George Woolf: The Story of the Iceman

George Woolf was one of the most highly acclaimed horse racing jockeys in his era. He was inducted into numerous honorary institutions after his death, including the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. He passed away in 1946 due to a racing accident.

The Racing Career of George Woolf

George Woolf was nicknamed “The Iceman” by his fans and other horse racing jockeys because he was so patient in waiting for the perfect moment to spur his horse on and because he was so calm before even the most important horse racing events.

He was born to horse people, with his mother having been a trick rider in a circus while his father competed in rodeos. Thus, he learned to ride when he was a child and began competing in various horse races as a teenager in Alberta and Montana.

He began his professional Canadian and American Thoroughbred horse racing career in 1928, with his first race being in Vancouver. He raced for a short time in Tijuana, Mexico and then moved to Arcadia, California, where he would race for the remainder of his life.

Bad Luck

Santa Anita Park became his home base and he soon became one of the leading horse jockeys of his era. While gaining a reputation as one of the best horse racing jockeysin American thoroughbred horse racing, Woolf discovered he had type 1 diabetes. Luckily, the discovery of insulin a few years earlier ensured that this diagnosis would not be fatal. However, he did have to regulate his weight in such a way that he wasn’t forced to lose weight quickly, which would have affected his ability to manage his condition.

Because he was so successful, he only accepted a few mounts every week, so that he only rode in 150 to 200 American thoroughbred horse racing events per year, compared to the thousands other horse racing jockeys took part in. Despite a short career and running so few races, George Woolf came in victorious in 97 important stakes races throughout the U.S., including the American Derby, the Belmont Futurity Stakes, and the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes.

Gorge Woolf made history when he won the first $100,000 American Thoroughbred horse racing event—the Santa Anita Handicap—in 1935 on Azucar. He also won the Preakness Stakes in 1936 and came in second twice at the Kentucky Derby.

However, what George Woolf is most remembered for is his amazing performance in 1938 when riding the people's favorite, Seabiscuit. He listened to advice from Seabiscuit's injured jockey, Red Pollard, which brought him the win against the favorite, War Admiral that was also a U.S. Triple Crown winner. Whenever he was asked, George Woolf always replied that Seabiscuit was the best horse he had ever raced.

The End of George Woolf's Racing Career

George Woolf's American thoroughbred horse racing career came to a close on January 4th, 1946. The day before he was racing at Santa Anita Park, and when he rounded the clubhouse turn, he fell of his mount. The concussion he suffered led to his death the next day. Other horse racing jockeys in the race claimed they didn’t see any event which could have caused the fall, which led people to assume it may have been his diabetes that led to a dizzy spell.

George Woolf was considered one of the best horse racing jockeys in North America. He was loved by his fans and highly respected by his peers, which is why the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award was created in his honor.

The Hollywood Park Racetrack Closes Down to Make Way for Development

The Hollywood Park Racetrack was located in Inglewood, California, and, as the name suggests, was a thoroughbred race course. Located approximately 3 miles from Los Angeles International Airport, it was right next to the Forum. Also known as Betfair Hollywood Park, it was one of the more popular horse racetracks and also featured a poker card room. However, it was closed down at the end of the 2013 racing season as the president of this thoroughbred race course declared it would be more lucrative to develop the land than continue using it as a race course.

The History of the Hollywood Park Racetrack

The Hollywood Turf Club inaugurated the Hollywood Park Racetrack in 1938, with Arthur Froehlich as the designer of this thoroughbred race course. Froehlich was a respected and prestigious architect of horse racetracks at the time. This racetrack was chaired by the famous Harry Warner of Warner Brothers’ fame and had 600 shareholders, many of whom were noted Hollywood personalities, including Jack Warner.

Al Jolson, Raoul Walsh, and Harry Warner were part of the founding Board of Directors, while the racetrack was managed by MervynLeRoy, who was the director of the Hollywood Park Racetrack for more than 40 years.

This thoroughbred race course had a somewhat rocky history. It was shut down for approximately two years, from 1942 to 1944, because of World War II. During this time it was used for storage. It had to be closed down again in 1949, when the grandstand and the clubhouse caught on fire and were completely destroyed. The racetrack opened up again in 1950, after these facilities were rebuilt.

The Card Room

The Hollywood Park Racetrack underwent some changes in 1984 and 1986, with this thoroughbred race course being expanded, as the track was lengthened to approximately 1 1/8 mile from 1 mile, while the turf course was extended to 1 mile from slightly over 7/8 mile. In 1994, the complex was further modified with a new addition, namely a card room.

Despite changing hands and significant investment, the Hollywood Park Racetrack was still shut down at the end of the racing season in 2013. F. Jack Liebau, the president of one of the most famous horse racetracks in the Los Angeles area, explained in a letter that the land the thoroughbred race course sat on was too valuable to keep the racing going. He said that since no favorable changes could be foreseen in terms of the racing business model, it would be more lucrative to develop the land.

It is expected that all the meets held at Hollywood Park Racetrack will be moved to Del Mar Racetrack, Santa Anita Park, and Del Mar Racetrack.

Big Brown: Out to Stud

Big brown is a retired champion racehorse. It is a winner of the 2008 Preakness Stakes and 2008 Kentucky Derby. The thoroughbred is a popular horse breed often used in horse racing, although the term can sometimes refer to any kind of purebred horses. Thoroughbreds are advanced and known as “hot-blooded” horses, recommended for their agility, spirit, and speed.

The breeds we know today were developed between the 17th and 18th century in England. At the time, the native breeds were crossbred with other imported Oriental stallions from Barb, Arabian, and Turcoman breeding grounds. Between the 18th and 19th century, thoroughbred breeds spread out around the world, including North America, South America, Europe, Japan, and Australia. Today, there are thousands of thoroughbreds but that is not that many compared to the number of horses overall.

Uses

Although thoroughbreds are bred primarily for racing, they are also used for combined training and show jumping because of their athleticism. Many or the retrained or retired race horses make fine family riding horses, youth show horses and dressage horses. Many of the larger breeds are sought for famous race, dressage competitions, fox hunting and jumper competitions, whereas the smaller breeds are sought as polo ponies. Thoroughbreds such as Big Brown are often crossbred in order to create new and improved breeds of existing ones. As a result, they have been useful in the introduction of various warm blood, Anglo-Arabian, standard bred, and quarter horse breeds.

Breed Features

A typical thoroughbred racehorse is 62-68 inches high. They are often dark bay/brown, bay, gray or chestnut black. Some of the less common colors in the U.S. include palomino and roan, while white is rare although it is recognized separate from gray. The coat patterns that feature several colors, such as Appaloosa or Pinto, have not been recognized by the mainstream registries. The lower legs and face may be marked with white, although white does not appear generally on the body. Marvelous thoroughbreds feature a well-chiseled head supported by a long neck. In addition, they have a short back, a deep chest, a lean body, long legs, high withers, and perfect depth of their hindquarters.

Value

The prices of thoroughbred horses vary significantly, depending on age, conformation and pedigree, in addition to other market factors. A single horse can sell at an average of $89,259 in the U.S., while an average weanling sells for about $44,407 and average yearling sells for about $55,300. In Australia, a weanling can sell for an average of $25,635 and yearlings for an average of $75,853. The prices at auctions are often high although they do not reflect the future success of the animal.

Some thoroughbreds are injured early in their careers, limiting their racing lifespan to just a few starts before they are retired. Others end up being sold as horsemeat for several hundred dollars. Big Brown was originally bought for $190,000 and then sold 75% of the horse to I.E.A.H for about $3 million. This brilliant horse was able to win 7 of 8 races, in addition to dominating his generation. Today, he has produced very nice foals that horsemen and trainers are impressed with.

The Origin and Story of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

The Triple Crown is one of the most coveted horse racing championship. It involves only 3-year-old thoroughbreds that compete for the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Preakness Stakes in a single season. This thoroughbred racing championship has long remained one of the most celebrated achievements in all the sports. A thoroughbred that wins all 3 races has accomplished something special. The most fascinating and intriguing fact about this event is that only 11 horses have yet been able to hold this title in a history of over 125 years.

Origin of the Term

The credit for popularizing the idea of an American “Triple Crown” goes to the columnist, Charles Hatton. In his writings, he was frequently using the term addressing the 3 horse racing events of the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Preakness Stakes of the 1930s. As the term gradually became popular, a growing number of trainers and owners started preparing their thoroughbreds for these famous horse races.

The Proclamation of the Title

During the 40s, all the leading newspapers were using this term as a standard for these events. This title was eventually declared in 1950 during the awards ceremony of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, and Sir Barton was declared the first winner to have won all 3 races back in 1919. Every annual award dinner, the organization gave away the title to successive winners before 1950.

Between 1930 and 1948, the title of these famous horseraces was won almost every 2.5 years. However, after 1948, it took a quarter of a century(1973) until the event was won by Secretariat. When Seattle Slew won the title in 1977 followed by Affirmed in 1978, the fans of this thoroughbred racing event were enthralled. However, this accomplishment has not been achieved since Affirmed’s victory in 1978.

Origin of Horse Racing Events

After the Civil War, many trainers and owners in 1875 started working to group famous horse races to match the legacy of the British Triple Crown. The first attempt was at Churchill Downs, where Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. promoted the title focused on his Derby. This became the home of the Kentucky Derby.

At this time, there were 3 major horse racing events in New York State. The racing bodies were segregated by provincialism and each one insisted the supremacy of their own races, leading to the failure of these efforts. It took a long time for the socialites and high class citizens from the eastern states to even bring their horses to participate in the West or certainly in the mid-west. Interestingly, it was because of the arrogance of these people, who controlled much of the sport that the famous Man o’ War didn’t participate in the 1920 Kentucky Derby, thus losing a chance to win a potential crown.

The Main Challenges to Overcome

There are many factors that make it quite difficult for racehorses to win all the 3 horse racing events. The biggest challenge is that a horse will have to win all 3 races, at different courses, within 5 weeks. This is a demanding schedule that pushes these horses, jockeys, and trainers to the limit. On top of this, the actual race course is long which puts a 3-year-old thoroughbred to its greatest test.

All these factors coupled with the fascinating story of the origin of the Triple Crown in thoroughbred racing make it one of the most thrilling horse racing events in the world today.

The Triple Crown’s least recognized horse race, awards most valuable prize

Constantly overshadowed and sandwiched between the more famous Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes horse races, it is slightly ironic that the Preakness Stakes, the least publicized jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, offers by far the greatest prize…The Woodlawn Vase trophy.

The Woodlawn Vase is awarded to the winning connections of the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, and is the most valuable trophy not just in horse racing but in all of American sports. With an estimated value of over $4 million and deemed priceless by countless others, no other trophy is even in the same league with the Preakness Stakes’ trophy.  The Woodlawn Vase trophy is unique, and possibly even less renowned than it should be, because the name of the famous horse race for which the Woodlawn Vase is given, the Preakness, is not included in the name of the trophy like the other two jewels of the Triple Crown.

Standing three feet tall and weighing approximately 30 pounds, The Woodlawn Vase was constructed in 1860 by Tiffany & Co. and is made entirely out of solid sterling silver. The intricate trophy and design is topped by a jockey riding a full figure of the horse “Lexington”. At the time of its commission in 1860, the cost to make the Woodlawn Vase was $1500 and the perceived value of the trophy has skyrocketed substantially over the years.

Not only is the Woodlawn Vase the most valuable, but it also has a colorful history few could hope to rival. After all, how many trophies in horse racing can boast that they were given out for prestigious races in not just Maryland, where Pimlico and the Preakness Stakes are held, but also was awarded to the winner of the American Stallion Stakes at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, the Great Long Island Stakes at Sheepshead Bay in New York, and other famous horse races across the East Coast before finally making its permanent home in Baltimore.

The first Saturday in May always brings the Kentucky Derby and two weeks after comes the Preakness Stakes. And with the arrival of that second jewel come the hopes and dreams of horse racing fans everywhere that THIS is the year they are finally treated to a Triple Crown champion. In the past 36 years since horse racing’s last Triple Crown winner, (Affirmed, 1978) there have been 12 times that the winner of the Kentucky Derby Trophies were also winners of the Woodlawn Vase in the Preakness. In each of those occurrences, the horse racing public was denied their Triple Crown champion as all twelve failed to go on and win the Belmont Stakes. Until the third Saturday in May comes around and we learn who the winner of the Preakness Stakes and Woodlawn Vase trophy is, the racing public will continue to eagerly wait in anticipation for the next champion three-year old deserving the title of Triple Crown winner.