The year was 1967. It was a year that saw three of the greatest thoroughbreds of the Twentieth Century grace the American turf. Their names read like Racetrack Royalty. The impeccably bred Buckpasser, Dr Fager the fastest horse on the planet and the massively talented Damascus.
Let’s take a closer
look at them.
Buckpasser was a breeder’s dream come true. His sire was the 1952 Horse of the Year Tom Fool, who was bred to the talented race mare Busanda. This combination of impeccable blood lines produced what long time NYRA veterinarian Manny Gilman in speaking of his confirmation, quipped, “I would defy anyone to find any flaw in Buckpasser.” He was owned by Ogden Phipps heir to one of this country’s greatest fortunes. His grandfather Henry co-founded Carnegie, later to be renamed US Steel and was the second largest shareholder in the company. The younger Phipps was a renowned collector of fine art, but make no mistake about it Buckpasser was about to become his masterpiece.
1965 was not a stellar year for the top-rated horses. The immortal Kelso was in the twilight of his astonishing career. So muddled was the competition for Horse of the year that the award was split between Roman Brother and the two year old filly Moccasin. The bright spot belonged to Buckpasser. Much was expected of him and he did not disappoint. He impressed with his first stakes try, the Tremont at New Jersey’s resort of racing, Monmouth Park. Then it was time to head north and a trip to Saratoga for an easy win in The Hopeful Stakes. He followed up with The Arlington Washington Futurity, Chicago’s richest event. Then it was back to New York for impressive scores in the Belmont Futurity and the Champagne Stakes. Now he looked like a lead pipe cinch to become the ninth Triple Crown winner in 1966. He was Entered in the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah for a Kentucky Derby prep race. His fame had reached the point that Hialeah management decided not to take place and show wagers on the event.
Racing fans at the time coined the phrase “ Chicken Flamingo” in reference to Hialeah’s frugality. It was no easy trip for the Phipps standard bearer that day. He had to tough it out in what looked like an impossible stretch drive to catch Abe’s Hope at the wire. After the race, a quarter crack injury to his hoof ended the Triple Crown dream. Although not fully healed, he came back to the racetrack that June when he took a stakes race at Delaware Park, and then proceeded to take every major race on the calendar. Count the Travers as one of them. He had run the table in one of the most successful campaigns in memory. Along with that, he was a unanimous choice for Horse of the Year honors. It looked like he would own 1967.
Enter Dr Fager.
He was bred at William McKnight’s Tartan Farm in Ocala, Florida. The brilliant John Nerud was his trainer. In fact, he was named after the neurosurgeon who had performed surgery on Nerud after he was injured falling off a horse. This doctor was about to make the horse racing world hold its breath. He came onto the scene as a two-year-old in the fall of 1966. The good doctor blew away a field at south Jersey’s Atlantic City Racetrack in the World’s Playground Stakes. Not realized at the time, this magnificent animal would one day this way to the gates of Valhalla. At three he blossomed into what many consider to be the fastest racehorse to ever enter the starting gate. He opened the eyes of race goers when he took the Gotham Mile early in his three-year-old campaign, getting the best of a colt named Damascus. We will get to him shortly.
He then headed to central New Jersey and an easy six length win in the Garden State Stakes at the racetrack of the same name. The Panamanian star Manuel Ycaza was on board that day. As was always a distinct possibility when the hard riding Ycaza was aboard, he was disqualified by the stewards who were not the biggest fans of Ycaza’s antics as a race rider. The highly regarded Braulio Beaza was back in the irons for the remainder of his storied career. They teamed up to set horse racing surfaces on fire all over the country.
Enter Damascus.
The third of the trio, he had all the earmarks of a champion. He was owned by the daughter of one of horse racing’s greatest figures, William Woodward the master of Maryland’s most famous horse farm Belair Stud. He was sired by the 1959 Horse of the Year Sword Dancer. Make no mistake about it this colt was going to make his daddy proud. He took notice when he won his first stakes race as a two-year-old, with a convincing win in the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct. He continued with his winning ways at three, confidently ready for the Triple Crown series. Kentucky Derby day Damascus was made favorite for “The Run for The Roses. Unfortunately, he was spooked by the large crowd and came up empty, a well beaten third to a lightly regarded Proud Clarion.
Next up was the Preakness and a decisive victory. This reporter was lucky enough to be there that day, one that I will never forget. He then went on to the Belmont Stakes where he bested that field. That summer he took Stakes races from New York to Chicago. He was knocking on the door of horse racing legend. A trip to Saratoga for the Travers was on his agenda and he would not disappoint. On a sloppy track, he found himself almost twenty lengths off the pace on the backstretch. In a move that seems impossible to this very day,
Damascus started to roll. Like a Ferrari in high gear. he made up ground. He blew past the rest of the field and opened the lead with every stride. He won the race by astounding twenty-two lengths.
Buckpasser was also having a stellar campaign that same summer. he came within four lengths of winning New York’s famed Handicap Triple, carrying more lead weight than a Browning Automatic Rifle.
And let’s not forget about Dr Fager. He too was on a summer tour. He romped home in the Arlington Classic. Then the show moved on to New England’s storied Rockingham Park. There he took The Rockingham Sweepstakes in a new track record 1:59.4 for ten furlongs, decimating the previous record by almost three seconds. These three titans were on a collision course. The day of reckoning was to be at Aqueduct Racetrack in the fall of 1967.
William Woodward had passed away in 1953. In his honor, the Woodward Stakes was inaugurated the next year. This race has seen Horse of the Year trophy winners more than twenty times. 1967 would be no exception. All three of these gladiators were ready for the task ahead. It was coined “The race of the century” by turf writers.
Let’s set the stage.
If Dr Fager had one flaw, it was his penchant to go directly to the lead out of the gate. Frank Whitely, the superb trainer of Damascus obviously knew this. He entered Hedavar, a fleet footed, speed demon who could keep up with the Doctor for the early part of the race, not allowing him to steal it. Due to a prior commitment, Braulio Beaza had the mount on Buckpasser. Nerud chose the highly talented Bill Boland to replace him. The fact that he had never rode the horse did not bode well for Dr Fager’s connections.
The race was at hand.
As expected Fager and Hedavar come out of the gate flying. Boland couldn’t hold back the Doctor. Hedavar’ task was to burn him out...and he did. For six furlongs, they blistered the racing surface in an eye popping 1:09.1. Fager was sucking wind. Willie Shoemaker aboard Damascus was just biding his time. It was now time to make the move, and move he did. At the quarter pole, he blew by the tiring Doctor. He was now in high gear. At the finish line, he was ten lengths in front of Buckpasser, who never showed his brilliance in this one. He was retired after the race. Dr Fager, a tired third came out of the race looking like he could use a doctor himself.
Damascus claimed Horse of the Year honors for 1967. Both he and Dr Fager raced as four-year olds and put on some of the greatest performances ever seen in the sport. Their duels of that summer are legendary. As good as Damascus was,1968 was Dr Fager’s year. He was so good that when he was saddled with the unheard of 139 pounds for his last race, John Nerud said it wasn’t enough. He went to the racing secretary and asked for 145. The request was denied. He easily won the race, a tick off the world’s record. Dr Fager rang up Horse of the Year honors in 1968, along with handicap, turf and sprint crowns.
They had all proved their mettle here at the Spa. Damascus and Buckpasser both took the Travers
and Dr Fager prevailed in the Whitney Stakes.
Remarkably, all three of these horses, along with their trainers and every jockey mentioned in this article resides in The Hall of Fame here on Union Avenue.
The stuff of legends!
One final remark:
When the immortal Dr Fager was Retired to stud, he was vanned back to Florida. State Troopers stopped
the van on The Florida Turnpike on the way to Ocala. The Doctor was presented with a ticket. It was for what else, SPEEDING!!!
