We
enjoyed the Kentucky Derby the first Saturday in May, 2014. California Chrome won, and he is the projeny of Northern Dancer. The AARP May Bulletin had a feature
stating that fifty years ago a sleeper named Northern Dancer won the
Kentucky Derby.
Middletown is a small town south of Newark and north of Townsend in the state of Delaware. Some people
think it is a backwater town with nothing going on. Middletown is a bedroom
community, meaning people live here and work elsewhere, but the state border of
this part of Delaware is with Chesapeake City, Maryland, which at one time was
the home of two of the most famous race horses in history: Northern Dancer and Kelso. Windfield’s Farm,
home of Northern Dancer, and Woodstock Farm, home of Kelso, are across the road from each other. These farms are on a road
only a few miles west of the Summit Shopping Center and Summit Aviation.
Information about both race horses follows. The information was gleaned from
several articles found via Google.
Of
personal interest, between 1964 and 1980, I owned and operated my dress shop,
named Patricia F. Hawkins, located where Summit Dental is today, at the end of
the Summit Aviation property. Across the road on the north side of Boyd’s
Corner Road was a little country store, and on the south side of Boyd’s Corner
Road was another country store and big grain elevators. All around us were
farms. Since the population was so small, we all knew each other and socialized
together. There did not seem to be a separation of cultures; it was all relaxed
and friendly. We all shared in the excitement of Northern Dancer and the memory
of Kelso. At one time, racing colors became fashionable and I bought a lot of
women’s clothing in those colors, surprising the salesmen, who did not
understand we had famous racing farms here. Of course, they sold well.
Northern Dancer, The Patriarch
Stallion, “stood”, or lived at Windfield Farm in Chesapeake City, Maryland. If
there's a heaven for horses, then California Chrome's great-great-grandsire
will be peering down at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday to see whether his
progeny can do what he did 50 years ago: win the Preakness and, with it, the
first two legs of racing's Triple Crown. Northern Dancer was owned by
Canadian E.P. Taylor, and after four breeding seasons E.P. Taylor set his
sights on the U. S.’s top broodmares. Confounding conventional wisdom, he
bypassed Kentucky and sent Northern Dancer to Chesapeake City, Maryland. Mr.
Taylor was familiar with the region from his stays at Mrs. Allaire duPont’s
Woodstock Farm in the 1960’s when her gelding Kelso was racking up five
consecutive “Horse of the Year” honors. On one particular visit the late Mrs.
duPont inquired, “Eddie, why don’t you get your own place? My neighbor
lives in a falling down house, let me see if she’ll sell it.” Taylor purchased the
200-acre farm in July 1968 and set up Windfields’ American breeding operation.
There, for 19 years, Northern Dancer serviced mares who cranked out
thoroughbreds the likes of whom the racing world had never seen — including
Nijinsky II (1970 English Triple Crown), El Gran Senor (twice European
champion) and The Minstrel (British Horse of the Year). His prowess translated
to stud fees that soared from an initial $10,000 for a live foal to $500,000,
no guarantee, in 1984. However, private deals saw a $1 million change hands for
the services of the world’s top sire. Taylor was offered an astounding $40
million for Northern Dancer in 1981. He was 20 years old. One shareholder wired
back: “Over my dead body!” When he was pensioned at age 26, Northern Dancer’s lifetime
stud fees tallied up to $117,752,000. All told, Northern Dancer sired a record
147 stakes winners and offspring who sold for $183.7 million. In 1983, one of
his yearlings brought a then-record $10.2 million at the Keeneland (Ky.) Sales.
In his prime, his stud fee reached $1 million, regardless of whether the foal
lived. "His semen is literally worth its weight in gold," Windfields
manager Joe Hickey once said. It was more than his owner, Canadian
multimillionaire E.P. Taylor could have asked of the colt — a grandson of the
great Native Dancer — whom he'd tried unsuccessfully to sell for
$25,000 as a yearling. (In 1980, the Taylor-led syndicate turned down an offer
of $40 million for Northern Dancer, then 20.) A good article to read is here: http://www.eleganthorsepictures.com/northern-dancer-pictures.html.
Arcaro, however, retired in early 1962. Thirty-five years later, during his final public appearance, Arcaro was being honored at Lone Star Park in Texas. He was having dinner with Chick Lang, former executive vice president and general manager at Pimlico. “Eddie, the stock question everyone always asks is, who’s the best horse you’ve ever ridden?” asked Lang. “And you’ve always answered Citation.” Arcaro responded: “Chick, I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anybody, and I promised to myself I would never say it unless I outlived Jimmy Jones (Citation’s trainer). I’d never say this in public while Jimmy is still alive, because if I did, he’d be on the phone the next day and he’d be really upset with me. But between you and me, I’m going to tell you right here and now that the greatest horse I ever rode, without question, was Kelso. He could do anything. He could sprint, go two miles, run on off tracks, fast tracks, inside, outside – anything.” To read a great article about Kelso, go here: http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/kelso.asp.
It
may seem that the 1960's through 1983, was a long time ago, but those times are
still fresh in our memories, along with many adventures during our younger
years. Middletown may have been a small town, but we had our share of characters and the
kinds of adventures only a small town and close relationships make possible.
As you have read, nearby we did have two of the most famous thoroughbred race horses in history. By the way, Chesapeake City, Maryland is a very small town, too.
As you have read, nearby we did have two of the most famous thoroughbred race horses in history. By the way, Chesapeake City, Maryland is a very small town, too.
