Have you ever found an Ancestor that was in Horse Racing?

By: Grandma Horse Racing

By: Thomas Deimel
Twitter: @tjdhorseplayer

In researching horse racing memorabilia, I was looking into the racetracks in and around New York City. These tracks were Jamaica, Jerome Park, Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach, Gravesend, and Morris Park. There are others, but these racetracks started stakes races still run today.

What I found related to me was a gentleman by the name of Simon Deimel, who is my great, great uncle. He owned a racehorse named Africander, whose racing years were from 1903 to 1904. He won $101,345 with a record of 59 starts, 19 wins, 14 seconds, and 10 thirds.

The list of stakes wins is impressive:

• Belmont Stakes (1903)
• Suburban Handicap (1903)
• Bedford Stakes (1902)
• Holly Handicap (1902)
• Winged Foot Handicap (1902)
• Advance Stakes (1903)
• Lawrence Realization Handicap (1903)
• Champlain Handicap (1903
• Saratoga Cup (1903)
• Brighton Cup Trial (1904)
• Brighton Cup (1903)

Africander ran against some of the best of his day, and in the Suburban, he’s the first 3-year-old to win that race. He also lost to a horse name you may recognize: the filly Beldame. There is a race run in her name today.

He retired twice, once in 1903 before his sale for $15,000 to Simon Deimel as now the sole owner and after the 1904 season.

He stood at stud until 1910 and then was sold to an Argentina owner, but he was a dud as a stud.

You never know what you will find in your own horse racing past.