Author: Kacie Cotter-Harrigan

Gulfstream Park opened its gates in the winter of 1939. The inaugural meet lasted only four days due to financial constraints.For the next five years the property lay in a state of ill repair.

In 1944 Jimmy Donn, a floral company owner and landscaper extraordinaire purchased the racetrack. He did not hesitate to put his skills to work. He envisioned a tropical paradise, one that would rival that of Hialeah Park, his competition further to the south.

More than 800 Royal palm trees were brought in to enhance the grounds. Flowering tropical plants added to the tracks allure.

Gulfstream Park became a resounding success, despite the fact that it was burdened with the later dates on the racing schedule. This became a prickly point of contention over the next three decades. The Florida legislature had guaranteed Hialeah the premier winter dates. The “Hialeah Law” stated that the track would keep the dates as long as it’s mutuel handle exceeded any of its competition.

With ownership of those dates, and a claim of being the most beautiful racecourse in the country, Hialeah’s position as Florida’s premier racing venue would prevail for the next three decades.

Jimmy Donn’s talents were not just limited to arranging flower beds. He had a keen understanding of the horse racing industry and how to promote his racetrack. He made the decision to present a major stake schedule that would compete with Hialeah’s signature races, the Widener Handicap and the Flamingo Stakes. In 1945 the inaugural running of the Gulfstream Park Handicap took place. It would become a major winter event for older horses.

A long line of champions including Armed, Round Table, Kelso, Gun Bow, Forego, Cigar and Skip Away were all hailed as winners of the prestigious race.

In 1952 Donn decided to add a contest for three-year old’s that would follow the Flamingo Stakes as a major prep for Kentucky Derby hopefuls. He named the race the Florida Derby. To draw the top Derby contenders, he offered a purse of 100,000 dollars. It became Florida’s first “Hundred Grander.”

To put it into perspective, the coveted Travers Stakes here at the Spa offered a much lesser prize of 25,000 dollars in that year.

The Flamingo Stakes was conducted in early March, towards the end of the Hialeah meeting. Donn decided to showcase his Florida Derby a month later.

It was the perfect timing for a Derby prep and one of the few perks of the later racing dates.

The 1955 version brought Belair Stables Nashua to contest the race. He had scored decisively in the Flamingo. Next, he notched the Florida Derby, becoming the first colt to take both events. He went on to win the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

In a nine-year period beginning in 1956, four great thoroughbreds would capture the Flamingo Stakes, and both the Florida and Kentucky Derby’s. The winners included Needles, then Tim Tam, Carry Back and finally, Northern Dancer in 1964. This illustrious group went on to win eight Triple Crown events. The Florida Derby had arrived. There is one running of the race that cries out for space here.

The 1957 version is one for the history books. Let’s set the stage.

Calumet Farms perennially sent out highly talented three-year old’s in pursuit of the Triple Crown Classic races. 1957 was no exception.

General Duke was an offspring of the great sire Bull Lea. Calumet’s renowned trainer Jimmy Jones called the shots for the brown colt.

Add the race riding skills of Bill Hartack, and a perfect storm for success was hatched. General Duke had his ticket punched, and was ready for a scenic train ride to the Sunshine State.

On the other side of the equation, it was Gladys Mills Phipps and her Wheatley Stables. This was one of America’s most recognizable racing operations. Mrs. Phipps had her Derby hopes in the form of of a colt named Bold Ruler. He was sired by Nasrullah, a revered name associated with the breeding of champions. The unmatched training skills of “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons and the genius of jockey Eddie Arcaro were about to take the dark bay “for some fun in the sun” in Miami, Florida.

Hialeah’s seven-furlong Bahamas Stakes was one of the early Kentucky Derby tests for the sophomore class. Bold Ruler got the best of General Duke in this one with an easy five length score and a track record for the distance.

Two weeks later they were at it again. This time it was once around Hialeah’s one and one eighth miles oval. The Everglades Stakes quickly became a two-horse contest. Hartack aboard General Duke stalked his foe, laying a length off the lead for much of the race. In the stretch run Hartack hit the accelerator and just got by a game Bold Ruler.

On the first Saturday in March, the two resumed the series. They were gunning for Hialeah’s big prize, the Flamingo Stakes. In this one Arcaro hustled the Wheatley entry to an early lead. General Duke made a late run at him. It was too little, too late. Bold Ruler took a 2 to 1 advantage in their 3 meetings. Along with that, he set a track record of 1:47 flat for the nine furlongs.

Jimmy Donn and his Florida Derby awaited the two shining stars. On March 30, 1957, racing enthusiasts across the country had their eyes firmly fixed on Gulfstream Park. 25,000 fans packed the stands to witness the main event.

Late in the afternoon a field of five entered the starting gate to contest the race. The entries included Iron Leige, General Dukes’ stablemate.

The bell rang and Arcaro tucked Bold Ruler in, just off the pace. Hartack lay further back with a tight hold on General Duke. They continued that way into the far turn. Bold Ruler took the lead after a less than perfect trip. In deep stretch General Duke drove past his nemesis. When they hit the finish line, he was a length clear of the field. The tele timer told the story. The Calumet colt had just broken the Gulfstream Park standard for one and one eighth miles by almost two full seconds. If that wasn’t enough, the time of 1:46 and 4/5 had equaled the Worlds mark for the distance.

General Duke’s performance stands to this very day as the fastest Florida Derby ever contested.

This, unfortunately was the high-water mark in the career of General Duke. He arrived at Churchill Downs, looking to take a record seventh Derby for storied Calumet. After a disappointing outing in the Derby Trial, Jimmy Jones made the decision to scratch him from the big race. Calumet sent out the lightly regarded Iron Leige. Bold Ruler went to post as the even money favorite. It wasn’t his day.

He made an early run only to falter in the stretch. Calumet’s lesser known entry upset the field, winning the race by a nose over the brilliant Gallant Man.

Bold Ruler went on to a spectacular Hall of Fame career. As for General Duke, injuries dogged him on his path back to the racetrack. He was inflicted with a rare disease, Wobblers Syndrome, and passed in 1958. He was buried on the picturesque grounds of Calumet Farms along with the many champions the stable had produced.

The Florida Derby has become the go to race for the top East Coast Derby Contenders. No less than 15 winners of the race would go on to Kentucky Derby fame. Even more impressive is the fact that 30 Triple Crown races have been won by them.

As previously stated, the great Northern Dancer took the race in 1964. The list continued with these remarkable Florida Derby winners who raced to glory in The Run for the Roses. The names are familiar to racing fans. Calumet’s eighth and last Kentucky Derby Champion Forward Pass, the immortal Spectacular Bid, Swale, Unbridled, Thunder Gulch, Monarchos, Barbaro, Big Brown, Orb, Nyquist and finally Always Dreaming round out the list.

Gulfstream Park is no longer the track that Jimmy Donn envisioned many years ago. It has changed ownership several times. The Stronach Group now owns the property. It has become a twenty first century facility that includes a world class casino, boutique shops and a variety of fine restaurants.

The floral shop owner turned racetrack entrepreneur is long gone, yet the race that he introduced in 1952 lives on as a testament to his visionary foresight. The Florida Derby now has a purse of 1,000,000 dollars. With its long and celebrated history, it has become one of America’s great thoroughbred horse races.

A FINAL REMARK:

The world as we know it for now has been turned upside down. As with everything else, it has had a profound effect on the sport of horse racing. As the Corona Virus continues to unleash torment across the country, racing dates are up in the air.

As of now, the Florida Derby will be run Saturday at a deserted Gulfstream Park. If the race does go as scheduled, it will have no bearing on this year’s Kentucky Derby. That, as many of us know has been postponed until the first week in September.

We are all in the same boat in these unsettling times. There are much more important things to worry about than any interruption in the world of sports.

Let’s join to beat this virus. That is our main concern for the immediate future. Everything will normalize at some time, hopefully sooner rather than later. As for now stay safe. As a country we will get through this and be better for it.

The South Florida road to Louisville has produced its share of Kentucky Derby winners. For decades, until its demise nearly two decades ago, Hialeah Park led the way.

Let’s look at fabulous Hialeah, the Flamingo Stakes, and its nine Kentucky Derby winners. During the 1920s, South Florida with its warm weather and inviting beaches, was rapidly becoming the vacation capital of the East Coast. Northerners looking for a brief respite from the winter chill flocked to the Sunshine State. The swells also found paradise there, building luxurious homes all along the Gold Coast.

It was the perfect timing to bring quality horse racing to the Miami area. Joseph Widener, a major player on the horse racing scene, decided to build a world class racing venue there. The architecture would be of a Mediterranean style. Royal palm trees added to the splendor. Beautiful pink flamingos were imported from Cuba to inhabit the racetrack’s infield lake. The entire grounds were the epitome of class.

Widener understood major stakes races would draw the best horses in training to his track. He settled on two events.

Older horses would be featured in the Widener Handicap. For the 3-year old Kentucky Derby hopefuls, the Flamingo Stakes made its debut in 1937. Kentucky Derby winners would rain on the Flamingo for the next 42 years.

In 1938 trainer Ben Jones took the second running of the Flamingo with a colt named Lawrin. He became the first winner of the race to win the Kentucky Derby. Jones success in the Run for the Roses was far from finished. He would win five more as the conditioner for Calumet Farms, America’s storied breeding farm of champions.

For the 1948 version, Calumet’s wonder horse Citation arrived at Hialeah. He breezed in the Flamingo on his way to the Triple Crown.

The Calumet standard bearer became only the eighth horse to win the coveted series. To commemorate his Flamingo victory, a life sized bronze statue of Citation was incorporated into Hialeah’s paddock area. Citation, a racehorse for the ages.

The ‘50s and ‘60s can be considered the heyday of Hialeah Park. The greatest names associated with “The Sport of Kings” came together at the Winter Palace of their chosen sport. The Vanderbilt’s, Whitney’s, Wideners, and the Phippses savored the beautiful grounds that were Hialeah. The trainers of the top stables readied their stock for the 40 day meet. Eddie Neloy, the father and son team of Moody and LeRoy Jolley, Horatio Luro and “The Sage of Sheepshead Bay,” (“Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons) were among them. Many of the premier jockeys in the country were eager to compete at Hialeah. Eddie Arcaro, Bill Hartack, Angel Cordero Jr. and many other future Hall of Fame inductees vied for a trip to the track’s winner circle.

Racing fans and sightseers longed to be a part of the action. Celebrities also found the track to their liking. Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, Bob Hope and Joe Kennedy were among those who made visits to the track.

On February 18, 1956 a record crowd of 42,366 converged on Hialeah to witness the great Nashua, take the Widener Handicap and become just the second thoroughbred to win a million dollars in purse money.

The 1950’s brought two more superb horses to the Flamingo and a trip to the Hialeah winner’s circle. Needles took the 1956 version. He became first Florida- bred to take the Kentucky Derby. Needles went on to win the Belmont Stakes. He was piloted by the recently deceased Dave Erb, a longtime Saratoga area resident and race rider par excellence.

Two years later it was Calumet for the third time with Tim Tam. He scored in the Flamingo, then won the Derby and followed it up with a tally in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. He entered the gate as a huge favorite to win the Belmont Stakes and join the Immortals. As fate would have it he fractured a bone in one of his front legs during the stretch run. He had the ferocity to hang on for second. Tim Tam’s short, but brilliant racing career was over.

In 1961 Carry Back took the Flamingo, charging out of nowhere to win the race. He went on to win the Derby and Preakness with his patented late move. Hugely popular, he thrilled racing fans throughout his long and storied career.

Then came 1964 and a Canadian- owned entry with the apropos name of Northern Dancer. The trio of E.P. Taylor, Canada’s leading owner, the dapper Argentinian trainer Horatio Luro and the superb riding skills of Bill Hartack added to the mystique of The Dancer. He took the Flamingo on his way to victory in the Derby and Preakness Stakes. Northern Dancer went on to become one of the premier sires in the long annals of the sport.

The ‘70s would see the last of the Flamingo winners to take the Kentucky Derby: In 1975, LeRoy Jolley brought the talented Foolish Pleasure to contest the Flamingo. The bay colt did not disappoint. He took the race and followed it with an easy Derby score. Two months later Foolish Pleasure met the brilliant filly Ruffian in a winner take all match race at Belmont Park. The two gladiators were stride for stride down the backstretch when disaster struck.

Ruffian took a bad step, shattering bones in her right front leg. The great champion was put down after a valiant effort to save her life. Foolish Pleasure went onto have a stellar career culminating with a well-deserved induction into Horse Racing’s Hall of Fame.

Two years later it was the year of Seattle Slew. Tommy Roberts was at that time VP and GM of the track. Slew needed a tightener before his connections would agree to enter him in the big race. Roberts sought to convince enough trainers to fill the Flamingo prep. This was no easy task. No trainer in his right mind wanted any part of Slew. With some arm twisting Roberts was able to gather a decent sized field. The competition was no match for the unbeaten colt. Slew decimated the competition in a blistering time of 1:20 3/5 for the seven furlongs and a track record for the distance. He easily took the Flamingo next time out and went on to become America’s tenth, and first unbeaten Triple Crown winner. Seattle Slew, one of the great champions.

The year 1979 would see the last of the Flamingo winners that went on to take the Kentucky Derby. A dark gray colt named Spectacular Bid won the race with ease on his way to what looked to be the third Triple Crown Champion in succession. Unfortunately, Bid stepped on a safety pin the night before the Belmont Stakes. Add to that a poor ride from his bewildered jockey Ronnie Franklin, and the dream turned into a nightmare. Bid was a tiring third in the grueling mile and a half marathon. Spectacular Bid went on to a fabulous career.

How good was he? There were no takers when he ran in his last race, the 1980 Woodward Stakes. The gray was breezed around the Belmont Park oval uncontested in a rare walkover.

Hialeah’s glory days were rapidly ending. Shifts in the population centers and the shuffling of racing dates to accommodate Gulfstream Park’s surging business and better location were important factors in the decline of the once mighty Hialeah.

“All good things must come to an end.” The last running of the Flamingo Stakes took place on April 8, 2001. On May 22 of that year Hialeah ran its last thoroughbred horse race.

Next week we will look at Gulfstream Park and one of todays most important Kentucky Derby prep races, the Florida Derby.