CITATION: A Love Story

(This is the fourth of a five part series.)

It was hoped that Citation would usher in his 1949 campaign in the Santa Anita Maturity and Santa Anita Handicap. These plans now had to be scrapped. Instead, racing's greatest living horse, if not the greatest of the century, headed back to Hiahleah to rest and recover from the injury he had sustained at Tanforan. Now the goal was to get Citation ready for the spring, but he was still unable to train. The plans were pushed back further, but the horse couldn't come around and wasn't able to begin light work until later in the year. Jimmy Jones and Citation's ailing owner Warren Wright, were faced with the realization that their superstar would not compete as a four-year-old. This was an age when Thoroughbreds are generally in their prime, although it's difficult to imagine Citation improving on what he had already done, which included his proven dominance over older horses. But there was still an objective, one last great achievement for the horse. And it involved money; however, the ease with which Citation had built up such an incredible bankroll as a three-year-old was in the past. Some of the brilliance, so infused in him when he was younger and sound, had dimmed during the year he was idle; and it could never be restored.

* * *

During Citation's absence, Coaltown, out of his stablemate's shadow, tore up the league. He won twelve of fifteen starts, with seven of his wins coming under 130 pounds, and was never lower than second. His win in the 1 1/16 mile Edward Burke Handicap, at Havre de Grace, on April 23, was actually a walkover. This was but another example of the depth of Calumet Farm. The Thoroughbred breeding and racing empire had seen two of their horses win races by walkover in successive years, Citation's Pimlico Special in 1948, and Coaltown in 1949. It wouldn't happen again for thirty-one years, until Spectacular Bid's last race, the Woodward Stakes, in 1980.

Coaltown's victories included a world record performance of 1:34 in the mile Whirlaway Stakes at Washington Park. He finished second in the Equipoise Mile, under 132, after giving the winner, Star Reward, sixteen pounds. He also equaled the world record of 1:59 4/5 in the 1 ¼ mile Gulfstream Park Handicap. Coaltown earned his second consecutive championship, this time in the handicap ranks, and would have been named Horse of the Year if he hadn't lost to Capot, the three-year-old duel classic winner, who defeated him in both the Sysonby Mile and Pimlico Special, the latter by twelve lengths. Capot was awarded the top honor.

While Coaltown had his day in the sun, Citation stood in his stall.

PART FOUR: COURAGEOUS STRUGGLE

Sweet Sixteen

After being out of competition for thirteen months, the five-year-old Citation returned to racing in 1950 and would try to pick up where he left off two years earlier. But that was going to be impossible. Although Citation was still considered the sport's premiere horse, he would find his previous residence, the winner's circle, remote.

For the remainder of Citation's career, Jones would race him exclusively in California with his first five starts at Santa Anita Park. Things started smoothly enough as Citation made his first start as an older horse on January 11, in a six furlong affair. Steve Brooks would now be Citation's primary rider. The track had been made sloppy by rain and Citation won by one and a half lengths in 1:11 2/5, carrying 124 pounds. It was a solid first effort, the connections breathed easier, and the objective was the Santa Anita Handicap on February 25. The win was monumental because Citation had now won sixteen races in a row for a modern day record, not equaled by another North American runner for decades and finally eclipsed in the twenty-first century.

It was natural for everyone to be relieved over Citation's triumphant return; but tough times were on the way.

Wall

It was as if Citation had suddenly hit a wall. Entered in another six furlong sprint, fifteen days later, he was now asked to carry 130 pounds for the first time in his career. Among a small field of six, Citation broke sharply, then relinquished the lead, as Royal Blood, under Johnny Longden took charge. At the far turn, Citation and the Argentinian-bred Miche, under 114, put Royal Blood away and the two new leaders dueled down the stretch. Miche dug in, Citation hung tough, but as they crossed the wire, Miche was a neck in front. It was Citation's first loss since April 1948.

Citation came back in the San Antonio Handicap on February 11, again under 130. His stablemate Ponder, the previous year's Kentucky Derby winner, was also entered, and assigned two pounds less. The result was a one-two Calumet finish but it was Ponder first by a length, after he had successfully rallied late to catch Citation. Eddie Arcaro was back aboard “big Cy” and would stay on for the next two starts, before Brooks would regain the mount. Ironically, Brooks was Ponder's rider in this race. Citation's take for the effort was $10,000.

An Irish-bred finished third, only a half length back of Citation, after carrying 114 pounds. He and Citation would meet four more times, much to Calumet's chagrin. His name was Noor (IRE.).

The Great Nemesis

Noor, a brown colt, was bred and originally owned by the Aga Khan. Sired by Nasrullah (GB), Noor's dam, Queen of Baghdad (GB), was by 1935 English Triple Crown winner Bahram (GB), the last to sweep the country's three events for thirty-five years until Nijinsky (CAN.) in 1970.

Foaled the same year as Citation, in 1945, Noor's race career began with modest success in England. He made his debut on May 3, 1947, in Birmingham, England, among a field of six in the five furlong Compton Wynyates Plate. His impost was 124 pounds, and after running well back, his finishing kick made him a credible runner-up. One month later at Epsom, in the six furlong Woodcote Stakes, Noor made a strong showing only to tail off near the end, but still arrived in time to pick up third. The colt's next two races, both six furlong sprints, were at Goodwood and Newmarket respectively, but he didn't break his maiden until September 13, at Doncaster, going another six furlongs. In a field of eight, Noor won the Bradgate Park Nursery Handicap, drawing away by three lengths. Returning to Newmarket on October 3, he won the six furlong Bretby Nursery Handicap, prevailing by a neck over William the Lion, who receive a generous weight concession from the winner. Noor made seven more starts in England, six of these the following year as a three-year-old. Although he posted only two additional wins, Noor demonstrated a liking for distance. He ran third in both the 1 ½ mile Epsom Derby and 1 ¼ mile Eclipse Stakes, the latter at Sandown. He then romped in Epsom's 1 ½ mile Diomed Stakes by open daylight, and in his European farewell, took Newmarket's 1 ¼ mile Great Foal Stakes. Also noteworthy in that win, was the 133 pounds he carried, giving the next two finishers twelve and fourteen pounds respectively.

Noor's life was about to change dramatically. He was bought by Charles Howard, who had owned the folk legend Seabiscuit, and brought to the United States. A European turf runner, Noor would race for two more years, and never see grass again, except to graze on it. His road to stardom came slowly. After winning his first American race by a nose, a six furlong allowance at Bay Meadows, Noor lost his next seven starts. When he finally hit his best stride, he not only won, but set records and became a champion. In 1950, Johnny Longden, with one previous ride on the horse, would stay aboard for the duration of Noor's career.

Money

Citation was running well but had lost two straight races, something that would have been unheard of during the formative seasons of 1947 and 1948. He needed to get back on the beam and the reasons were largely a matter of money.

Money was paramount for Citation; or it was paramount to Warren Wright who was now seriously ill with cancer. Citation had one remaining milestone in front of him and he would race until he reached it. It would be an arduous task, but his owner was determined he achieve it. For the time being, Citation could become the sport's all-time richest Thoroughbred if he won his next race.

Stymie

Like Seabiscuit, who preceded him, Stymie had been a horse of the common people, a plain ordinary horse, and very loved. Born in 1941, Stymie, a chestnut colt by Equestrian out of Stop Watch by On Watch, was trained by Hirsch Jacobs. He raced for seven years, beginning in May of 1943 until October 1, 1949, campaigning along the East Coast and Florida. Stymie's long record showed 131 starts, 35 wins, 33 seconds, 28 thirds and $918,485 in earnings, making him history's leading earner. During his nearly decade long career, Stymie was named handicap champion in 1945.

This amazing racehorse spent most of his first two years in claiming and allowance races. His first start in a stake came in the mile and seventy yard Ardsley Handicap, at Jamaica, in the fall of 1943, where he finished second, one length behind the winner. Stymie would go on to win the Metropolitan Handicap twice, the Whitney Stakes, Saratoga Cup twice, Pimlico Cup Handicap, Grey Lag Handicap, New York Handicap, and Gallant Fox Handicap twice. He would place in several other key stakes races, competing against many of the best runners of his time. With Citation trying to catch him, Stymie's earnings record was in jeopardy. While it's true that Stymie amassed all that money over a very long career, that in itself was an extraordinary achievement, and a tribute to the horse's work ethic.

The “Big 'Cap”

On February 25, three of Calumet's runners, Citation, Ponder, and their eventual handicap champion mare Two Lea, challenged eight others in America's premiere handicap for older horses, the Santa Anita Handicap at the Arcadia, California racetrack. Citation, with $879,200 in career earnings, was $39,285 shy of Stymie. The first race to offer a purse of $100,000 back in the 1930s, the 1950 edition of the “Big 'Cap” would be worth $135,000 and the winner would collect $100,000. In order to move ahead of Stymie, Citation needed to win. In the field of eleven, Two Lea, under 113 pounds, would break from the rail. Ponder, under 124, from post four, and Citation, assigned the high impost of 132, from five. As Citation stood in the gate, he had two targets in his sights: the wire and Stymie. But he also had a small problem. Two doors down, in post three, under a mere 110 pounds, was Noor.

When they were sent away, the speedy Two Lea went out in front. Noor had lagged behind, but down the backstretch began to advance. Citation, who had also been kept off the early pace, encountered some traffic trouble, but managed to find daylight and was moving. Going around the far turn, Citation had to go outside, while Noor, also traveling wide, caught Two Lea in the stretch with a furlong to go and assumed control. Citation was still advancing strongly but couldn't close the deficit, as Noor rushed home. Citation closed with stout determination, but was still one and a half lengths back. Noor's 2:00 clocking clipped more than a second off Seabiscuit's track record and came close to the world mark. After the first two hit the finish, Two Lea and Ponder were next in line respectively. A good day for the Calumet trio, but obviously not the outcome they had hoped for. Citation's paycheck was $20,000, raising his total earnings to $899,200, still $19,285 short of Stymie.

It was a tough loss for Citation, particularly with the disparity in weights, but greater disappointments were coming.

San Juan Heartbreak

If there was any race more heartbreaking for Citation to lose, it was the next one. He was reeled back one week later in the 1 ¾ mile San Juan Capistrano Handicap. He would pack 130 pounds. Noor was running to, and got in with 117. Citation was settled comfortably in third until the pacesetters Moonrush and Rockport cooked each other off. Citation went out in front and Noor, who trailed far behind for the first twelve furlongs, moved swiftly, engaged the new leader around the far turn and was alongside him in the stretch. Now the battle was on, Citation in front, Noor in front, ding-donging it to the finish. When they hit the wire, neither horse could be separated until a photo determined the winner. It was Noor by a nose. Howard's horse picked up a cool forty grand, while Citation had to settle for $9,285. He had been second to Noor once again, and was still second to Stymie.

Noor had set another record, this time an American mark of 2:52 4/5. He would only get better, and against Citation, would add more insult to injury.

Heading North

Citation didn't race again for more than two months. He then traveled upstate to Albany for a six furlong sprint at Golden Gate Fields on May 17. He lost again by less than a length to Roman In at equal weights of 120 pounds. The winner equaled the world record of 1:08 2/5. Citation earned a paltry sum for his place spot while trying to boost his pay. He was never a quitter and always did what was asked of him. He had no say in the matter except to give signals if he was hurting, at which point he would be backed off. But if he was able to run, he ran. The heart was still willing to lay it on the line but the body had changed and couldn't do the things Citation tried to get it to do. But there was a time when the incredible brilliance of the horse shined through again.

Hitting the Mark

Although past his peak years, Citation was still a competitor of the highest caliber; and sooner or later, his virtue was going to pay off in a big way. It happened on June 3 in the Golden Gate Mile Handicap.

In a field of six, Citation, carrying high weight of 128 pounds, broke from the outside. Among his opponents was Bolero, a speed freak who just the week before had set a new six furlong world mark of 1:08 1/5, on the same track. Another of Cy's rivals was the highly regarded California-bred On Trust.

When the gates popped open, Bolero, not surprisingly, jumped out in front and kept to his business, but Citation was stalking him in second. In the backstretch Bolero opened up his lead to more than three lengths but Citation was running very well and within himself. Citation made his bid around the far turn, came to terms with Bolero as they hit the stretch, and streaked by, hitting the finish three-quarters of a length in front. They were the only two horses actually in the race as the third finisher, On Trust, was another five lengths behind. Citation's time of 1:33 3/5, broke Coaltown's previous world mark. In addition, he had finally overtaken Stymie in all-time record earnings. With the $14,550 he collected, his bankroll was now $924,630.

Of course being the all-time money leader wasn't enough. Wright wanted very much for Citation to become the first Thoroughbred to hit seven figures.

Drought

Citation's time basking in the glow of the Golden Gate Mile lasted fourteen days. Noor was in town and ready for another tussle with Citation. Their fourth encounter would take place in Golden Gate's 1 1/8 mile Forty-Niners Handicap on June 17. Citation would carry 128 pounds and Noor 123. Roman In also returned under 111.

Against four rivals, Citation was parked in post three with Noor next to him in four. On Trust set the pace with Citation next. Noor had been trailing until the far turn, where Citation put On Trust to task. As they rounded the bend, Citation made the lead, and Noor, with encouragement from Longden, closed resolutely, and got even with Citation. Down the stretch the two rivals raced in tandem, but when they crossed the wire, Noor was in front by a neck, with a world record time of 1:46 4/5.

It seemed no matter what Citation tried to do, he wasn't going to beat Noor. One week later, on June 24, the two horses were at it again in the 1 ¼ mile Golden Gate Handicap with an added purse of $50,000. This time however, Citation, under 126 pounds, got a pound from his nemesis. It didn't make any difference. When the dust settled Noor was in front, his margin three lengths, the largest since the two began doing battle. Citation arrived next, a length ahead of On Trust who got in under a feathery 103. For the sixth consecutive time, Citation had been in a contest with record implications, either on a world or American level. He had set one world mark himself, lost as Roman In set one, and the other four times, the standards had been raised by Noor. The son of Nasrullah had sped the distance in a blistering 1:58 1/5. Again trailing early, Noor picked up steam after a mile. Citation had been settled in third. Both tagged the leader On Trust, sped on by, but Citation could not keep up with Noor as the Irish-bred drew away. It was the last time the two horses met.

Citation was still not sound. He had another ankle problem and ongoing soreness. Jones had no choice but to stop on him for nearly ten months. His 1950 record showed nine starts, two firsts and seven seconds, a far cry from his glory years; however, it was important to look past the numbers. Citation had struggled with physical problems, asked to carry weight, and had still never finished lower than second against some of the staunchest competitors, including one who was rapidly becoming a great racer. What made Citation's efforts so difficult were his dimininished earnings. On the year he had only made $73,480. If the horse was going to fulfill his owner's wish of becoming racing's first millionaire, he needed to win a very big race and be done with it.

Noor started six more times in 1950 and won three with three runner-up finishes. In his next race, he won Hollywood Park's 1 ¼ mile American Handicap, under 132 pounds. On December 9, in the last race of his career, Noor set a track record of 1:59 4/5 in the 1 ¼ mile Hollywood Gold Cup under 130. He was named the year's handicap champion male and took his final bow with thirty-one lifetime starts, twelve wins, six seconds, six thirds, and $383, 968 in earnings.

Citation, Noor in Perspective

Because of Citation's impressive resume, and also perhaps due to his competitive spirit, most people probably forgave his losses to Noor, and undoubtedly many still consider Citation racing's greatest Thoroughbred. But whatever the reason, there was no denying that in 1950, Noor was simply better, although with certain conditions. While he did have Citation's measure, Noor's wins usually came with weight concessions, and in two races his margins were very small. Yet his ability to consistently beat a racing immortal, albeit one past his prime, must always be recognized.

It might have been interesting to see Citation and Noor race at ages two and three, when Citation was practically invincible. Citation had always been, even during his lesser years, a great champion; and Noor became great himself partly because of Citation.

Noor, who was retired after his spectacular 1950 season, was certainly one of the most underrated horses of all time, and may have been the greatest nemesis in twentieth century American racing. His induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2002 was long overdue. Citation would get there much sooner, but for the time being, he would be asked to race another year and try to fulfill the wish of his dying owner, who would not be around to see it happen.

To Be Continued...

Resources and Suggested Reading

A.P. “Coaltown Sets Record In Gulfstream Win,” St. Petersburg Times, March 20, 1949.

Associated Press. “Capot Looks Like 'Horse of the Year,'” The Herald, October 29, 1949.

Associated Press. “Citation, 3-20, Wins In Return To Turf,” The New York Times, January 12, 1950.

Associated Press. “Citation Is Upset by Miche in Close Six-Furlong Battle at Santa Anita Track,” The New York Times, January 27, 1950.

Associated Press. “51,000 See Ponder Outrace Citation,” The New York Times, February 12, 1950.

Mary Simon. Racing Through The Century: The Story Of Thoroughbred Racing In America (Irvine, CA: BowTie Press, 2002).

Associated Press. “Citation On Coast For $135,000 Test; Earnings Mark Within Reach Today—Calumet Also Will Start Ponder, Two Lea,” The New York Times, February 25, 1950.

Associated Press. “Noor Clips Record To Defeat Citation In $135,000 Classic,” The New York Times, February 26, 1950.

U.P. “Noor Wins Santa Anita Handicap in Upset; Citation Fails To Overtake English Horse,” The Pittsburgh Press, February 26, 1950.

Associated Press. “Noor Sets Record, Beating Citation By Nose On Coast,” The New York Times, March 5, 1950.

“Noor Noses Out Citation in $50,000 Handicap at Santa Anita; Two Horses Engage In Stretch Duel,” The News And Courier, March 5, 1950.

Associated Press. “Roman In Defeats Citation By Length,” The New York Times, May 18, 1950.

Associated Press. “Citation in Bid Today For Earnings Record,” The New York Times, June 3, 1950.

Associated Press. “Citation Shatters World Mile Mark In Race On Coast,” The New York Times, June 4, 1950.

Associated Press. “Citation Eclipses Money Earnings and Mile Records,” St. Petersburg Times, June 4, 1950.

Associated Press. “Noor Nips Citation, Clips World Mark,” The New York Times, June 18, 1950.

Russ Newland (A.P. Sports Writer). “Noor Outruns Citation Third Time,” Miami Sunday News, June 18, 1950.

Associated Press. Noor Sets Record Beating Citation,” The New York Times, June 25, 1950.

Daily Racing Form. Champions:The Lives, Times, and Past Performances of America's Greatest Thoroughbreds. Revised Edition. Champions from 1893-2004 (New York: Daily Racing Form Press, 2005).

Pohla Smith. Citation Thoroughbred Legends No. 3 (Lexington, KY: Eclipse Press, 2000).

Phil Georgeff. Citation: In a Class by Himself (Lanham, MD.: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2003).

Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20^th Century (Lexington, KY: The Blood-Horse, Inc., 1999).

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/horses-view.asp?varID=370

Copyright 2011, 2012 by John Califano