SILVER DOUBLE - AUGUST 30, 1970
It was quite possibly the most spectacular run by any
horse in Longacres Mile history. And he didn’t even hit
the board.
Turbulator had faced adversity his entire life. As a yearling,
he was the horse nobody wanted. Not a single bid was placed
on “Tubby” the first time he was on an auction block at a
Thoroughbred sale.
That was the first of many setbacks. While running in a
Montana meadow as a 2-year-old, he cut one of his legs on
a hidden sprinkler. The cut was so severe it took him two
years to fully recover from it. During his recovery, his owner
nearly traded him for a couple of cattle. The deal was called
off at the last moment.
Turbulator’s quest at becoming a racehorse was finally
realized at the age of four. And what a racehorse he turned
out to be. Due to his world-record performance in the 6
½-furlong Governor’s Handicap, Turbulator was easily the
silver Double
Starts: 74 Record: 18-15-9 Earnings: $138,005
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1970 Longacres Mile, 1970 Sun H.,
1971 Bay Meadows H., 1971 Speed H., 1971 Space Needle H.
favorite to win the 1970 Longacres Mile. Not only was he the
betting choice, he was also by far the sentimental selection.
The fans simply loved “Tubby.”
The Mile that year drew 13 runners – the most horses
entered into the race since 1962. Because of the large field
size, the 12-horse starting gate was replaced by the lesser-used
14-horse gate.
Turbulator, who was under jockey Larry Pierce, broke
sixth from the rail. The crowd roared as the gates opened.
The 5-year-old horse appeared to come out awkwardly.
Turbulator’s bad luck had returned. One of Turbulator’s
stirrups was caught on a projection from the gate.
As the horse exited, the stirrup broke, leaving Pierce to
ride virtually bareback for the entire race.
Pierce struggled to keep his mount on course. It wasn’t
until the field turned for home that, he finally managed to
secure his foot in the webbing loop. Turbulator was in 10th
as the field hit the final turn. He closed with a rush, but
could not overtake the leaders. He finished fifth, a mere
2 1/2 lengths behind winner Silver Double.
“I could hear them coming,” said Silver Double’s jockey
James Broomfield. “I looked back and was surprised it
wasn’t Turbulator.”
Turbulator finished his career as an 8-year-old in 1974.
He won 11 stakes races. The Mile was not one of them.
He ran in the race two more times – finishing seventh in
both starts.
$46,350 Longacres Mile - 35th Running
OFF: 4:38 pm
TRACK: Fast
4 Silver Double
22
22
11/2 11 1/2 11
12Pitch Out
61
51/2
41/2
3hd
23/4 hd
hd
1 1/2
2
1 Fleet Fair
1
1
2
2
3nk
5 Deep Heat
51/2
6h d
6hd
41/2
41/2
6 Turbulator
91/2
101/2
10hd
61/2 51/2
9 Traffic Beat
71 1/2 71 1/2
8hd
9hd
6hd 1
1/2
hd
hd
10Kobuk King
8
8
9
10
7nk
8 Judgelyn
13 9h
3hd
5hd
8nk 7 Honda Dream
12hd
121/2 13
111/2 9no
3 Strong Award
111/2
111
11hd 7hd
102
1
1 1/2
1
1 1/2
11Birch Bay
4
4
7
8
11nk 13Dukie
31
31
5hd
121 12no
2 Haig’s Task
101 1/2 13 12hd 13
13
f-Mutuel field.
August 30, 1970
:22 2/5, :45 2/5, 1:10, 1:22 3/5, 1:35 4/5
J. Broomfield
113
5.45
L. Burgos
120
17.65
L. Knowles
121
5.65
J. Leonard
113
15.40
L. Pierce
123
1.25
M. Volzke
112
11.00
J. Baze
116
71.40
K. Doll
111
14.70
R. Wright
112
30.50
L. Gilligan
113
21.35
D. Tierney
114
17.50
D. Richards
115 f-22.55
R. Trejos
112 f-22.55
Silver Double.............. 12.90........6.60........5.60
Pitch Out......................................5.20........4.60
Fleet Fair ...................................................8.60
Winner: B. g. by Double Lea-Silver Indian, by Indian Lover.
Bred in California by Miss Lola Lee Osborn. Owner: G-R Stables. Trainer: Jim Hill
Overweight – Pitch Out, 3; Kobuk King, 1; Judgelyn, 1; Honda Dream, 5; Dukie, 5; Haig’s Task, 5
Silver Double - 1970 Longacres Mile Winner
45
PITCH OUT - AUGUST 29, 1971
The consensus was Titular II had the race won.
Then he got a glimpse of the starting gate, which was
parked near the rail in the infield.
Titular II arrived in America just a few months prior to
the 1971 Longacres Mile.
He first introduced himself to Washington fans by
destroying the local runners in the Governor’s Handicap,
which was ran two weeks prior to The Mile.
He was believed to be the class in The Mile field that year.
And for 7 ½ furlongs, he was.
The Herman Sarkowsky-owned Titular II had the race
wrapped up.
He was ahead of the pack and no one was closing any
ground on him.
“I thought I might run second,” said jockey Joe Baze, who
was riding Pitch Out in the race. “(Titular II) was running
so well. I didn’t think I could catch him.”
pitch out
Starts: 62 Record: 11-16-11 Earnings: $112,847
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1971 Longacres Mile, 1968 Golden Gate Juvenile S.,
1971 Renton H., 2nd: 1969 Longacres Derby
Baze was not alone in his thinking. No one thought
Titular II was going to be caught that day.
Then in mid-stretch, Titular II got a glimpse of the starting
gate. He had never seen it during a race before.
He had raced at Hollywood Park, but at that track they
haul the gate away. Not at Longacres in 1971. It is planted
right in the infield.
This didn’t set well with Titular II. He was immediately
startled and virtually stopped with 100 yards remaining in
the race.
Pitch Out and Command Module quickly passed the
confused horse.
By the time Fernando Alvarez got his mount re-focused,
it was too late to catch eventual winner Pitch Out.
It marked the first of seven Mile victories for the Baze
family.
Pitch Out was actually seen as the weaker of the two S.J.
Agnew-owned horses in the race.
Agnew, a Tenino timberman, shelled out $220,000 for
Terlago, who in 1970 was the future-book favorite for the
Kentucky Derby.
Around the same time, Agnew claimed Pitch Out for
$16,000.
Following The Mile, Terlago’s trainer Jerry Fanning told
Agnew, “Pitch Out was just a notch below a good horse.”
Agnew added, “Yes, but the trouble is Pitch Out doesn’t
know that.”
$47,150 Longacres Mile - 36th Running
OFF: 6:52 pm
TRACK: Fast
1 a-Pitch Out
81/2
81 1/2
81/2
21
11 1/2 11Command Module 114
114
71/2
511/2
21
8 b-Titular II
101/2 71/2
1hd
13
32 1/2
5 Silver Double
61
6 1
6hd
4hd
41/2
10Alandian
12
12
102
81 1/2 51
2 a-Terlago
71 1/2
91 1/2
91/2 7hd
61
9 Ruler;s Whirl
9hd
101/2
81/2
93
7no
3 Against the Wind 1hd
1hd
31/2
61
8hd
4 Koryo
31/2
2hd
2hd
31 1/2
91 1/2
12b-Tenino Ville
52
5hd
41/2
105
104 1/2
7 Honarium
41 1/2
41 1/2
114
116
118
hd
hd
6 Brass Knight
2 3 12
12
12
a-Coupled-Pitch Out and Terlago. b-Coupled-Titular II and Tenino Ville.
Pitch Out....................... 8.40........4.90........3.70
Command Module.......................6.80........3.70
Titular II.......................................................2.80
Winner: B. h. by Grey Eagle-Secret Port, by Spy Song.
Bred in California by K. H. Qvale.
Owner: S. J. Agnew. Trainer: M. L. Smith.
Overweight – Ruler’s Whirl, 2; Command Module, 2.
Pitch Out (#1) wins the 1971 running of the Longacres Mile.
46
August 29, 1971
:22 1/5, :45, 1:09 2/5, 1:35 4/5
J. Baze
116
3.20
J. Leonard
112
7.95
F. Alvarez
123
2.60
G. Salas
119
17.65
F. Inda
115
67.85
D. Pierce
119
3.20
R. Jensen
118
9.70
D. Sanchez
126
7.40
R. Rosales
118
3.95
Hollingsworth
112
2.60
M. Chabera
118
13.15
J. Kelly
107
67.70
RED WIND - AUGUST 27, 1972
Turbulator and Titular II were both looking to exorcise
some demons in the 1972 Mile.
It had been two years since “Tubby” had raced in The
Mile. Two years since his unforgettable broken stirrup
incident.
Titular II was the previous year’s goat in The Mile
after stopping 100 yards short of the wire. Neither found
redemption in the 1972 Mile.
As The Mile approached, Titular II’s stablemate Red
Wind was viewed the third-best horse. Not in the race,
however, but in his own barn. This assessment came from
his trainer, Glen Williams. It took the chestnut colt 94
seconds to prove his trainer and everyone else, otherwise.
Williams had voiced his opinion that both Titular II and
Tenino Ville were better horses than Red Wind.
“I didn’t think he had a very good chance in the race,”
Williams said after The Mile.
red wind
Starts: 43 Record: 16-3-4 Earnings: $100,573
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1972 Longacres Mile, 1973 Washington Championship,
1972 British Columbia H., 1972 Independence Day H.
Williams had every reason to doubt his runner. Red Wind
was coming off a dismal performance in the Governor’s
Handicap.
It was so bad that one local paper printed Red Wind
“folded like a 35 cent suitcase” in the race.
Richard “Tex” Hollingsworth was Red Wind’s regular
rider at the time. Hollingsworth also worked the colt in the
mornings. Five days before the Mile, the jockey approached
Williams with a new strategy. He told the trainer he thought
Red Wind, who had been a front-runner for most of his
racing career, could rate. Williams gave Hollingsworth the
green light to make the change, after all, the trainer didn’t
expect much out of Red Wind in the race.
The favorite in the race was the Johnny Longden-trained
Circle. Circle had completely embarrassed the local stars in
both the Speed and Governor’s Handicaps that summer.
Circle, along with all the other runners in the field, didn’t
expect to see Red Wind come from off the pace. But that’s
just what happened.
Red Wind and Briartic battled down the stretch. Circle
was the closest to the pair – 3 ½ lengths back. Briartic briefly
stole the lead, but the horse who many believed had no
heart, dug back in and got his nose in front at the wire.
Red Wind crossed the wire in 1 minute, 34 seconds two-fifths better than Quality Quest’s track record which
stood for 17 years. Hollingsworth knew what the colt was
capable of. Now everyone else knew Red Wind was far from
$45,900 Longacres Mile - 37th Running
August 27, 1972
OFF: 6:43 pm
TRACK: Fast
:22 2/5, :45, 1:21 3/5, 1:34
2 a-Red Wind
2 1
4hd
63
4 3
1no
Hollingsworth
114
8.85
2 1/2
1
1/2
hd
1 Briartic
8 7
4 3 23 1/2
J. Kelly
114
5.55
8 Circle
31/2
32
2hd
21 1/2
31/2
J. Leonard
125
1.45
3 b-Times Rush
72
8 4
8 2
7hd
4no
B. Cooper
110
61.60
12b-Hallman
101/2
101
113 1/2 5hd
5no
F. Best
106
61.60
2
1
1
1
7 Gaucho Star
5
6
7
8
6no
K. Doll
113 110.05
6 Turbulator
12
12
12
114
7 1
L. Pierce
120
4.65
9 Shadows Dividend 115
115
10hd
9hd
8no
J. Arnold
112
62.85
1 a-Titular II
92
9 2
9 2
101
9no
R. Wright
120
8.85
hd
hd
hd
hd
4 Fast Fellow
1 2 1 1 101/2
D. Pierce
127
5.20
5 Ruler’s Whirl
6hd
52
5hd
6hd
119
J. H. Andrews
113
17.05
11Grey Papa
41
11/2
31 1/2
12
12
L. Knowles
115
9.10
a-Coupled-Red Wind and Titular II. b-Coupled-Times Rush and Hallman. (New Track Record)
Red Wind.................... 19.70........9.80........4.50
Briartic.........................................6.20........4.50
Circle..........................................................2.90
Winner: Ch. c. by Gushing Wind-Filly Will Fight, by Watch Your Step.
Bred in Washington by Ryncarz-Strom.
Owner: Metropole Stable.
Trainer: Glen Williams.
Red Wind - 1972 Longacres Mile Winner
47
SILVER MALLET - AUGUST 26, 1973
Larry Pierce certainly had his share of bad luck in the
Longacres Mile.
His “bareback” ride aboard Turbulator in 1970 is well
documented; however, Pierce also had a tough go of it in
the 1966 Mile.
That year, Pierce was on Sandy Fleet, the second-betting
choice in the race. Much like Turbulator four years later,
Sandy Fleet also had a rough time in the starting gate. The
horse had actually put his head underneath the gate right
when the starter opened it.
Sandy Fleet failed to finish the race as he pulled up lame.
In addition to his rides on Turbulator and Sandy Fleet,
Pierce also finished ninth in the 1964 Mile and seventh in
the 1972 Mile.
His luck changed in 1973 when he accepted the mount
on Silver Mallet.
Silver Mallet was the first horse Jim Penney ever saddled
silver mallet
Starts: 53 Record: 11-12-9 Earnings: $196,048
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1973 Longacres Mile, 1972 Gravesend H., 1973
Governor's H., 2nd: 1972 Stuyvesant H., 3rd: 1972 Jim Dandy
in the Longacres Mile. The 5-year-old gray gelding had been
purchased several months prior to the race by the White
Swan Stable and the Tamarack Stable.
Also entered into The Mile was Briartic, the 1972 runnerup in the race. Briartic was the favorite and held a recent
victory over Silver Mallet, having defeated the gelding
at Hollywood Park in the $100,000 Lakes and Flowers
Handicap. But that race was in Southern California. If
anyone had a home-court advantage in The Mile it was
Silver Mallet, who was coming off a victory in the Governor’s
Handicap.
Silver Mallet’s appeal greatly increased three weeks
before the race. As a four-year-old, the gelding defeated a
horse called Onion at Aqueduct. Prior to The Mile, Onion
pulled of a major upset by defeating Secretariat in the 1973
Whitney. Many now wondered just how good Silver Mallet
was. They found out in The Mile.
Pierce received a perfect ride in The Mile. Six horses
thundered down the lane, all with a shot at winning the
race. When it was all said and done, two lengths separated
the winner from the horse that finished sixth.
Silver Mallet defeated Pataha Prince by a neck. Prince
Pataha was an 8-year-old who was trained by Penney his
entire career before being claimed in June of 1973.
Seven lengths behind the winner came Red Eye Express,
ridden by a 17-year-old Gary Baze. It was the first of 17 Mile
mounts for the jockey.
$49,950 Longacres Mile - 38th Running
OFF: 6:21 pm
TRACK: Fast
9 Silver Mallet
7 2
5hd
31/2
31 1/2
1nk
4 Pataha Prince
1hd
23
2 1
1hd
23/4
5 Reluctant Lord
31 1/2
31/2
51
4 1
3nk
2 dh-The Field
92 1/2
81/2
71/2
51/2 4
7 dh-Fast Fellow
2hd
1hd
1hd
21
4no
3 Red Wind
51 1/2
76
81/2
61 1/2
61
4
10
6 Turbulator
10
10
9
9 73 1/2
8 Briartic
62
6 2
4 h
8hd
81 1/2
1 Red Eye Express 41/2
4hd
61
71/2
910
10Times Rush
81
9hd
10
10
10
dh-Dead heat for fourth.
Silver Mallet................ 10.10........4.90........3.70
Pataha Prince..............................6.30........4.90
Reluctant Lord............................................5.50
Winner: Gr. g. by Jacinto-Croquet by Court Martial.
Bred in Kentucky by Miller-Maloney.
Owner: White Swan-Tamarack Stables.
Trainer: Jim Penney.
Silver Mallet, under Paul Frey, during a morning workout in 1973.
48
August 26, 1973
:22 3/5, :45, 1:08 3/5, 1:21 1/5, 1:34
L. Pierce
122
4.05
A. Pineda
118
6.40
L. Knowles
120
9.80
D. Isbell
115
9.95
H. Wales
121
10.35
Hollingsworth
114
10.05
K. Doll
114
10.45
D. Tierney
125
2.15
G. Baze
117
21.00
B. Frazier
116
20.30
TIMES RUSH - AUGUST 25, 1974
Basil Frazier was embarrassed.
Frazier rode Times Rush in the 1973 Mile. There were
10 horses entered into the race that year.
Two lengths separated the winner, Silver Mallet, from the
horse that finished sixth. Frazier and Times Rush finished
10th – 10 lengths behind Red Eye Express, the horse that
finished ninth.
Lennie Knowles became the regular rider for Times Rush
the following year.
However, once the Governor’s Handicap rolled around,
Knowles picked up the mount on Table Run, who was
making a comeback after being turned out for a year.
That left Times Rush without a rider.
Enter Frazier – again.
Trainer Bill McMeans approached Frazier and asked if
he’d like to be reunited with Times Rush. Frazier jumped
at the chance.
times rush
Starts: 75 Record: 15-10-11 Earnings: $215,332
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1974 Longacres Mile, 1972 Tanforan H.,
1974 Oakland H., 1975 British Columbia H., 1971 Sutter S.
Times Rush, under Frazier, finished second to Red Eye
Express in the Governor’s Handicap.
McMeans and owner Dr. Rodney Foxwell liked what they
saw so much they asked Frazier to be their jockey in The
Mile.
Frazier didn’t disappoint.
Again, Frazier took the grandson of Count Fleet back to
last place.
Then, as they hit the final turn, he began to circle the
field. The only horse standing in Times Rush’s way was Red
Eye Express.
This, however, would not be a repeat performance of the
Governor’s Handicap.
Times Rush caught Red Eye Express, who was under Gary
Baze, in the final 10 jumps and coasted by him to win by
three-fourths of a length.
Ironically, it was the exact reverse order from the previous
year’s Mile as Times Rush and Red Eye Express finished last
and second-to-last, respectively, in that race.
“It meant a great deal,” Frazier said.
"There is more to The Mile than just winning a lot of
money. There is a lot of pride that goes with winning
The Mile. So few riders get a shot at it. To win it is the
highest attainable thing you can do here in the Pacific
Northwest.”
$64,900 Longacres Mile - 39th Running
OFF: 6:24 pm
TRACK: Fast
2 Times Rush
101
101 1/2 4hd 23
13/4
1
1 1/2
1 1/2
3
9 Red Eye Express 4 4
1
1
24 1/2
5 Red Wind
5hd 82
9hd 42
3no
6 Barrydown
7hd 51/2 5hd 32 1/2 42 1/2
11Whoa Boy
123
122
8 2
82 1/2 51/2
1 1/2
hd
1/2
12Cup o’Spooks-f
6 6
10 72
62 1/2
8 Tall Ben
111 1/2 111
124
6hd
71
7 Follow the Wind
81 1/2 71/2 6hd 91 1/2 85 1/2 4 Best Hitter
33 1/2 32
7hd 103
91/2
2 1/2
1
1 1/2
2
3 Titular II
9
9
11 11 102
10Decidedly D.
13
13
13
122
116
1 Koko’s Pal
1 2
1hd 2hd
5hd 123 1/2 13Senret-f
2hd
22
3 1
13
13
f-Mutuel field.
Times Rush.................. 7.30........5.10........3.90
Red Eye Express.........................7.30........5.20
Red Wind....................................................5.80
Winner: B. h. by Indian Rush-Counterlock, by Count Fleet.
Bred in Nevada by Silver Creek Ranch, Inc.
Owner: Salmon River Ranch.
Trainer: Bill McMeans.
Times Rush - 1974 Longacres Mile Winner
49
August 25, 1974
:22 1/5, :45, 1:09 4/5, 1:22 1/5, 1:35 1/5
B. Frazier
119
2.65
G. Baze
123
8.05
Hollingsworth
120
7.00
D. Pierce
120
1.95
D. Tierney
115
25.70
J. Ramirez
112
12.45
J. Andrews
113
41.40
J. Leonard
115
13.85
D. Jones
114
29.20
H. Wales
117
33.35
Cuthbertson
117
46.25
L. Knowles
118
15.05
J. Trujillo
112
12.45
JIM - AUGUST 24, 1975
Gary Baze was handed the Longacres Mile trophy the
night before the race.
However, it wasn’t a track official that gave him the
prize.
Far from it.
Four college students had knocked on Baze’s apartment
door that night.
Once the jockey opened the door, he saw the students
holding the Longacres Mile trophy. They presented it to
Baze.
The students had swiped the trophy off the fireplace
mantle in the Longacres clubhouse.
“I guess it was kind of a college prank,” said Baze, who
rode Red Eye Express in the 1975 Mile.
They said they wanted to give it back without getting into
trouble so they brought it to me.”
The next morning Baze returned the trophy to the
jim
Starts: 51 Record: 5-12-7 Earnings: $114,495
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1975 Longacres Mile
track.
He failed to get it back that day, finishing fourth in the
race. He would eventually get the trophy again, but he’d
have to wait five more years.
While Baze was busy foiling crimes the night before,
owner Art Fouks was wondering whether or not his horse
Jim was going to win a race in 1975.
Jim, one of the few California invaders entered into The
Mile, made nine trips to the race track in 1975.
He had yet to visit the winner’s circle as he brought a
record of 0-2-3 into the race.
The Mile wasn’t a place for horses to pick up their first
win of the year.
It just didn’t happen.
Jim turned out to be an exception to that rule.
Times Rush was attempting to become the first horse in
history to win back-to-back Mile titles.
Jim spoiled that dream in the final two jumps as he caught
the defending champion at the wire.
It turned out to be the only race Jim won that year.
It also marked the last time the horse made it into the
winner’s circle.
He retired shortly before the end of 1975.
$64,000 Longacres Mile - 40th Running
OFF: 6:43 pm
TRACK: Muddy 6 Jim
41/2
51/2
31 1/2
43
1no
1 Times Rush
12
12
81
52 1/2
2no
4
1
3 1/2
hd
12Whoa Boy-f
11 9
6 3 32 1/2 3 Red Eye Express 61
4hd
11 1/2
11 1/2
43 1/2
4 Cupatin
81 1/2
81/2
74
7 2
51 1/2
11Especial II
71 1/2
72
4 1
6 3
6 h
hd
3 1/2
3
1 1/2
9 Gem’s Policy
1 1 2
2 74 1/2
10Detrimental-f
32
3 2
5 h
8 4
810 1/2
8 George Vancouver 52
61 1/2
91 1/2
94
93 1/2
5 Made’s Bold Son 101/2
104
10h
105
103
hd
3
2
7 Toss the Dices
9 11 12
11 1115
2 Covered Portage 22
2 1
115
12
12
f-Mutuel field.
August 24, 1975
:22 2/5, :45 3/5, 1:10 3/5, 1:23 1/5, 1:37
Cuthbertson 118
8.75
L. Pierce
121
3.90
D. Jones
116
30.60
G. Baze
120
5.80
R. Baze
115
16.20
Caballero
121
11.75
W. Travers
112
7.75
C. Loseth
115
30.60
J. Leonard
115
15.90
S. Austin
120
4.85
K. Skimmer
114
8.75
J. Arnold
115
7.00
Jim.............................. 19.30........9.50........7.50
Times Rush.................................6.30........4.40
Whoa Boy...................................................8.80
Winner: B. h. by Tom Rolfe-Fishe House, by Porterhouse. Bred in Kentucky by Mrs. G. Proskauer.
Owner: Can Am Stable. Trainer: J. Halket.
Scratched – Best Hitter, Koko’s Pal
Jim holds off Times Rush and Whoa Boy in the 1975 Longacres Mile.
50
YU WIPI - AUGUST 22, 1976
Yu Wipi was destined to run in the 1976 Longacres
Mile.
The son of Dr. Fager was purchased from John Nerud in
the summer of 1976 for $150,000 by actor John Forsythe
and producer Martin Ritt.
The Hollywood duo planned to enter the colt in The Mile
all along.
The very next day after the sale, Nerud, who conditioned
the immortal Dr. Fager, received another call inquiring
about Yu Wipi.
It seemed Seattle veterinarian Dr. Tom Pelly also wanted
to buy the horse with hopes of running him in The Mile
that year.
Yu Wipi’s sire was the 1968 Horse of the Year, Dr. Fager.
He raced 22 times in his spectacular career.
Only Successor, two-year-old champion of 1966,
Buckpasser, Horse of the Year in 1966, and Damascus,
yu wipi
Starts: 32 Record: 9-7-1 Earnings: $182,180
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1976 Longacres Mile
2nd: 1978 San Simeon H, 1978 Curtain Call H.
Horse of the Year in 1967, were able to defeat him.
On August 5, 1976, Dr. Fager died suddenly at the age of
12 from colon obstruction.
Seventeen days later, his son won the Longacres Mile.
Sandy Hawley, a three-time North American riding
champion at the time, was aboard Yu Wipi during The
Mile. Trainer Bobby Frankel described it as a “classic Hawley
ride.”
Hawley, the 1975 George Woolf Award winner, positioned
the horse outside the other runners and kept him out of
trouble the entire trip.
By the time the field hit the homestretch, everyone knew
Hawley was aboard the winner.
It was the first of two Mile victories for Hawley. Frankel
would go on to condition three Mile winners in his
career.
The following year, Dr. Fager’s name topped the nation’s
sire list in earnings.
Frankel would later the win the Mile with Simply Majestic
in 1988 and Louis Cyphre in 1991. A 1995 Hall of Fame
inductee, Frankel succumbed to leukemia in November,
2009.
$91,500 Longacres Mile - 41st Running
August 22, 1976
OFF: 6:34 pm
TRACK: Fast.
:22 3/5, :45 2/5, 1:09 2/5, 1:21 4/5, 1:34 4/5
5 Yu Wipi
4 3
41 1/2
2hd
1hd
11
S. Hawley
123
2.50
3 Holding Pattern
61 1/2
72 1/2
5hd
41 1/2
2no
F. Toro
121
7.40
2 Ben Adhem
71/2
61/2
62 1/2
52
31 1/2
R. Yaka
124
2.50
9 Detrimental
23
2hd
33
31 1/2
4nk
C. Loseth
117
36.15
8 Crafty Native
11/2
11/2
1hd
2hd
51
L. Pierce
119
14.75
1 Top Crowd
10
91/2
81
7hd
61
F. Olivares
127
8.30
7 Whoa Boy
9 3
10
10
8hd
7no
D. Jones
118
33.15
10Tilton Milton
51/2
52
4hd
63
8 1
Gonzalez
117
25.20
4 Blue Thumb
81/2
81 1/2
9hd
95
9 8
G. Carter
122
13.50
6 Money Lender
3 1/2
31/2
71
10
10
J. Leonard
124
4.80
Yu Wipi......................... 7.00........4.60........3.60
Holding Pattern............................8.30........5.20
Ben Adhem.................................................3.40
Winner: Dk, b of br. c, by Dr. Fager-Zenith Star by Vertex.
Bred in Florida by J. Nerud.
Owner: Fantasy Stable et al.
Trainer: B. Frankel.
Overweight – Crafty Native, 1
Yu Wipi (#5) wins the 1976 Longacres Mile.
51
THEOLOGIST - AUGUST 28, 1977
Bryson Cooper had just about every injury a jockey could
have in the 1970s.
In 1973 he suffered a broken ankle. He had knee injuries
each of the following two years. In addition to his knee
problems, he also broke his pelvis and right elbow.
The abundance of injuries had the jockey on the shelf for
16 months and seriously considering retirement.
His family and love for the sport kept him in the game.
Cooper’s wife, Kay, was the daughter of trainer Jim
Penney.
The Penney family had been a part of Washington horse
racing from the start. Penney’s grandfather ran horses the
year Longacres opened in 1933.
Forty years after his grandfather started at the Renton
racetrack, Penney saddled his first Longacres Mile winner
with Silver Mallet in 1973. Mile victory No. 2 occurred in
1977 with Theologist. Son-in-law Cooper was aboard for the
theologist
Starts: 19 Record: 7-1-1 Earnings: $136,450
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1977 Longacres Mile, 1977 Seattle H.,
1977 British Columbia H., 1977 Space Needle H.
win.
The 1977 Mile was arguably the most wide-open in
the race’s history. Crafty Native, winner of the 1977 San
Francisco Mile, went off as the 9-2 favorite. However, three
additional horses, including Theologist, went off at around
5-1 odds.
There was obviously no clear-cut favorite in the race. The
muddy track only added to the uncertainty of who would
win.
While the fans weren’t sure who they liked in the race,
Penney’s confidence in his runner increased the moment
he saw the mud.
“Theologist didn’t mind the mud at all. He actually kind
of enjoyed it,” said Penney, who also co-owned Theologist
with his brother Robert, and Arden & David Archer. “When
I saw the track condition, I knew he was going to be tough
to beat.”
The strategy was simple – get Theologist on the lead and
see if anyone could outrun him. Nobody did.
Cooper and Theologist held a slight advantage throughout
the early goings of the contest. At the three-quarters mark,
defending champion Yu Wipi made his move. Six furlongs
into the race, Theologist was a mere half-length ahead of
Yu Wipi. By the time he reached the homestretch the lead
had widened to three.
Ben Adhem made a late charge, but Theologist already
had the race wrapped up.
$103,500 Longacres Mile - 42nd Running
OFF: 6:19 pm
TRACK: Muddy 9 Theologist
11 1/2
11/2
11Ben Adhem
91
9hd
8 Detrimental
2hd
21/2
12Auguste
13
113
6 a-Calbally
12hd
122 1/2
5 Body Bend
104
103
10Yu Wipi
63 1/2
31 1/2
2 Salad Sam
8 1
8hd
13Country Cad
11hd
12
4 Crafty Native
72
7 2
3 Gaitor Ratten
41/2
41
7 Jackson Square
5hd
51/2
1 a-Chateau Royale 3hd
6hd
a-Coupled-Chateau Royale and Calbally.
11/2
41 1/2
31
8 1
104
91 1/2
22 1/2
61/2
112
7hd
5hd
121 1/2
13
13
32 1/2
42 1/2
5 2
62 1/2
8 h
2hd
92
113 1/2
106
7hd
123
13
13/4
23 1/2
34
4nk
51 1/2
61/2
72
8 4
92 1/2
101/2
116
121
13
Theologist................... 11.90........7.50........6.20
Ben Adhem..................................9.30........8.30
Detrimental.................................................7.40
Winner: Ch. c. by Prince John-Theonia.
Bred in Florida by Shoshone Farm.
Trainer: Jim Penney.
Theologist - 1977 Longacres Mile Winner
52
August 28, 1977
23 2/5, :46 1/5, 1:11 2/5, 1:38 2/5
B. Cooper
118
4.95
H. Wales
116
9.40
A. L. Diaz
120
12.05
M. James
117
8.75
R. Baze
116
15.55
S. Krasner
112
54.50
F. Olivares
124
5.20
K. Skinner
119
5.30
R. Howg
114
27.45
L. Knowles
120
4.70
Hollingsworth
118
12.80
R. Ramirez
119
13.55
M. Sellers
114
15.55
BAD 'N BIG - AUGUST 27, 1978
A lot had changed for Bill Shoemaker in 29 years.
In 1949, Shoe’s career as a jockey was just beginning.
He was a 18-year-old apprentice rider. A handful of
months into his career, Shoemaker rode Irene’s Angel in
the Longacres Mile.
It was his first big-money stakes race of his career.
“I remember I was on a little filly who was in front all
the way, but I got beat at the finish,” Shoemaker said. “It
was kind of a big horse that beat me. I remember looking
at him when he went by and I had to look up.”
That big horse was Blue Tiger as Shoemaker finished
second on Irene’s Angel in the 1949 Mile.
Nearly three decades later he made his return to
Washington.
The first time he rode in The Mile was because he could
make the 100-pound weight assigned to Irene’s Angel.
His resume had grown quite a bit over that 29-year span.
bad 'n big
Starts: 48 Record: 13-14-9 Earnings: $593,575
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1977 Cinema H., 1978 Longacres Mile, 1978 Bing
Crosby H., 1978 Caballero H., 1978 Golden Gate H.
The 47-year-old Shoemaker was no longer the wide-eyed bug
boy.
In the years since his first Mile mount, Shoemaker became
the all-time leading jockey in wins, earnings and stakes
victories. He had made nearly 7,400 trips to the winner’s
circle.
He entered the 1978 Mile having won 134 races worth
$100,000 or more.
Bad ‘N Big gave him No. 135.
The Richard Mandella-trained Bad ‘N Big was a prime
example of truth in advertising. The name Bad ‘N Big
definitely fit him.
He had won the Golden Gate Handicap, the Bing Crosby
and the Caballero Handicap before adding The Mile to
his list of accomplishments. The gelding equaled the track
record of 1:34.
The Mile wasn’t Shoemaker’s only win that day. Given
the fact that it had been so long since he last rode in
Washington, Shoe decided he needed a warm-up race just
to feel the track out.
So he rode the seventh race on Mile Day and proceeded
to guide Silky Steel to a win.
Bad `N Big made Shoemaker a perfect two-for-two on
Mile Day. For fans, the 29 years was well worth the wait.
$122,500 Longacres Mile - 43rd Running
OFF: 6:25 pm
TRACK: Fast
7 Bad ‘N Big
1hd
1hd
1 Smiley’s Dream
4hd
4hd
2 Run ‘N Prince
21/2
32
5 Impressive Luck
3 3
23 1/2
4 Bartlesville
8
8
3 Space Patroller
711/2
7hd
8 Crafty Native
51
5 1
6 Bywayofchicago
6 8
6 5
1hd
51 1/2
3 1
25
7 1/2
8
4 1
6 3
11 1/2
45
3 2
2 3
61 1/2
74
5hd
8
13/4
2 1
3 1
4 2
52
6hd
72
8
Bad ‘N Big..................... 3.50........3.00........2.80
Smiley’s Dream...........................7.80........4.90
Run ‘N Prince.............................................8.50
Winner: Dk, b or Br. g, by Inverness Drive-Dance Hall Girl, by Guerrero.
Bred in California by Brinson & McCormick.
Owner: Mr. and Mrs. B. Wynne Jr.
Trainer: Richard Mandella
Bill Shoemaker and Bad 'N Big (center) break out of the gate in the 1978 Longacres Mile.
53
August 27, 1978
22 4/5, 1:08 3/5, 1:21, 1:34
B. Shoemaker
128
0.75
K. Skinner
118
12.10
B. Frazier
111
72.60
A. Diaz
116
4.75
D. A. Jones
115
25.40
Hollingsworth
110
58.85
M. Baze
120
4.35
F. Olivares
122
6.60
ALWAYS GALLANT - AUGUST 26, 1979
Extended only had one offspring. That horse was Always
Gallant.
Joseph La Croix, a one-time real estate developer from
Florida, owned Greyhounds.
However, an owners’ strike in the early 1970s shut dog
racing down for some time.
Instead of waiting for the strike to end, La Croix decided
to get into the horse racing industry.
One of his first purchases was a filly named Extended.
La Croix bought the Kentucky-bred for $17,000.
Her first foal was Always Gallant. Shortly after the colt’s
birth, Extended died.
By the time the 1979 Longacres Mile hit, La Croix owned
165 horses.
At the start of the year, Always Gallant was a longshot to
even make it to the racetrack, much less win The Mile.
The colt suffered a broken cannon bone on Dec. 9, 1978
always gallant
Starts: 36 Record: 14-3-4 Earnings: $330,539
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Won: 1979 Longacres Mile, 1979 San Diego H.,
1977 Isaac Murphy Memorial H., 1977 Nodouble H.
at Bay Meadows. The injury sidelined him until July 26,
1979.
Always Gallant was trained by La Croix’s 25-year-old son,
David La Croix. David La Croix had been training horses
for only 13 months when Always Gallant was entered into
the Longacres Mile.
Squaring off against Always Gallant in the 1979 Mile was
defending champion Bad ‘N Big.
Bill Shoemaker did not return to the Pacific Northwest
to ride the Richard Mandella-trained gelding.
Instead Eddie Delahoussaye, the nation’s leading rider
in 1978, was in the irons.
Bad ‘N Big had not won a race since winning The Mile
the previous year.
His losing streak continued in the 1979 edition of the
race. The returning champion finished third.
Always Gallant, under 1978 Eclipse Award-winner jockey
Darrell McHargue, showed no signs of his previous injury
as he crossed the wire in a Mile- and track-record time of
1:33 4/5.
David La Croix became the youngest trainer in history
to saddle a Mile winner.
Two horses – Chum Salmon (1985) and Simply Majestic
(1988) – tied Always Gallant’s Mile-record time, but no horse
beat it for 19 years.
$125,700 Longacres Mile - 44th Running
August 26, 1979
OFF: 6:26 pm
TRACK: Fast
: :22 2/5, :44 4/5, 1:08 4/5, 1:21 1/5, 1:33 4/5
7 Always Gallant
71/2
31/2
1hd
11
1nk
D. McHargue
127
2.65
8 Tilt the Balance
92
71 1/2
61 1/2 41
21 1/2 W. Mahorney
119
12.95
11Bad ‘N Big
23
1hd 2hd 2hd 3nk
Delahoussaye
127
4.15
9 Someonenoble
4hd 51
5hd 51/2 41 1/2
H. Wales
116
32.45
5 Quiet Little Table
51
6 2
7 4
6 2
51/2 K. Skinner
118
5.85
3 Detrimental
3 2
42 1/2 4hd 7hd 6no
C. Loseth
116
34.35
6 Willie Steel
1hd 23 1/2 32
3 1
7 1
G. Baze
114
17.45
13Bucksaw
81 1/2 92
8 4
8 5
83 1/2
B. Johnson
118
8.95
10Little Joker
124
111
10hd 10hd 91
D. Sorenson
118
6.80
2 Space Patroller
111/2 10hd 113
91/2
10nk
R. Baze
114
38.20
hd
1/2
1
3
12a-Hornero
6 8 9
11 111/2 D. Jones
118
17.25
1 Midnight Mail
101/2 123
13
121/2 121/2 M. James
119
10.75
4 a-Right at Home
13
13
121
13
13
R. Howg.
106
17.25
a-Coupled-Hornero and Right at Home.
Always Gallant.............. 7.30........5.10........3.90
Tilt the Balance.......................... 11.20........5.70
Bad ‘N Big...................................................4.00
Winner: Ch. h. by Gallant Romeo-Extended, by Sadair.
Bred in Florida by Meadowbrook Farm, Inc.
Owner: J. W. LaCroix. Trainer: David LaCroix.
Always Gallant - 1979 Longacres Mile Winner
54