Free-Legged: The Right Blood
January 30, 2008,by Dean A. Hoffman
Dean Hoffman Columbus, OH —
It’s basically a study of the blue-bloods who comprise The Jockey Club, which controls so much of the Thoroughbred racing scene. I was at once struck by the differences between Thoroughbred racing and harness racing. Their sport is autocratic in some respects; our sport is more democratic. Reading this book shows the haughty contempt that some of them have for harness racing.
I love Thoroughbred horses, but that’s because I like horses of every breed. I particularly enjoy a good horse race, and Thoroughbred racing surely has its share. In the book one person is quoted as saying, “There is nothing as real as the thoroughbred. I wouldn’t go across the street to see a trotter.”
“The thoroughbred,” the man continued, “is thoroughly spent at the end of the race; the trotter is not.” (That statement is not only arrogant, but it’s also incorrect; Some of the trotters I’ve bet on have been spent well before the end of the race.)
I surely don’t feel that way about Thoroughbreds. They’re beautiful animals and their amazing speed has universal appeal. A good race is a good race.
I also enjoy other breeds. Each fall I relish going to the Quarter Horse Congress in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio and enjoy seeing the horses and browsing in the vendor area where the accoutrements of western lifestyle are for sale.
In this book about The Jockey Club, you discover that there are many links to the harness racing world. Members of the Gerry family of Arden Homestead Stable are among the most prominent and respected participants in harness racing, but you’ll also find that several members of the Gerry family have served as trustees of The Jockey Club.
Remember the great mare Delmonica Hanover? Who doesn’t? She was owned during much of her career by W. Arnold Hanger, who served as a member of The Jockey Club from 1939-76. When Delvin Miller called Hanger in 1970 to tell him that he’d bought a yearling named Delmonica Hanover for $5,200, Hanger’s response was, “Why didn’t you buy a good one?”
Well, Delvin Miller knew that price didn’t necessarily reflect the quality of a yearling and Delmonica Hanover was indeed a good one. She only won the Roosevelt International twice, won the Prix d’Amerique, and produced Hambletonian winner Park Avenue Joe.
C.K.G. Billings, best known today in our sport for the amateur driving series named in his honor, was a member of The Jockey Club from 1914-1937. In the trotting world, he owned such champions as Lou Dillon and Uhlan.
David S. Willmot of the Woodbine Entertainment Group in Canada is also a member of The Jockey Club, as was his father.
Several members of the Reynolds family from North Carolina have been members of The Jockey Club. This is the Reynolds family that made its fortune in tobacco and raced such good Standardbreds as Jug winner Tar Heel, Hambletonian winner Mary Reynolds, and so many others when Delvin Miller trained for W.N. Reynolds after World War II.
Another Jockey Club member (1952-87) was John W. Hanes, who owned the Volomite mare Pure Silk, a name which he had to like as a textile heir from North Carolina. She was a foal of 1951 and produced Tie Silk, winner of the International Trot at Roosevelt Raceway. She also produced Dacron, Orlon, Silky, Liberty Print, and others with names from the textile industry. Pure Silk is also the fourth dam of Donerail.
The Right Blood was written by sociologist Carole Case and it draws the parallel between the importance of pedigrees in horses and people. Her writing style isn’t the warmest or most charming and it’s obvious she isn’t too fond of the robber barons and millionaires who started The Jockey Club. Still, it made for quite a fascinating read, even if it is about the “other” breed of racehorses.