Kelso (horse)
Encyclopedia
Kelso was an American
thoroughbred
race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine
Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War
(1st), Secretariat
(2nd) and Citation
(3rd). In his long and illustrious career, it is safe to say that Kelso beat more great or very good thoroughbreds than any other horse in the history of American Racing. The list reads like a who's who of the first half of the 1960's, including Carry Back, Gun Bow, Bald Eagle, Tompion, Never Bend, Beau Purple, Quadrangle, Roman Brother, Crimson Satan, Jaipur, Malicious, Ridan, Saidam, Pia Star, Garwol and Guadalcanal, just to name a few, while spotting his opponents many pounds under handicap conditions.
near Paris, Kentucky
, he was sired by a well-known racehorse who was an unproven stallion, Your Host
. Kelso's dam was the unheralded Maid of Flight (although her sire was Count Fleet
and her grandsire was Man o' War
. Kelso was her first foal; he was scrawny, runty and hard to handle. He was a maternal grandson of U.S. Triple Crown champion
Count Fleet
, who is ranked #5 by The Blood-Horse. Before he set foot on a track, owner Allaire du Pont
had him gelded in the hopes of calming him down. According to many, it did not work; Kelso was never a well-mannered horse. He was named for Mrs. du Pont's friend Kelso Everett and, like Mr. Everett who went by the nickname of "Kelly", so did the horse.
Trained by Dr. John Lee and racing for Ms. du Pont's nom de course Bohemia Stable, Kelso made his two-year-old debut on September 4, 1959 at Atlantic City Race Course
(at that time one of the country's premier tracks). Ridden by John Block, Kelso's first race was an ordinary maiden event (which he won). He was lightly regarded in his second start ten days later, when he finished second. The gelding was the favorite in his third race, which was shortly after his second and in which he again placed second. So ended his freshman season.
The Right Rev. Arthur Raymond McKinstry was known as Kelso's chaplain. In talking to reporters McKinstry said, "On the occasion of President Johnson
and Mrs. Johnson's
30th wedding anniversary, the White House
reporters asked me if I had any other claim to fame. I thought a little while and then had to confess to them that, among my friends in Wilmington, I am casually spoken of as the private chaplain for the great racehorse, Kelso. Taken aback, one reporter turned and asked me, 'Do you mean to say that you direct heavenly words to God on behalf of a racehorse?' 'I don't have to,' I replied. 'Let's say I just sit there with my fingers crossed and hope a little.'"
races of 1960 were run. Dr. John Lee had returned to his veterinary
practice, and Kelso's new trainer was Carl Hanford (inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
in 2006), who handled him for the remainder of his career. Willie Shoemaker
was his jockey for a short time followed by Eddie Arcaro
, who rode him from mid-1960 to November 1961 when he retired as a jockey. In 1962, Ismael Valenzuela
became Kelso's principal rider for more than three years.
Kelso's first start as a three-year-old (and first win for Hanford) was at Monmouth Park. Hanford said, "He was an extremely determined horse. If he saw a horse in front, he wanted to get to him. You could take him back or send him to the front. He was an extremely sound horse who was light on his feet with incredible balance. Kelso could wheel on a dime, spinning round in a circle and never letting his feet touch each other." After the Monmouth race, he won eight of his next nine starts: a mile race at Aqueduct Racetrack
in a record for a three-year-old at that distance, the Choice Stakes, the Jerome Handicap
, the Discovery Handicap
, the Lawrence Realization Stakes
, the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap
and the Jockey Club Gold Cup
(the latter against older horses). In the Lawrence Realization, he equaled Man O 'War's
time of 2:40-4/5 for 1⅝ miles. In 1960, Kelso was voted Three-Year-Old Champion Male and received the American Horse of the Year award
.
At age four in 1961, Kelso won seven of nine starts. That year, he was voted Champion Older Horse and again Horse of the Year.
competed for eight seasons, from 1959 to 1966. As his career reached its zenith, so did his popularity, and huge crowds flocked to see him. Kelso competed on fourteen tracks, won in six states, set nine track records (plus two American records), was the all-time leading money-winner with $1,977,896 at his retirement and was beloved by racing fans for his courage and consistency. In a simulated race featuring the top champions of American racing, Kelso beat Man O' War by a half-length.
In 1965 during a workout, Kelso suffered a hairline fracture of the inside sesamoid of his right hind foot. Though he had planned for another year's racing, Hanford retired him at age nine. Kelso left the track as racing's all-time leading money winner with lifetime earnings of $1,977,896. This earnings record held for 14 years, until it was surpassed by Affirmed
in 1979. Of Kelso's 63 starts, he won 39, placed 12 times and finished third twice. He was out of the money 10 times.
Accepting his Hall of Fame award in August 2006, Carl Hanford said, "I am here today because of one horse and one horse only. Although I've had a few stakes horses before, they didn't compare with Kelso. There is an old saying on the racetrack that 'a good horse is dangerous in anybody's hands.' How true that is. Of all the top trainers in the past that have had this honor, I may be a little bit prejudiced, but I don't think any one of them had their hands on a horse like Kelso."
. Instead, he went on to a second career as a hunter
and show jumper
. In 1967, he was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
Kelso died on October 16, 1983. He is buried in the equine cemetery at Allaire du Pont's Woodstock Farm in Chesapeake City, Maryland
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine
The Blood-Horse magazine
The Blood-Horse is an international weekly news magazine about Thoroughbred horses, horse breeding, and horseracing. It was founded in 1916, the oldest continually published North American Thoroughbred magazine. The magazine is based in Lexington, Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World...
Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War
Man O' War (horse)
Man o' War, is considered one of the greatest Thoroughbred racehorses of all time. During his career just after World War I, he won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 in purses....
(1st), Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
(2nd) and Citation
Citation (horse)
Citation was the eighth American Triple Crown winner, and one of three major North American Thoroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competition...
(3rd). In his long and illustrious career, it is safe to say that Kelso beat more great or very good thoroughbreds than any other horse in the history of American Racing. The list reads like a who's who of the first half of the 1960's, including Carry Back, Gun Bow, Bald Eagle, Tompion, Never Bend, Beau Purple, Quadrangle, Roman Brother, Crimson Satan, Jaipur, Malicious, Ridan, Saidam, Pia Star, Garwol and Guadalcanal, just to name a few, while spotting his opponents many pounds under handicap conditions.
Early races
Kelso's breeding was less than stellar. Born at Claiborne FarmClaiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...
near Paris, Kentucky
Paris, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
, he was sired by a well-known racehorse who was an unproven stallion, Your Host
Your Host (horse)
Your Host was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Foaled in California, he was by the imported British stallion Alibhai out of the Irish mare Boudoir by the French stallion Mahmoud. Bred in the stables of Louis B. Mayer , Your Host was owned by Mayer's son-in-law and trained by Harry L. Daniels...
. Kelso's dam was the unheralded Maid of Flight (although her sire was Count Fleet
Count Fleet
Count Fleet was born and died at Stoner Creek Stud farm in Paris, Kentucky, United States. He was a Thoroughbred racehorse and Triple Crown champion in 1943....
and her grandsire was Man o' War
Man O' War
Man O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...
. Kelso was her first foal; he was scrawny, runty and hard to handle. He was a maternal grandson of U.S. Triple Crown champion
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
Count Fleet
Count Fleet
Count Fleet was born and died at Stoner Creek Stud farm in Paris, Kentucky, United States. He was a Thoroughbred racehorse and Triple Crown champion in 1943....
, who is ranked #5 by The Blood-Horse. Before he set foot on a track, owner Allaire du Pont
Allaire du Pont
Allaire du Pont was an American sportswoman and a member of the prominent French-American Du Pont family of chemical manufacturers who is most remembered as the owner of the Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame champion, Kelso....
had him gelded in the hopes of calming him down. According to many, it did not work; Kelso was never a well-mannered horse. He was named for Mrs. du Pont's friend Kelso Everett and, like Mr. Everett who went by the nickname of "Kelly", so did the horse.
Trained by Dr. John Lee and racing for Ms. du Pont's nom de course Bohemia Stable, Kelso made his two-year-old debut on September 4, 1959 at Atlantic City Race Course
Atlantic City Race Course
The Atlantic City Race Course , formerly the Atlantic City Race Track, is a thoroughbred horse race track located in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The track is located off the Black Horse Pike next to the Hamilton Mall...
(at that time one of the country's premier tracks). Ridden by John Block, Kelso's first race was an ordinary maiden event (which he won). He was lightly regarded in his second start ten days later, when he finished second. The gelding was the favorite in his third race, which was shortly after his second and in which he again placed second. So ended his freshman season.
The Right Rev. Arthur Raymond McKinstry was known as Kelso's chaplain. In talking to reporters McKinstry said, "On the occasion of President Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
and Mrs. Johnson's
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...
30th wedding anniversary, the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
reporters asked me if I had any other claim to fame. I thought a little while and then had to confess to them that, among my friends in Wilmington, I am casually spoken of as the private chaplain for the great racehorse, Kelso. Taken aback, one reporter turned and asked me, 'Do you mean to say that you direct heavenly words to God on behalf of a racehorse?' 'I don't have to,' I replied. 'Let's say I just sit there with my fingers crossed and hope a little.'"
Championship seasons
Kelso's three-year-old season began after the Triple CrownTriple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
races of 1960 were run. Dr. John Lee had returned to his veterinary
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
practice, and Kelso's new trainer was Carl Hanford (inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
in 2006), who handled him for the remainder of his career. Willie Shoemaker
Willie Shoemaker
William Lee Shoemaker was an American jockey.Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Shoemaker was born in the town of Fabens, Texas. At 2.5 pounds , Shoemaker was so small at birth that he was not expected to survive the night...
was his jockey for a short time followed by Eddie Arcaro
Eddie Arcaro
George Edward Arcaro , known professionally as Eddie Arcaro, was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice...
, who rode him from mid-1960 to November 1961 when he retired as a jockey. In 1962, Ismael Valenzuela
Ismael Valenzuela
Ismael "Milo" Valenzuela was a Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He was one of 22 children born to parents who had immigrated to the United states. Shortly after Ismael Valenzuela's birth, the family returned to their native Mexico...
became Kelso's principal rider for more than three years.
Kelso's first start as a three-year-old (and first win for Hanford) was at Monmouth Park. Hanford said, "He was an extremely determined horse. If he saw a horse in front, he wanted to get to him. You could take him back or send him to the front. He was an extremely sound horse who was light on his feet with incredible balance. Kelso could wheel on a dime, spinning round in a circle and never letting his feet touch each other." After the Monmouth race, he won eight of his next nine starts: a mile race at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
in a record for a three-year-old at that distance, the Choice Stakes, the Jerome Handicap
Jerome Handicap
The Jerome Stakes is a Grade II race for thoroughbred horses run each fall at one mile on the dirt at Belmont Park. It is open to three-year-olds and carries a purse of $150,000. The race is a prep race to several races of the Breeders' Cup....
, the Discovery Handicap
Discovery Handicap
The Discovery Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the latter part of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York...
, the Lawrence Realization Stakes
Lawrence Realization Stakes
The Lawrence Realization Stakes was an American horse race first run on the turf in 1889. The race, for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts, geldings and fillies, was last run in 2005.-History:...
, the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap
Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap
The Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap is a Grade II race for thoroughbred horses run at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Illinois each year. The Hawthorne Gold Cup trophy has always been made of solid gold....
and the Jockey Club Gold Cup
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
(the latter against older horses). In the Lawrence Realization, he equaled Man O 'War's
Man O' War (horse)
Man o' War, is considered one of the greatest Thoroughbred racehorses of all time. During his career just after World War I, he won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 in purses....
time of 2:40-4/5 for 1⅝ miles. In 1960, Kelso was voted Three-Year-Old Champion Male and received the American Horse of the Year award
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
.
At age four in 1961, Kelso won seven of nine starts. That year, he was voted Champion Older Horse and again Horse of the Year.
Career highlights
- ChampionshipsEclipse AwardThe Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
:- 1960 Champion 3-yr-old Male, Horse of the Year
- 1961 Champion Handicap Male, Horse of the Year
- 1962 Champion Handicap Male, Horse of the Year
- 1963 Champion Handicap Male, Horse of the Year
- 1964 Champion Handicap Male, Horse of the Year
- Only five-time Horse of the Year in history (as of 2011)
- Won five consecutive runnings of the then-two-mile Jockey Club Gold CupJockey Club Gold CupThe Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
(the most consecutive wins of a major stakes by any horse in history as of 2011) - Won three consecutive Woodward StakesWoodward StakesThe Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
- Three-time winner of the Whitney Stakes
- Two-time winner of the Aqueduct HandicapAqueduct HandicapThe race is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. It was called the Aqueduct Handicap, but beginning in 2009, the name was changed to the Evening Attire Stakes in honor of the great grey gelding Evening Attire. He raced until he was 10 years...
- Two-time winner of the Suburban HandicapSuburban HandicapThe Suburban Handicap is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is run at the classic one-and-one-quarter mile distance on dirt for a $400,000 purse....
- Won eight of nine races (7 of them stakes) in 1960
- Won eight consecutive races (his last six of 1960 and first two of 1961)
- Carried 130 pounds on 24 occasions, winning 13, placing in 5, and finishing third once
- Won 62% of his starts (39 out of 63 starts)
- Finished in the money in 84% of his starts (53 out of 63)
- In 1961, Kelso joined Whisk Broom IIWhisk Broom IIWhisk Broom II was American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in the United Kingdom and in the United States.-Background:...
and Tom FoolTom FoolTom Fool was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, a winner of the American Horse of the Year award and a Hall of Fame inductee. He sired the outstanding racehorses Buckpasser and Tim Tam....
as the third horse in history to win the New York Handicap TripleNew York Handicap TripleThe New York Handicap Triple is the name used to refer to three American handicap races for older Thoroughbred racehorses run by the New York Racing Association at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York...
, made up of the Metropolitan HandicapMetropolitan HandicapThe Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile," is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile .The Met Mile was first...
– in which he carried 130 pounds (59 kg), the Suburban HandicapSuburban HandicapThe Suburban Handicap is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is run at the classic one-and-one-quarter mile distance on dirt for a $400,000 purse....
– in which he carried 133 pounds (60.3 kg) – and the Brooklyn HandicapBrooklyn HandicapThe Brooklyn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to three-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-half miles on dirt....
, in which he carried 136 pounds (61.7 kg). - Set a new American record for 1½ miles on the turf in the 1964 Washington, D.C. International
- Won The Stymie Handicap at age five in 1962, and at age eight in 1965
- Still holds the World Record time for two miles on dirt of 3:19.1 set in the 1964 Jockey Club Gold Cup
Long career
Unlike many top racehorses, Kelso took a while to warm up his career. The geldingGelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
competed for eight seasons, from 1959 to 1966. As his career reached its zenith, so did his popularity, and huge crowds flocked to see him. Kelso competed on fourteen tracks, won in six states, set nine track records (plus two American records), was the all-time leading money-winner with $1,977,896 at his retirement and was beloved by racing fans for his courage and consistency. In a simulated race featuring the top champions of American racing, Kelso beat Man O' War by a half-length.
In 1965 during a workout, Kelso suffered a hairline fracture of the inside sesamoid of his right hind foot. Though he had planned for another year's racing, Hanford retired him at age nine. Kelso left the track as racing's all-time leading money winner with lifetime earnings of $1,977,896. This earnings record held for 14 years, until it was surpassed by Affirmed
Affirmed
Affirmed was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh and most recent winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing...
in 1979. Of Kelso's 63 starts, he won 39, placed 12 times and finished third twice. He was out of the money 10 times.
Accepting his Hall of Fame award in August 2006, Carl Hanford said, "I am here today because of one horse and one horse only. Although I've had a few stakes horses before, they didn't compare with Kelso. There is an old saying on the racetrack that 'a good horse is dangerous in anybody's hands.' How true that is. Of all the top trainers in the past that have had this honor, I may be a little bit prejudiced, but I don't think any one of them had their hands on a horse like Kelso."
Retirement
As a gelding, Kelso could not be retired to studStud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
. Instead, he went on to a second career as a hunter
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
and show jumper
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
. In 1967, he was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
.
Kelso died on October 16, 1983. He is buried in the equine cemetery at Allaire du Pont's Woodstock Farm in Chesapeake City, Maryland
Chesapeake City, Maryland
Chesapeake City is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 787 at the 2000 census.The town was originally named by Bohemian colonist Augustine Herman the Village of Bohemia , but the name was changed in 1839 when the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was built...
.
Further reading
- Kelso: The Horse of Gold by Linda Kennedy (2007) Westholme Publishing ISBN 978-1-59416-043-1
- Kelso: Thoroughbred Legends by Steve Haskin (2003) Eclipse Press ISBN 1-58150-101-3.
- Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century (2005) The Blood Horse ISBN 1-58150-024-6
- A Sound of Horses: The World of Racing From Eclipse to Kelso by David Alexander (1966) The Bobbs-Merril Company, Inc. LCCN: 66-15533
Footnotes
- - A male horse who has been castrated for any number of reasons. In Kelso's case, it was cantankerousness. (As a counterpoint to this theory, in his book, A Sound of Horses, David Alexander, the noted racing columnist, who knew Kelso, and his human entourage, stated that Dr. Lee, his trainer and veterinarian, recommended that he be gelded to correct a problem with his stride. It was also hoped it would help him put on weight. Mr. Alexander said that Kelso was a rather shy, even introverted horse, and that when he seemed to be feeling particularly insecure, Mrs. DuPont would give him a chocolate sundae, of which he was inordinately fond. She kept specially wrapped sugar cubes in her pocket for those times when chocolate sundaes were not available.)
- That year, Venetian WayVenetian WayVenetian Way was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1960 Kentucky Derby. Bred in Kentucky by John W. Greathouse, he was purchased by Chicago, Illinois businessman Isaac Blumberg who raced him under the nom de course of Sunny Blue Farm.Venetian Way was trained by Victor...
won the Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, Bally AcheBally AcheBally Ache was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won one of the American Classics in 1960 but died shortly afterwards. In her book American Classic Pedigrees , author Avalyn Hunter wrote that Bally Ache was "a crowd favorite" who "won hearts by his sheer determination."Bally Ache was bred by...
won the PreaknessPreakness StakesThe Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
, and Celtic AshCeltic AshCeltic Ash was an English-bred Thoroughbred racehorse raised in Ireland who is best known for winning an American Classic Race. Bred by Lord Harrington, he was out of the mare Ash Plant and sired by Sicambre, the Leading sire in France in 1966. On the advice of Irish-born trainer Tom Barry, Celtic...
won the Belmont StakesBelmont StakesThe Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
.