Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
By: Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
THE ALABAMA
This weekend is the famous Alabama Stakes, first run in 1872. According to Wikipedia, “The Alabama Stakes is named in honor of William Cottrell of Mobile, Alabama.” Wikipedia adds, “‘Alabama’ was the name settled on because Cottrell was too modest to have a race named for him personally.
I do not know whether the story behind the Alabama is true, but the reader may not know that Saratoga once had many other stakes named after states. The Alabama has been run more or less regularly, with a bunch of misses in the 1890’s (1893-1896, Poetess won in 1897, and the race was not run from 1898-1900). The race was not run again in 1911 and 1912 due to the Hart-Agnew Law. Why the non-runs in the 1890’s? I have read that a ‘Dutch Fred’ Walbaum was running the track and he might have run it in the ground. I really don’t know—many times stakes are cut from the lineup because of the need to cut costs. The Spinaway and Travers were apparently also cut.
https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/3618/when-saratoga-was-wickedest-summer-resort/
Walbaum did not get many good review here also:
https://simplysaratoga.com/?view=article&id=528&catid=8
Saratoga in 1892. Note the now replaced elegant curving structure.
THE DELAWARE
But back to the main story. At Saratoga, there was a fairly prestigious “Delaware Stakes” that ran from 1901-1937 and appears to have always been run at 1 mile. The winner of the first Delaware States at Saratoga was BLUES (USA) b. H, 1898 {4-m}. ESPOSA (USA) ch. M, 1932 {9-h}, a horse that beat Seabiscuit in the Bowie Handicap and was champion older mare in 1937 and 1938 won the 1937 Delaware Stakes, the last year the race was run. The Delaware Stakes had been run 38 times. The Delaware Stakes has no relation to races of similar name. In fact, in 1937, Esposa was third in the Delaware Handicap for fillies at Delaware Park–it is just a different race.
THE TENNESSEE STAKES
In addition to the Alabama and the long defunct Delaware Stakes, there was a Tennessee Stakes, a 6 furlong race, short for races held in that era. The Tennessee Stakes was run from 1879 to 1883 and had some good horses in it. It appears to have been for two-year-olds. GLIDELIA (USA) ch. M, 1877 {23-b} won the race in 1879, a horse that has six generations of mares named after dances. (WALTZ (USA) ch. M, 1867 {23-b}, SCHOTTISCHE (USA) ch. M, 1859 {23-b}(Schottische is a slow polka), DANCE (USA) ch. M, 1853 {23-b}, COTILLION (USA) ch. M, 1837 {23-b}(Cotillion was an 18th Century dance based on the contredanse), and GALLOPADE (GB) gr. M, 1828 {23-b}(there are a few videos on Youtube showing the Gallopade dance). I must confess, I don’t know whether GLIDELIA is a name of a dance. When Glidelia won the “Tennessee Stakes,” it might have been known as the “Day Boat Line Stakes.” Glidelia was to win the 1880 Alabama Stakes. In the Tennesse Stakes Hall of Famer LUKE BLACKBURN (USA) b. H, 1877 {12-b} was third. According to pedigreequery.com, “after losing his first race at 3, Blackburn won 23 of his next 24 races. None of these races were close contests; he typically won by 6, 10, or 15 lengths.”Pedigreequery.com maintains the year after Thora won the race, it went from being named the Day Boat Line Stakes to the Tennessee.
In the 1880 version, Hall of Fame horse Hindoo came in second to THORA (USA) b. M, 1878 {A5}, who also won the “Day Boat Line Stakes” which became the Tennessee Stakes. Thora also won the Alabama. Hindoo had an 18 race win streak within a few months at age 3. Thora has a female family that includes horses such as Alabama winner EMBELLISH THE LACE (USA) b. M, 2012 {A5} who Thora is her 11th dam. Thora is also the 11th dam of Breeder’s Cup Classic winner CONCERN (USA) b. H, 1991 {A5}. FIFTYSHADESOFHAY (USA) b. M, 2010 {A5}, second in the Alabama, descends from Thora as well. ANNAPOLIS (USA) b. C, 2019 {A5}, second in the 2023 Four Star Dave descends from Thora.
THE KENTUCKY STAKES/SELLING STAKES/CLAIMING STAKES
There was another race for two-year olds named after a state—the Kentucky Stakes. SUSQUEHANNA (USA) ch. M, 1874 {A15} won the 1876 Kentucky Stakes the year of our nation’s centennial, and the following year won the 1877 Alabama Stakes. Susquehanna’s dam SUSAN BEANE (USA) ch. M, 1868 {A15} was second in the first running of the Kentucky Stakes in 1870 to Harry Bassett—the race might have been called the “Saratoga Dash” then. Susan Beane was the dam of the undefeated juvenile sensation SENSATION (USA) br. H, 1877 {A15}, as well as 1880 Kentucky Stakes winner ONONDAGA (USA) ch. H, 1879 {A15}. Susan Beane was the fourth dam of long shot Preakness winner COVENTRY (USA) blk. H, 1922 {A15}; Coventry’s only win was the Preakness and he broke down shortly after in the Withers. According to American Classic Pedigrees, “His dam Sun Queen produced nothing else of importance. His second dam Souriante (by Rayon d’Or) and third dam Soubrette (by Alarm) were likewise undistinguished, but his fourth dam Susan Beane (by Lexington) was a fine producer whose foals include 1879 American champion 2-year-old male Sensation, 1877 Alabama Stakes winner Susquehanna and multiple juvenile stakes winner Onondaga, all by Leamington.” Coventry was, so to speak, the Broker’s Tip of the Preakness, joining the ranks of Little Wonder, who’s only racing win was the Epsom Derby.
The Kentucky Stakes, like many stakes races, was shortened over time. Always run at Saratoga, it was first run in 1870 where it was won by Hall of Famer Harry Bassett. The race had a Who’s who in winners. SUE RYDER (USA) b. M, 1869 {A15} won the second running of the Kentucky Stakes, and was third in the following year’s Alabama—she was sired by a St. Leger winner Knight of St. George. In that second Kentucky Stakes, the highly influential Alarm was third.
Saratoga after Whitney’s improvements.
In 1894 a daughter of the filly Spinaway (from whom the race is named) won the Kentucky Stakes, and her name was HANDSPUN (USA) ch. M, 1892 {11}. Descendants of Handspun include GIANTS CAUSEWAY (USA) ch. H, 1997 {11}, LEROIDESANIMAUX (BRZ) ch. H, 2000 {11}(2005 Eclipse Champion Turf Horse, sire of Animal Kingdom), and noted sire DANSILI (GB) br. H, 1996 {11}.
And then there was a long gap in the Kentucky Stakes during the 1890’s. As mentioned, the Alabama was not run for many of the years of the 1890’s, and the Travers was not run in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, the time when the Kentucky Stakes was faltering.
The Kentucky Stake was not run for many years after Handspun’s victory, from 1895-1900. When it came back in 1901, the race was for two-year old fillies only. Eventually, and I am not sure of the year, it was a selling stakes for a while. A selling stakes is a stakes race (stakes are put up by the people entering a horse) where the winner is auctioned off at the end of the race. Eventually, and I am not sure when (perhaps 1924?), the Kentucky Selling Stakes became the Kentucky Claiming Stakes, which is a stakes race run under claiming conditions. A major difference between a selling stakes and a claiming stakes is that in a selling stakes people can bid on a horse in an action after the race is over. Claims must be made before the horses take off in claiming races.
The big picture is this—prior to 1895, the Kentucky Stakes was a major horse race for two year olds, with many Hall of Fame horses winning or placing. It was considerably less prestigious when it came back as a Selling Stakes for two-year-old fillies, but still had reasonable prestige.
There was a gap 1895 to 1900, when Saratoga was not running many of its famous stakes races. When the Kentucky Stakes came back in 1905, it was still for two year olds but was restricted to fillies. It appears to have turned into a selling stakes in 1902 when THE LADY ROHESIA (USA) b. M, 1901 {1-a} won it, if pedigreequery.com has accurate information. A horse named SPOT NEWS (USA) blk. M, 1936 {1-o} won the last Kentucky Claiming Stakes in 1936, and it was about that time that claiming stakes and selling stakes were becoming significantly less popular in America. These were not bad horses—Spot News went on to the be dam of a stakes winner named NEWSWEEKLY (USA) ch. H, 1945 {1-o}. I see GENTLE TRYST (USA) b. M, 1933 {2-s} who was second in the 1935 Kentucky Claiming Stakes, who I occasionally see in pedigrees. Gentle Tryst is the fifth dam of Preakness winner ELOCUTIONIST (USA) b. H, 1973 {2-s} and twice Arc winner ALLEGED (USA) b. H, 1974 {2-s}. But for the most part, the Kentucky Selling Stakes would be on par with a non-graded horse race of today, or a very high-end claiming race.
UNCLE’S LASSIE (USA) ch. M, 1916 {A4} was second in the 1928 Kentucky Selling Stakes and was the dam of many good stakes winners, including the CLYDE VAN DUSEN (USA) ch. G, 1926 {A4}, the gelded son of Man O’War who won the 1929 Kentucky Derby. Many stakes winners descend from Uncle’s Lassie. I see SWAPS (USA) ch. H, 1952 {A4}, IRON LIEGE (USA) b. H, 1954 {A4}, GREEN DESERT (USA) dkb/br. H, 1983 {A4}, COURTLY DEE (USA) dkb/br. M, 1968 {A4} (1984 broodmare of the year), and BAYERN (USA) dkb/br. H, 2011 {A4}(Breeder’s Cup Classic at age 3) descend from Uncle’s Lassie, as does California Chrome.
https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1906081901/drf1906081901_1_6
The link above is to an old Daily Racing Form article on the Kentucky Stakes published on August 18, 1906, and is a recommended read.
Also in the Kentucky Selling Stake years came STAMPING GROUND (USA) br. M, 1900 {A2}, who went on to win the 1903 Alabama after being 3rd in the 1902 Kentucky Stakes—so a few of the horses improved. Stomping Ground won the Alabama in one of the three years it was only run at 8.5 furlongs instead of 10 furlongs.
But prior to 1894, horses that competed in the Kentucky Stakes included EMPEROR OF NORFOLK (USA) b. H, 1885 {A17}, multiple stakes winner GEORGE KINNEY (USA) b. H, 1880 {4-r}, PANIQUE (USA) ch. H, 1881 {4-m}(Belmont Stakes and Withers, second in the Kentucky Stakes), HAROLD (USA) ch. H, 1876 {4-m}(half-sibling to Panique, won the Preakness, who like Panique came in second in the Kentucky Stakes), PAROLE (USA) br. G, 1873 {4-r}(Hall of Fame, won 1875 Kentucky Stakes, went to England and beat Isonomy), GRINSTEAD (USA) b. H, 1871 {12-b} came in second in the Kentucky Stakes and was an important sire, DUKE OF MAGENTA (USA) b. H, 1875 {A11} (second in the 1876 Kentucky Stakes and is in the Hall of Fame), ALARM (USA) b. H, 1869 {15-d}(second in the second running of the Kentucky Stakes in 1878, sire of many important sires that had a long effect on the thoroughbred, such as Panique and HIMYAR (USA) b. H, 1875 {A15}(sire of the highly influential Domino, Plaudit and Correction), BRAMBLE (USA) b. H, 1875 {9}(third in the 1877 Kentucky Stakes where Duke of Magenta was second, sire of the extremely influential Ben Brush, found in every pedigree, and sire of Hall of Fame Horse Clifford.). Cloverbrook was third in the Kentucky Stakes and won the Preakness and Belmont the following year.
CONCLUSION
There were four stakes races named after states at Saratoga: the Alabama, the Tennessee, the Delaware, and the Kentucky. All had storied histories. Only the Alabama is still runs today.
