(This is the second of a six part series.)
PART
TWO: DEVELOPMENT
Beginnings
While at Jonabell Farm, there was nothing remarkable
about the very young Damascus, who did not stand out in the crowd, and had no issues or idiosyncrasies. Sent to
Virginia for training as a racehorse, the colt would turn into a handsome bay,
standing around fifteen, three to sixteen hands tall. A very intelligent horse,
he was well put together, and strong, especially in the hind end. Other than a
right rear half pastern, and a small star on his forehead, he had no physical
markings.
Unlike his sire, Sword Dancer, who began to race
early, and often, but didn’t experience success until much later, Damascus
would not make his juvenile debut until almost the end of September, and it was
apparent early on that he was a gifted and special athlete.
Preliminaries
Damascus would be trained throughout his career by Maryland-based
Frank Whiteley, who had already attained prominence with Tom Rolfe,
Three-Year-Old Champion Male in 1965, after winning several key stakes races,
including the Preakness Stakes. Tom Rolfe, by Ribot (ITY), also finished a
respectable sixth among twenty entries in that year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
behind the European superhorse Sea Bird (FR). Whiteley’s fame would soar with
Damascus and continue into the next decade.
Damascus would have six different riders during his
career, but the man who sat on his back in twenty of his first twenty-two
starts was Bill Shoemaker. The colt made four starts as a juvenile, his first two at Aqueduct, beginning on September 28, 1966, in a seven furlong Maiden
Special Weight, among a field of fourteen. Breaking from post eleven, he was
well back early, advanced to mid-pack, and closed well enough to finish second, two and a
half lengths shy of Comprador, at equal weights of 122 pounds. He contested the
same distance two weeks later, again in a field of fourteen, under 122, and
proceeded to run off by eight lengths in 1:24 3/5. Seventeen days later, at Laurel Park, and again
covering seven furlongs, he went gate to wire, destroying six opponents, his
winning margin twelve lengths. On November 30, he was back at Aqueduct and
captured the one mile Remsen Stakes, in a drive, against thirteen other runners
on a track labeled “good.”
His juvenile year over, Damascus had posted three
wins and a second in four starts with $25,865 in earnings. He had shown plenty of upside during a good
campaign, but one which did not earn him a championship. Successor, a Bold Ruler bay colt, out of the
Princequillo (GB) mare Misty Morn, and conditioned by Eddie Neloy, was voted
Two-Year-Old Champion Male after making nine starts with wins in three stakes. Successor
was also a stablemate of Buckpasser, who would be named Horse of the Year. After
losing the seven furlong Cowdin, ten days later Successor won the one mile
Champagne, splitting this pair with the John Nerud trained prodigy Dr. Fager.
Tommy Trotter assigned Damascus 119 pounds on the
Experimental Free Handicap for incoming sophomores. Successor topped the
division at 126 pounds, and Dr. Fager received 125.
Rapidly
rising
Damascus began his three-year-old campaign on March
11, 1967, at Pimlico, with Maryland rider Nick Shuk in the irons. In a six
furlong allowance, the colt had a dull break, then endured a troubled trip, yet
still managed to prevail by a head over Solar Bomb at equal weights of 122.
Returning to Aqueduct for his next three races, and
Shoemaker back aboard, Damascus won the seven furlong Bay Shore Stakes
impressively, with the margin two and a half lengths. It was the colt’s fifth
consecutive victory, and with the Kentucky Derby six weeks away, his reputation
was rapidly rising. His next start along the way was the one mile Gotham Stakes
on April 15, where he would face eight other runners, among them, and making
his three-year-old debut, Dr. Fager.
Dr.
Fager
Dr. Fager was a Florida-bred bay colt, owned and bred
by Tartan Farm, and sired by the bay horse Rough ‘n Tumble, a black-type winner
from sixteen starts. Dr. Fager’s dam was the Better Self bay mare Aspidistra, a
Kentucky-bred winner from fourteen starts. Like Damascus, Dr. Fager shared
lineage to the Teddy (FR.) line, although he wasn’t a tail-male or tail-female
descendent. The Tartan colt was inbred 4SX5D through his paternal grand-dam,
Roused, who was sired by Bull Dog (FR.), a son of Teddy, and again on the
bottom, through his second dam, Tilly Rose, who was sired by Bull Brier, a son
of Bull Dog. Teddy could also be seen in the fifth generation through Dr. Fager's broodmare sire Better Self. In addition, Bee Mac, the dam of Better Self, was a daughter of the great War Admiral, and hence gave Fager a distant relation to Man o'War.
Dr. Fager was sixteen hands, well proportioned but
not overly muscular. He appeared to be a red tinted bay compared to the brown
bay Damascus. Fager also had a small star on his forehead.
To say that Dr. Fager was a fast horse would be like
saying that Marilyn Monroe was an attractive woman or that Fred Astaire was a
good dancer and leaving it at that. There are just no sufficient superlatives
to accurately describe the phenom of speed, spirit, and power who was Dr. Fager.
If one looked for the word “freak” in a dictionary, it would not be surprising
to see a thumbnail of Dr. Fager next to the definition. All kidding aside, it
is enough to simply state that Dr. Fager would become arguably the swiftest
Thoroughbred in history. His strength, vitality, eagerness to compete, and
aggressive style were his trademark, and the headstrong, hot blooded personality,
and aversion to being challenged on the lead by another horse, were part of what
defined him, but could also be his undoing. Dr. Fager’s extraordinary
demonstrations of speed were almost beyond belief, particularly considering the
tremendous imposts he would be required to carry later in his career.
Moving along the journey of Damascus, there will be
more to say about the great Fager.
Snapped
Nine horses showed up for the $57,800 Gotham, with
Damascus breaking from the very outside. In post five was Dr. Fager, under
rider Manuel Ycaza. When the gates sprung, Damascus broke sharply, but the speedy Royal Malabar eventually took the lead with Damascus and Dr. Fager in pursuit. Royal Malabar was up by about three lengths in the backstretch, but was done exiting the far turn. Damascus went ahead but Dr. Fager
soon ranged up on his outside, and the two horses roared down the
stretch, locked in combat, leaving the others behind.
Damascus was in tight, close to the rail with Dr. Fager next to
him. Fager began moving away,
hitting the wire a half-length ahead. After fractions of :23 3/5, :46 1/5, and 1:10 2/5, Dr. Fager finished the job in 1:35 1/5. Damascus' win streak had been snapped and Shoemaker was self-critical, feeling he had moved the horse prematurely, and then costing him a positional advantage.
The great rivalry had begun and Dr. Fager had drawn
first blood; however, the two horses would have to wait until autumn to resume
their private war. In the meantime, Damascus would stay on course for the Triple
Crown. Dr. Fager would bypass the classics and go elsewhere.
Build
Up
While Dr. Fager waited almost a month to make his next
start, Whiteley reeled Damascus back one week later in the East’s premiere
Derby prep, the 43rd edition
of the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, a 1 1/8 mile two-turn race with a purse
totaling $112,400. Damascus had never gone over a mile, so this would be a good
test of his stamina. He was even money, facing eight rivals, including a horse
named Brunch. A stablemate of Dr. Fager, Brunch was unraced at two, but had won
all three of his starts thus far as a three-year-old. He was the second choice
and Ycaza would ride him. Brunch set the early pace, but wouldn’t be around at the
end, finishing last as Damascus left no doubt of his superiority, disposing of his
rivals by six lengths in 1:49 3/5 under the classic weight of 126 pounds. The
winner collected $73,060, with his next stop Louisville, Kentucky on May 6.
The
fever
The Derby picture wasn’t an open and shut case of
Damascus versus everybody else, although legitimately it could be viewed that
way, especially with Dr. Fager out of it. There were other horses who wanted
their say including California-bred Ruken, the Santa Anita Derby winner, who
went on to defeat Successor by a nose in a seven furlong allowance at Keeneland
on April 15, then won the Stepping Stone Purse, over the same distance, two
weeks later at Churchill Downs, in a field that included In Reality. Successor,
who would also contest the Run for the Roses, dropped his next start as well, finishing fourth in Keeneland's
1 1/8 mile Blue Grass Stakes on April 27, as the previous
year’s Arlington-Washington Futurity winner, Diplomat Way, romped home by eight
lengths. Dawn Glory, who had set a track record in the 1 1/8 mile Survivor
Stakes, and finished third in the Wood, would now avoid Damascus and defected.
Another highly regarded horse was Flamingo Stakes winner Reflected Glory, but
due to a sore shin, would also sit the Derby out. Two sons of Hail to Reason
would run. Reason to Hail, a dark bay/brown gelding, who had finished third in
both the Florida Derby and Gotham Stakes behind winners In Reality and Dr.
Fager respectively, and won the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields, was in.
The other Hail to Reason entry, a bay colt and runner-up in the Blue Grass, was
Proud Clarion.
Dancing
The preliminaries now over, it was time for the 93rd
running of “the greatest two minutes in sports.” The Kentucky Derby would have fourteen horses
try for their moment of glory, the biggest slice of the $162,200 purse, and a
permanent place in the history books. The Churchill Downs track had also strengthened security for fear of a threatened demonstration by protestors who were in
favor of an open housing law, but the day would be peaceful.
From the rail out were second choice Ruken, favorite
Damascus, Dr. Isby, Diplomat Way, Barbs Delight, Successor, Proud Clarion, Dawn
Glory, Field Master, Gentleman James, Lightning Orphan, Second Encounter,
Reason To Hail, and Ask the Fare.
Shoemaker, piloting Damascus, was looking for his
fourth Derby victory. He had won in 1955, aboard the great California-bred
Swaps, and again in 1959, when Tomy Lee
(GB) had defeated Damascus’ sire by a nose. Shoemaker’s
third win had come in 1965 aboard Lucky Debonair. The jockey would probably
have won in 1957 aboard Gallant Man (GB) if he hadn’t misjudged the finish line
and prematurely stood up in the irons, costing his mount the race. It gave Calumet
Farm’s Iron Liege just enough time to hit the finish ahead of him. In 1964,
Shoemaker bypassed the chance to ride Northern Dancer, instead hopping aboard
Hill Rise, the latter who finished second behind the Canadian colt.
Prior to the Derby, Reason to Hail, trained by
Hirsch Jacobs, developed a mild case of hives. A few horses worked, including Damascus, who covered three furlongs in :35 3/5, and the Lloyd Gentry
trained Proud Clarion, who had a blow out at the same distance, followed by a
gallop. Several other horses had gallops or walks.
The weather forecast called for possible showers.
Not
today
Damascus would later define himself for all time,
but it would not be in racing’s most famous event.
When the gates opened, Barbs Delight was away first,
with Diplomat Way and Damascus following his lead. Damascus dropped to fourth
as Dawn Glory and Diplomat Way kept after the pacemaker, who carved out
fractions of :22 1/5, :46 3/5, and six furlongs in 1:10 4/5. With a mile
covered in 1:36, going around the far turn, Barbs Delight’s lead was shrinking,
with Diplomat Way and Damascus still giving chase in the stretch. Damascus, who
had been quite nervous and even upset before the race, was rank during it. Meanwhile, coming
from well behind, Proud Clarion had put himself in the act under rider Bobby
Ussery, and as Damascus faltered, Proud Clarion became the new leader,
sustaining his run to the wire in a time of 2:00 3/5, to record the third
fastest Derby time in history, just off Northern Dancer’s record of 2:00 and
only a tick slower than 1962 winner Decidedly’s 2:00 2/5. One length behind in
second was Barbs Delight, and Damascus was third, four lengths behind the winner, on a track which played fast.
Proud Clarion’s owner, John Galbreath and his Darby
Dan Farm, also won the race in 1963 with Chateaugay, who went on to finish
second in the Preakness Stakes and return to the winner’s circle after
capturing the Belmont Stakes. Proud Clarion, who on the year had previously won
only two sprint races at Keeneland, in addition to his runner-up effort in the
Blue Grass, could now try to emulate, and perhaps surpass, Chateaugay. The
Derby had been Ussery’s first time on the horse. With four previous Derbies to
his credit, he had ridden Bally Ache to a second place finish behind Venetian
Way in the 1960 running. Proud Clarion, who collected $119,700, hadn’t even been
a sure bet to run until his effort in the Blue Grass. The horse had no rider
until just a few days before the race, had worked poorly earlier in the week
but picked it up in a later drill on Friday. In 1966, Gentry had conditioned
the brilliant Graustark, who missed the Derby after a fracture was discovered
in his right hind, and which subsequently ended his career.
Damascus earned $12,500 on one of the worst days
of his career. He probably would have performed closer to his true form had it not been for the fact
that a stable pony named Duffy was not with him prior to the race. With the ongoing attention, and noise from the large Derby crowd, Damascus became extremely worked up, and brought this to
the track. In an effort to prevent this situation from happening again, Duffy became a companion for Damascus, accompanying him on race days. The pony had a calming effect on the colt, which might have made a big difference in the Derby.
Damascus would make eleven more starts in 1967. The Derby
loss, although disappointing, would become almost a footnote to what was ahead,
and how the summer and fall would shape his eventual place in history.
To
be continued…
Bibliography
Lucy Heckman, Damascus
Thoroughbred Legends No. 22 (Lexington, KY: Eclipse Press, 2004), p. 38.
Richard Stone Reeves; Edward L. Bowen, “Damascus,” Belmont Park: A Century of Champions
(Lexington, KY: Eclipse Press, 2005), p. 90.
Audrey Pavia; Janice Posnikoff, DVM, Horses For Dummies (Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley
Publishing, Inc., 2005), pp. 24-25.
Heckman, Damascus,
pp. 40-41.
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), p. 227.
Daily Racing Form, Champions, pp. 202, 225.
Heckman, Damascus,
pp. 49-51.
From abstract, Joe Nichols, “Damascus Takes $28,600
Bay Shore,” The New York Times, March
26, 1967, p. 157.
C.P., ‘Racing Roundup,’ “Convincing win by Damascus
in Bay Shore worth $28,600 at Aqueduct,” Saskatoon
Star-Phoenix, March 27, 1967, p.16.
From abstract, Joe Nichols, “Damascus Rated 2-1 and
Dr. Fager 5-2 in Aqueduct’s Gotham Stakes Today,” The New York Times, April 15, 1967, p. 24.
“Rough ‘N Tumble,” equineline.com, http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=ORDER_AND_CONFIRM&reference_number=425257®istry=T&horse_name=Rough'n
Tumble&dam_name=Roused&foaling_year=1948&nicking_stats_indicator=Y
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http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=ORDER_AND_CONFIRM&reference_number=133321®istry=T&horse_name=Dr.
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“Aspidistra,” equineline.com,
http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=ORDER_AND_CONFIRM&reference_number=20458®istry=T&horse_name=Aspidistra&dam_name=Tilly
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Fager, Thoroughbred Legends No.2 (Lexington, KY: Eclipse Press,
2000), p. 62.
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Colt,” The Morning Record, April 17,
1967, p. 9.
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“Derby field is wide open,” Hopkinsville
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A.P., “Kentucky Hopefuls in Wood Memorial; 9
Starters Ready To Go at Big A,”Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette, April 22, 1967, p. 9.
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13.
Orlo Robertson (Associated Press Sports Writer),
“Damascus Wood Showing Whittles Field For Derby,” The Park City Daily News, April 24, 1967, p. 10.
A.P., “Damascus Big Choice To Annex Kentucky Derby
Next Saturday,” The Blade, April 30,
1967.
A.P., “It’s Derby Day In Louisville,” The Palm Beach Post, May 6, 1967, p. 15.
A.P., “Proud Clarion answers call; Longshot’s charge
nets Derby crown,” The Leader-Post,
May 8, 1967, p. 25.
A.P., “Mud-Loving Jockey Rode Derby Victor,” The News and Courier, May 7, 1967.
A.P., “Proud Clarion Wins In Derby,” The News and Courier, May 7, 1967.
A.P., “Says Trainer: ‘Proud Clarion Fooled Me,’” Milwaukee Sentinel, May 8, 1967.
A.P., “Graustark Finished Forever?” The Vancouver Sun, May 2, 1966, p. 18.
Heckman, Damascus,
pp. 61-65.
