1941: Horse Racing

Strange as it may seem — notwithstanding the far reaching effects of World War II — the racing season of 1941 was the most successful ever known in this country. Attendance was greater — particularly in New York State and in California — than ever before, the mutuel take surprisingly larger than in 1940, the greatest to that date, and the racing itself proved, as a rule, worthy of the interest it aroused. In fact the racing year of 1941, only the second under the pari-mutuel system in New York, surpassed all preceding records established anywhere in the world according to the authority on the subject in this country.

Roughly 15,000,000 was estimated as the total attendance at all American race courses and $500,000,000 as the mutuel handle, gross for the year 1941. Of this amount, New York State handled $133,000,000 or one quarter of the grand total; the total state revenue for all America was $20,000,000, excluding Federal.

The value of the thoroughbred establishment in all its ramifications has been figured by Kentuckians, where most of them are situated, to be at least $160,000,000.

Alsab showed himself unquestionably a great two-year-old at Belmont in his six and one-half furlong match race against the high-class youngster, Requested, and later in the Champagne Stakes at one mile, which he accomplished against the best of his age in the startling time of 1:35 2/5, a record for a two-year-old, winning by eight lengths in a gallop. So easily indeed that 'old timers' were amazed when they saw the time registered on their official second watches and confirmed by the electric timer now installed at Belmont Park. Though he sold at Saratoga for $700, Alsab's pedigree when studied — sire Good Goods through Colin — runs into the best bloodlines of America, including Domino, the greatest speed producing sire of the country.

Although some give the title to Alsab, Warren Wright's Whirlaway, sired by the English Derby Winner Blenheim, must be called the 'horse of the year.' Defeated on a few occasions — most of which can be explained by his at first seemingly incurable habit of running out at the turns especially that into the homestretch — finally under Jockey Arcaro's great riding, he proved himself a champion, by winning our American Triple Crown — the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. Any horse that accomplishes this most difficult feat stamps himself as a horse of superior class, even though occasionally defeated.

War Relic, the most impressive son of Man o' War owner Samuel D. Riddle has ever bred, defeated the Triple Crown Winner, Whirlaway, impressively at Narragansett Park and again at Saratoga — securing a much debated 'Camera' defeat from Blenheim's whirlwind.

One of the most encouraging features of the season was the greater number of distance races given at all courses, with Belmont Park, under the guidance of Alfred Vanderbilt, leading the van with daily distance races. These races, usually at a mile and a half, not only appealed to the public as a sporting spectacle but tended to increase the Association's and the state's revenue and improve the breed of horses.

While racing in England was in more or less of a chaotic state, all their great events, including the Derby, were run off as they were during the first World War. More than 100 protective airplanes hovered above the Newmarket Course as the Derby was run, Newmarket being easier to protect than Epsom where it was first run in 1780. In France, the Germans encouraged racing near Paris, but showed their accustomed lack of knowledge of breeding by permitting two great French sires — Mon Talisman and Clairvoyant, incidentally worth $100,000 each — to be slaughtered and eaten by their soldiers.

The Russian Cossacks Mounted Cavalry proved their value recently through devastating onslaughts on the retreating Germans in Russia, and should again prove themselves of great service in the Spring, when and if the Nazis attempt to retrieve the Russian provinces they lost.