For Immediate Release...

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Calumet Farm's Bright Past Flashes Into The Present
(July 28, 1977)
The victories of Calumet Farm's Our Mims in the $109,900 Coaching Club American Oaks and Alydar in the $36,825 Great American Stakes, both in a four-day span at Belmont Park, touched off a wave of nostalgia among those who recalled the days when Calumet's devil's red and blue colors were the most successful in racing. Alydar's most recent triumph in the $36,625 Tremont Stakes made it three out of four and added further reason for fond recollection.

In the 20 years from 1941 to 1961, Calumet Farm, owned first by Warren Wright and later by his widow, Mrs. Gene Markey, was the country's leading stable 12 times, a record without parallel.

Under the supervision of Ben Jones and his son, Jimmy, both members of racing's Hall of Fame, the Calumet horses set record after record and often finished one-two-three in stakes. One morning in the fall of 1949, the Jones Boys took a set to the main track at Belmont during training course the likes of which taxes credulity.

The set included Citation, a four-year-old, who won the Triple Crown the previous season; Armed, an eight-year-old, nearing the end of a career which saw him earn $817,475; Bewitch, a four-year-old filly who was to earn $462,605; Coaltown, one of the fastest horses ever to race, who earned $415,675; Two Lea, a three-year-old filly who earned $309,250; Faultless, a fiver-year-old who won the Preakness of 1947; and Ponder, a three-year-old, who won the Kentucky Derby that season, and who earned $541,275.

These earnings, including those of the turf's first millionaire, Citation ($1,085,760), were amassed during a period when the value of stakes races wasn't nearly as high as it is today. Many of the races these champions won are worth twice as much money in the present inflated economy.

There has never been a stable to compare with Calumet, which, between 1941 and 1968 won a record eight Kentucky Derbys, with such cracks as Whirlaway (1941), Pensive (1944), Citation (1948), Ponder (1949), Hill Gail (1952), Iron Liege (1957), Tim Tam (1958), and Forward Pass (1968).

Calumet won more Preaknesses than any other stable. Its seven winners of the Pimlico Classic include Whirlaway (1941), Pensive (1944), Faultless (1947), Citation (1948), Fabius (1956), Tim Tam (1958), and Forward Pass (1968).

Calumet's record in the Belmont isn't quite as good. Whirlaway (1941) and Citation (1948) won in their years to gain sweeps of the Triple Crown. They are the only two, but there were so many victories in other races by horses such as Mark-Ye-Well, Fervent, Miz Clementine, A Gleam, Wistful, Twilight Tear, Bardstown, Good Blood, Twosy, Trentonian, Free America, Barbizon, Pot O' Luck, Gen. Duke, Yorky, On-And-On and Beau Prince as to overwhelm perspective.

Even now, the glory that was Calumet 20 and 30 years ago is reaching out to lend a hand in the resurgence of the stable. Sweet Tooth, the dam of both Our Mims and Alydar, traces back to a purchase made by Warren Wright in 1948. At that time the baking powder magnate from Chicago acquired Blue Delight from breeder Henry Knight, bred her to his remarkable sire, Bull Lea, and got a filly named Real Delight who won over $250,000. Real Delight who swept the Kentucky Oaks, the Pimlico Oaks and the Coaching Club American Oaks of 1952, was bred to Ponder and produced Plum Cake, a stakes-winning filly and a stakes-producer as a broodmare. Plum Cake, bred to On-And-On, a winner of $390,718, produced Sweet Tooth.

Since Jimmy Jones retired in the fall of 1964, the Calumet horses have been trained by a procession of noted horsemen, including George Poole, Henry Forrest, Frank Bonsal and Reggie Cornell. Only an occasional stakes victory served as a reminder that Calumet was still very much in the picture. But now young (32) John Veitch, son of veteran trainer Syl Veitch, has taken command, and the devil's red legions are on the march once again.

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NYRA PHOTOS

 Our Mims, who carried the Calumet Farm's devil's red and blue colors to victory in the $109,800 Coaching Club American Oaks, is steered to Belmont Park workout by exercise rider Graham Bell. Between 1941 and 1968, Calumet Thoroughbreds won a record eight Kentucky Derbys and clinched more Preaknesses than any other stable.
Calumet Farm's Our Mims shows off the fancy footwork that helped her to win the recent mile and a half Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park. The three-year-old filly's success has highlighted the resurgence of Calumet as one of racing's leading stables. Exercise rider is Graham Bell.
NYRA PHOTOS


NYRA PHOTOS

 Alydar, making a name for himself as the best two-year-old to come along so far this season, basks in his bath and the personal attention of trainer John Veitch. The Calumet Stable campaigner has won three of four career starts.
Among the great Thoroughbreds whose achievements made Calumet the country's leading stable 12 times was Triple Crown winner, Citation. Here he is capturing one of the races that made him the sport's first millionaire, the $100,00 added International Gold Cup at Belmont Park, with Eddie Arcaro up (10/16/48). Finishing second was Phalanx, ridden by Ruperto Donoso. Other outstanding campaigners who carried the Calumet silks through the years included Whirlaway, Pensive, Armed, Coaltown, Bewitch, Iron Leige, Hill Gail, Tim Tam and Forward Pass.
NYRA PHOTOS

John Veitch, 32, son of veteran trainer Syl Veitch, has taken command of Calumet Farm's stable, which for many years was handled by Hall of Fame members, Ben Jones and his son, Jimmy, who retired in 1964. Noted horsemen who have trained for Calumet in the ensuing years have included George Poole, Henry Forrest, Frank Bonsal and Reggie Cornell. Veitch has some pretty powerful ammunition at hand with stakes winners, Our Mims and Alydar.