominate the field as early as possible. Carry Back was known for its powerful sprints from cover. If Kelso had held back, the former would probably have won. If he had sprinted, he might have missed the necessary start against carry back in the end . Carl Hanford instructed Valenzuela to lead Beau Purple forward and weaken him, knowing that Kelso had the longer breath. On the first mile, Kelso and Beau Purple dueled , until he finally fell back in the opposite curve. Kelso turned into the home straight as the leader when Carry Back started the sprint. After a thrilling duel, however, he slowed down a little - but Kelso was also tired and could no longer counter the surprising winner Match II . He crossed the finish line in second place, Carry Back was third and Beau Purple only reached eleventh place. In the following year 1963, Kelso was only half a length short of the winner Mongo in the second-fastest event ever run - for the third time in a row he only achieved second place at the Laurel Park Racecourse.
As during the entire 1964 season, Kelso's closest competitor was Gun Bow in that year . It was now considered an unwritten law that the latter could not win the Washington, DC International Stakes. Ridden by Walter Blum, Gun Bow , who was three years his junior , took the lead early at dusk on November 11th. Kelso initially stayed three lengths behind, while the rest of the field ran lined up, already falling behind. After a mile, Kelso had his forehead slightly in front and was stopped with a transit time of 1:34, 40 minutes and when there were still 600 meters to run, he had pushed past the length of the neck. Blum continued to whip Gun Bow and his horse touched Kelso, who was able to stay on the outside lane as he entered the home straight. The one and a quarter mile mark (2011 meters) both took at the same time in exactly 2:00, but immediately afterwards Gun Bow broke in and had to let Kelso go. At Valenzuela's instructions, he slowed down and won by four and a half lengths in a new world record time of 2: 23.80 minutes. The curse was broken - Kelso could also win on grass. Tom Nickalls from the British trade magazine Sporting Life commented on the performance with the following words:
“Kelso must indeed be the greatest horse in the world today. [...] It was the finest piece of racing I have ever seen. "
“Kelso really has to be the best horse in the world right now. [...] It was the greatest racing event that I have ever seen. "
An era comes to an end
After five years of great successes that found their way into the history books of horse racing, Kelso's performance dropped significantly from 1965 onwards. Out of consideration for his age, he was only registered for six races. At every start he reached at least fourth place, in the Brooklyn Handicap, for example, he was third with 132 pounds. He was able to win three more, first the Diamond State Handicap and the Whitney Handicap. In autumn he triumphed in the Stymie Handicap on the Aqueduct Racetrack by eight lengths, but was hit on the eye by particles of dirt being thrown up, which caused an inflammation. This ended Kelso's season early.
In 1966 he started his eighth year of competition. In a sprint race on the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah , Florida - which Hanford wanted to use in preparation for the upcoming Donn Handicap - the gelding just missed the podium and crossed the finish line in fourth. It should be his last race. A little later, during training, he pulled a hairline crack at the tip of the inner sesamoid bone of his right hind leg . At Hanford's request, he was then released from all future racing obligations and left the turf. On March 19, the journal The Blood-Horse published the official withdrawal announcement and linked it with an appreciation:
“Kelso demonstrated the durability of class. No horse in our time was so good, so long. His was mature greatness. "
“Kelso demonstrated the longevity of class. No other horse of our time has been so good for so long. He embodied perfect greatness. "
Kelso's racing career ended after 2,388 days and Hanford himself answered a few days later when asked how he was feeling:
"Well, not as good as I felt last week, but you have to come to the end of the line sometime."
"Well, not as good as I felt last week, but you have to get to the end at some point."
Last years
As a gelding, Kelso could not be used for breeding . He received his grace at Allaire du Pont's Woodstock Farm in Chesapeake City , Maryland , and was inducted into the United States Racing Hall of Fame in 1967. From around the same time he was used - ridden by du Pont himself - in various par force hunts , for example the Vicmead Hunt in Delaware and the Andrew's Bridge Hunt in Pennsylvania . She told author, journalist and Kentucky Derby historian Jim Bolus:
“Kelso was as gentle as could be. He could jump over big fences. He went on like he'd done it all his life. "
“Kelso was as gentle as possible. He could jump over large fences. He carried on as always in his life. "
After his arthritis had worsened, he was finally spared from 1974 and he spent quiet years on the farm. As during his active racing career, Lawrence Fitzpatrick took over his care. Similar to other well-known racehorses, Kelso received thousands of letters from his fans even after his retirement, so that his own mailbox was installed for him .
On October 15, 1983, Kelso - the dominant gelding of the 1960s - led the so-called post parade on the occasion of the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Champagne Stakes held at the same time in Belmont Park in Elmont ( Nassau County , New York ). He was accompanied by Forego , the outstanding gelding of the 1970s. This parade in the course of a benefit event for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation was the first and only joint appearance of the two exceptional horses. The audience rose and gave them thunderous applause. Kelso was already 26 years old at the time, but many of the 32,493 spectators were of the opinion that he was in no way inferior to the half-younger Forego in appearance. The next day, Kelso was transported back to Chesapeake City. Shortly after arriving at the farm, he died completely unexpectedly. Media officials later speculated that he may have been too stressed on the last trip. However, the now largely accepted cause of death is colic . He was buried on the farm.
Aftermath
When Kelso resigned in 1966, he was the most successful racehorse ever and has since been named in a series of celebrities such as Kingston , Seabiscuit , Man o 'War , Secretariat , Citation or - more recently - Curlin , Cigar and Zenyatta . With a total prize money of 1,977,896 US dollars , he set new standards and was the most profitable horse of all time to date. This record was only exceeded by Affirmed in 1979 . Eddie Arcaro, who competed with numerous other high-class horses and is considered one of the world's most successful jockey, said, looking back on his time with Kelso, he has "never ridden a better horse".
Since 1980, the Kelso Stakes named after him have been held annually at the end of September or the beginning of October in Belmont Park in Elmont - the place of his last public appearance. The race runs for a mile and is open to three year olds and older. In the 1999 list of the 100 best American racehorses of the 20th century published by The Blood-Horse magazine , seven experts selected Kelso as fourth. In August 2006, Carl Hanford was inducted into the United States Racing Hall of Fame . In his acceptance speech, the then 90-year-old said:
“I am here today because of one horse and one horse only. Although I've had a few stakes horses before, they didn't compare with Kelso. There is an old saying on the racetrack that 'a good horse is dangerous in anybody's hands.' How true that is. Of all the top trainers in the past that have had this honor, I may be a little bit prejudiced, but I don't think any one of them had their hands on a horse like Kelso. "
“I'm only here today for one horse. Although I've had a few stakes horses before, they can't be compared to Kelso. There's an old saying on the racetrack that 'a good horse is dangerous in the wrong hands'. How true. Of all the top coaches who have had this honor in the past - I may be a little biased, but I don't think any of them had their hands on a horse like Kelso. "
ancestry
|
Father Your Host 1947–1961 |
Alibhai 1938-1960 |
Hyperion 1930-1960 |
Gainsborough 1915-1945 |
| Selene | |||
| Teresina | Tracery | ||
| Blue tit | |||
| Boudoir II | Mahmoud | Blenheim II | |
| Mah mahal | |||
| Kampala | Clarissimus | ||
| La Soupe II | |||
|
Mother Maid of Flight 1951–? |
Count Fleet 1940-1973 |
Reigh Count 1925-1948 |
Sunreigh |
| Contesina | |||
| Quickly | have you | ||
| Stephanie | |||
| Maidoduntreath |
Man o 'War 1917-1947 |
Fair Play 1905-1929 |
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| Mahubah 1910-1931 |
|||
| Mid Victorian | Victorian | ||
| Black Betty |
Additional information
literature
- Jacqueline Duke (Ed.): Thoroughbred Champions. Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century . Blood-Horse Publications, Lexington 1999, ISBN 1-58150-024-6 , pp. 22-25
- Steve Haskin: Kelso. Thoroughbred Legends . Eclipse Press, Lexington 2003, ISBN 978-1-58150-101-8
- Linda Kennedy: Kelso. The Horse of Gold . Westholme Publishing, Yardley 2007, ISBN 978-1-59416-043-1
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Cindy Pierson Dulay: "Kelso -" King Kelly "" on horseracing.about.com . Retrieved September 25, 2011
- ↑ a b c d e f g “Kelso” on spiletta.com . Retrieved September 25, 2011
- ↑ Duke (1999), p. 22
- ↑ a b Duke (1999), page 23
- ↑ a b c d e Duke (1999), page 24
- ^ Duke (1999), p. 25
- ↑ Photo of Kelso's tombstone on tbheritage.com . Retrieved September 25, 2011
- ↑ Quotes on elizapark.blogspot.com . Retrieved September 25, 2001