Not every champion struggles at Saratoga. Native Dancer, for instance, was six-for-six at the historic upstate New York venue, where five-time Horse of the Year Kelso was unbeaten in four.
However, enough champions – Triple Crown winners, Horses of the Year and serious Hall of Famers among them – have suffered shock defeats at Saratoga for it to become notorious as the ‘Graveyard of Champions’. Or, sometimes, ‘Graveyard of Favorites’ (sic), given that they are usually odds-on chances.
Make no mistake: We are talking about some of American racing’s legendary equines. Here, ahead of the Travers Stakes next Saturday (August 28), Nicholas Godfrey lists ten pieces of evidence for the prosecution – starting with a result that resounds through the ages as the prime example of Saratoga’s apparent predilection for upturning the applecart.
Man o’ War – 1919 Sanford Memorial
A race that has gone down in racing infamy as the legendary Man o’ War – #1 in the Blood-Horse’s list of Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century – suffered his only defeat in 21 runs to the fittingly named Upset as a 2-year-old.
An urban myth was duly born concerning the use of the word ‘upset’ to denote a surprise victory; the term was already in common parlance long before. However, the circumstances of one of the most controversial defeats in racing history have been debated for the 100-plus years since.
In short, Man o’ War was giving his rival 15lb, got a dreadful start and met traffic problems; he beat Upset on four other occasions.
But that’s not the full story. While there is no surviving footage, contemporary accounts suggest that it took several minutes to get the horses in a line and even then the barrier was raised prematurely with Man o’War still circling at the rear, or at least turned sideways. No starting gate back then, remember.
The New York Times noted that a stand-in starter (a gentleman named CH Pettingill) was in charge – which also helps explain lingering innuendo that the fix was in, Saratoga having been a popular haunt of the mob crowd, though they generally left their pieces at the gate for their summer holiday at the Spa.
Either way, serious damage was done – and then jockey Johnny Loftus got Man o’War boxed in traffic before a late charge that failed by a half-length. No one doubted which horse was the moral winner, and Man o’War’s reputation was actually enhanced. He never lost again, at Saratoga or anywhere else.
Gallant Fox – 1930 Travers Stakes
Gallant Fox won nine of his ten races during a triumphant 3-year-old campaign, in the process becoming America’s second Triple Crown winner after Sir Barton in 1919. The race he lost, though, came when he was stunned in the Travers Stakes by 8-length victor Jim Dandy, a 100/1 shot who failed to trouble the scorers in 19 other starts as a 3-year-old.
The race had been billed as a match between Gallant Fox and Whichone, the pride of the Whitney Stable, who had beaten him as a 2-year-old and had been favoured to do the same when runner-up in the Belmont. He was third as Jim Dandy sploshed through the mud, which was blamed for the shock result, after which trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons claimed the champion had run only at the insistence of his owner.
Jim Dandy’s name is now remembered in Saratoga’s designated Travers prep, a $600,000 G2 contest won last month by probable Travers favourite Essential Quality.
Secretariat – 1973 Whitney Handicap
Having added to his Triple Crown laurels with a 9-length victory at Arlington, Secretariat was sent off a 1/10 chance in the Whitney. In front of what was then the largest crowd in Saratoga history, he could not get past the largely unheralded Onion, who recorded a stunning all-the-way success for trainer Allen Jerkens, who became known as the ‘Giant Killer’ (though he always preferred his other nickname, ‘The Chief’).
A low-grade infection and a dead inside rail attributed to a shock result, and Onion – who, admittedly, had set a 6½-furlong track record not long before – was only fourth behind Secretariat next time out in Belmont’s Marlboro Cup. Jerkens beat him again in the Woodward at a sloppy Belmont with Prove Out.
Forego – 1977 Whitney Handicap
Three-time Horse of the Year Forego’s magnificent career lasted until he was eight and featured 57 races, eight Eclipse Awards and top-level victories at a range of trips from 7f to 2m. He ran only twice at Saratoga, and he was beaten both times – at odds on.
After coming fourth in Secretariat’s Kentucky Derby, 3/5 chance Forego was only third of six in a $20,000 allowance race at Saratoga. Then, however, the gelding’s legend hadn’t been written. By the time he went back to the Spa as a 7-year-old, Forego was the country’s leading handicap horse, sent off at 4/5 to win the Whitney, then a G2. Spotting 33lb to the winner Nearly On Time, he was last of seven on a sloppy track he detested.
Affirmed – 1978 Travers Stakes
Champions can lose in all sorts of ways at Saratoga, it seems. After completing his Triple Crown and winning the Jim Dandy, Affirmed wasn’t actually beaten in the Travers Stakes, a race featuring the tenth and final meeting with his arch-rival Alydar. However, while Affirmed came home in front by 1¾ lengths and was to be named Horse of the Year in both 1978 and 1979, he was demoted to second place after Laffit Pincay – substituting for injured Steve Cauthen – cut off Alydar at the far turn and nearly brought him down. The pair never met again.
Conquistador Cielo – 1982 Travers Stakes
There were only five runners in the 1982 Travers, but among them were all three winners of that year’s Triple Crown contests in Gato Del Sol (Kentucky Derby), Aloma’s Ruler (Preakness) and Conquistador Cielo, the odds-on favourite after slamming older horses in the Mile and then beating Gato Del Sol by 14 lengths in the Belmont only five days later for trainer Woody Stephens. None of them won, as Runaway Groom scored by a half-length over Aloma’s Ruler. Rank early, Conquistador Cielo tired before finishing third; he was still named Horse of the Year.
Rachel Alexandra – 2010 Personal Ensign Invitational
Unbeaten during a flawless Horse of the Year campaign in 2009 in which she became a household name, Rachel Alexandra was never at the same level as a 4-year-old. However, she had regained the winning thread on her previous two starts before returning to Saratoga as a near 1/2 favourite for the Personal Ensign, in which 21/1 shot Persistently effectively ended her career as she closed for a length-and-a-half victory after Rachel Alexandra and top mare Life At Ten had hooked up in the early stages. “I had everything my way, and she just got outrun,” said jockey Calvin Borel.
American Pharoah – 2015 Travers Stakes
After becoming the first Triple Crown winner for 37 years, American Pharoah fought valiantly to get the better of a duel with chief rival Frosted, only to get mugged inside the final furlong by late-running longshot Keen Ice. “Pharoah was just flat,” said trainer Bob Baffert. “Lots of shipping and running caught up to him.” Normal service was resumed on his career finale in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where his Saratoga conqueror was 12½ lengths behind in fourth.
Songbird – 2017 Personal Ensign Stakes
Dual champion filly won 13 of her 15 races, among them nine G1s for career earnings of almost $4.7m. She was second in the other two races, nosed out by Beholder in an epic Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita in 2016 and then as a 4-year-old at Saratoga, where she had won two G1s the previous summer by a combined margin in excess of 12 lengths.
More of the same was widely expected in a 4-runner race where her only serious rival was Forever Unbridled, classy enough but not really in Songbird’s league. Or so it seemed, until she wore down the favourite inside the final furlong. In retrospect, there was no obvious shame, as Forever Unbridled went on to score at that year’s Breeders’ Cup, but Songbird exited the race with a suspensory injury and was retired. She was sold as a broodmare for $9.5m.
Malathaat – 2021 Coaching Club American Oaks
Admittedly not yet a champion but still claimed by the graveyard just a month ago. Kentucky Oaks winner Malathaat was 3/10 favourite for the CCA Oaks – hardly surprising, as the daughter of Curlin was unbeaten in five previous outings and had been in line for a crack at the Preakness before facing only three seemingly overmatched opponents. None of which helped when she was harried all the way by second favourite Clairiere, leaving her vulnerable to stretch-running 15/1 chance Maracuja, who was a head in front at the wire.
The winner, a first G1 scorer for trainer Rob Atras, had never before won a Graded stakes and was only seventh behind Malathaat in Kentucky.
Malathaat gained handsome revenge at Saratoga on Saturday with victory in the G1 Alabama Stakes. Maracuja was last of the seven runners.