Hubbry Logo
CoaltownCoaltownMain
Open search
Coaltown
Community hub
Coaltown
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Coaltown
Coaltown
Coaltown
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia
Coaltown
SireBull Lea
GrandsireBull Dog
DamEasy Lass
DamsireBlenheim
SexStallion
Foaled1945 (1945)
Died1965(1965-00-00) (aged 19–20)
CountryUnited States
ColourBay
BreederCalumet Farm
OwnerCalumet Farm
TrainerBen A. Jones & Horace A. Jones
Record39: 23-6-3
Earnings$415,675
Major wins
Phoenix Handicap (1948)
Jerome Handicap (1948)
Blue Grass Stakes (1948)
Swift Stakes (1948)
Stars & Stripes Handicap (1949)
Gallant Fox Handicap (1949)
Widener Handicap (1949)
Gulfstream Park Handicap (1949)
Arlington Handicap (1949)
McLennan Handicap (1949)
Roger Williams Handicap (1949)
Washington Park Handicap (1949)
Whirlaway Stakes (1949) Triple Crown Races placing:
Kentucky Derby 2nd (1948)
Awards
U.S. Champion Sprint Horse (1948)
Handicap Horse of the Year (1949)
Turf & Sport Digest Horse of the Year (1949)
Honours
United States Racing Hall of Fame (1983)
#47 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
Last updated on December 29, 2007

Coaltown (1945–1965) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse of whom The New York Times[1] said "was probably the most underrated Thoroughbred of the 20th Century."

Coaltown was nicknamed "The Goose" by the stable employees at Calumet Farm for his way of outstretching his long, thin neck when he ran. Racing at age three in 1948, he was overshadowed by stablemate Citation, finishing second to him in the Kentucky Derby. Citation became the 8th U.S. Triple Crown Champion. Coaltown, meanwhile, won eight of his thirteen starts. He won the Blue Grass Stakes in track record time and at the end of the year was voted 1948's U.S. Champion Sprint Horse.

In 1949, injuries kept Citation from racing, allowing Coaltown to show how good he really was. He won twelve of his fifteen races, and set or matched several U.S. and world records including:

  1. A new world record for the mile at Washington Park Race Track in the Whirlaway Stakes.
  2. Equaled the world record and set a new track record for 11⁄4 miles at Gulfstream Park
  3. Equaled the world record and set a new track record for 11⁄8 miles at Hialeah Park
  4. Set a new track record for 11⁄8 miles at Arlington Park
  5. Equaled the track record for six furlongs at Hollywood Park Racetrack

In his final race of 1949, Coaltown was a badly beaten 2nd to 1949 arch-rival Capot in the Pimlico Special. Nonetheless, his performances that year earned him Handicap Horse of the Year honors. He was voted United States Horse of the Year in a nationwide poll in which he defeated Capot by 102 votes to 71. Capot had earlier been named Horse of the Year by the Daily Racing Form.[2]

After mediocre performances in 1950 and '51, Coaltown was retired to stud at Calumet Farm, where he had only limited success as a sire. In 1955, he was sold to Haras de Jardy in Marnes-la-Coquette, France where he died at the age of 20 in 1965.

Coaltown was inducted into the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1983.

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Coaltown

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
''Coaltown'' is an American Thoroughbred racehorse known for his extraordinary speed, multiple record-setting performances, and dominance in the handicap division during his remarkable 1949 campaign, though he was frequently overshadowed by his more celebrated stablemate Citation. Foaled in 1945 at Calumet Farm in Kentucky, Coaltown was sired by Bull Lea out of the mare Easy Lass and bred, owned, and raced by Calumet Farm throughout his career. Trained primarily by Benjamin A. Jones, he was unraced as a two-year-old due to a throat issue but emerged as a top-class performer starting in 1948. In that three-year-old season, he demonstrated brilliant early speed, winning the Phoenix Handicap against older horses and setting a track record in the Blue Grass Stakes, before finishing a strong second to Citation in the Kentucky Derby. He went on to capture additional stakes and earned champion sprinter honors for 1948. Coaltown reached his peak in 1949 at age four, winning 12 of 15 starts while displaying newfound stamina and carrying high weights successfully in major handicaps. His victories included the McLennan Handicap, Widener Handicap, Gallant Fox Handicap, Stars and Stripes Handicap, Arlington Handicap, and Washington Park Handicap, among others; during this campaign he set one world record at one mile, equaled two others, and broke or equaled several track records. He was voted champion handicap horse and shared Horse of the Year honors for 1949. After more limited success in 1950 and 1951, where he added a few sprint stakes wins, he was retired with a career record of 23 wins, 6 seconds, and 3 thirds from 39 starts and earnings of $415,675. Inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1983, Coaltown is remembered as one of the fastest and most accomplished handicap runners of his era despite often standing in Citation's shadow. He proved disappointing as a sire and was later sold to breeding interests in France, where he died in 1965 at age 20.

Background

Foaling and pedigree

Coaltown was foaled in April 1945 at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He was a bay colt bred by Calumet Farm. The colt was sired by Bull Lea, a prominent Calumet Farm stallion who stood at the farm and sired numerous successful runners for the operation. Coaltown was produced from the dam Easy Lass, a black mare foaled in 1940 and sired by Blenheim II. Easy Lass herself earned recognition as Kentucky Broodmare of the Year in 1949, owing to her production of high-quality foals including Coaltown and several other stakes performers. Coaltown belonged to the Thoroughbred female family designated as 7-e.

Ownership and early handling

Coaltown was bred and owned by Calumet Farm, the prominent Thoroughbred operation in Lexington, Kentucky, established and directed by Warren Wright. Warren Wright had shifted the farm's focus to Thoroughbred breeding and racing after taking over in 1932, building it into a leading stable through strategic bloodstock acquisitions and professional management. In 1939, Wright hired Hall of Fame trainer Ben A. Jones to oversee Calumet's racing stable, with Jones' son Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones later joining the operation. Foaled in 1945, Coaltown entered early handling and breaking at Calumet Farm's facilities under Ben A. Jones' direction as the head trainer. As a yearling and juvenile, he was prepared for racing within the Calumet stable environment alongside other young horses managed by Jones. During his juvenile training in 1947, Coaltown suffered a severe bleeding episode that led to persistent respiratory problems, compounded by ankle issues, which prevented him from competing as a two-year-old. In 1947, Ben A. Jones assumed the additional role of general manager at Calumet Farm while continuing to guide training efforts with his son Jimmy, who would later take primary responsibility for the stable. These early management steps at Calumet positioned Coaltown for his eventual racing debut under the farm's consistent oversight.

Racing career

1948: Three-year-old season

In 1948, Coaltown launched his three-year-old campaign with striking speed at Hialeah Park, winning a six-furlong maiden race gate-to-wire and following with a 12-length victory in an allowance race that equaled the track record of 1:09 3/5 for the distance. He then shipped to Keeneland, where he defeated older horses by 2½ lengths in the Phoenix Handicap at six furlongs and dominated the Blue Grass Stakes at 1⅛ miles by 4½ lengths while setting a new track record of 1:49 1/5. These dominant performances created widespread belief that Coaltown was superior to his Calumet Farm stablemate Citation entering the Kentucky Derby, but on a sloppy, rain-soaked track at Churchill Downs, Coaltown set a fast early pace with a six-length lead before Citation overtook him in the stretch for a 3½-length victory. Coaltown finished second in the Derby, though he remained a formidable force in sprint and mile races for the rest of the season. Coaltown returned to winning form with an easy victory in the Swift Stakes at Belmont Park and added the Jerome Handicap among his other successes, showcasing his exceptional speed at shorter distances. He also won the Drexel Handicap in similar fashion but ended the year with a third-place finish behind Citation in the Sysonby Mile. Across 13 starts in 1948, Coaltown recorded 8 wins, 3 seconds, and 2 thirds while earning $104,650, and he was voted the American champion sprinter for the year.

1949: Four-year-old season

Coaltown's four-year-old season in 1949 proved to be one of the highlights of his career, as he transitioned to the handicap division with remarkable success and consistency. He won 12 of 15 starts (with three seconds) and carried high weights successfully in major handicaps. His victories included the McLennan Handicap, Widener Handicap (defeating Armed), Gallant Fox Handicap, Stars and Stripes Handicap, Arlington Handicap, and Washington Park Handicap, among others. The highlight of his campaign came in August at Washington Park, where he won the Whirlaway Stakes and set a new world record for the mile on dirt with a time of 1:34 flat. He also equaled world records for 1⅛ miles at Hialeah Park and 1¼ miles at Gulfstream Park, and set or equaled several track records. His performances earned him recognition as champion handicap horse and Horse of the Year (in a Turf & Sport Digest poll with 102 votes to Capot's 71).

1950: Five-year-old season

In 1950, Coaltown raced four times as a five-year-old. He secured one victory and one third-place finish (in the McLennan Handicap) while earning $5,250. This marked a decline from his championship form in 1949, with limited starts and success.

1951: Six-year-old season

In 1951, Coaltown made seven starts, winning two sprint handicap stakes at Bay Meadows: the Art Sparks Handicap (April 7) and the Children's Hospital Handicap (May 5). He was unplaced in his other five starts, reflecting further diminished performance before retirement. His overall racing record totaled 39 starts, 23 wins, 6 seconds, and 3 thirds with earnings of $415,675.

Retirement and stud career

Stallion record

Coaltown was retired to stud at Calumet Farm in 1952 following his final racing season. He proved to be subfertile, which contributed to a disappointing overall record as a stallion. According to Jockey Club records, Coaltown sired 80 named foals, of which 25 became winners for a 31.3% strike rate, but he produced no stakes winners. None of his progeny approached the exceptional racing ability he had demonstrated on the track. His one foal of significance was Miss Newcastle, who developed into a successful broodmare whose family line continued to produce competitive horses in subsequent generations. Following the 1955 breeding season, Coaltown was sold to Marcel Boussac and exported to stand at Haras de Jardy in France.

Death

Legacy

Honors and historical significance

Coaltown was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1983 in recognition of his exceptional speed and record-setting performances during his racing career. He was named Champion Sprint Horse for 1948. In 1949, he was recognized as Horse of the Year by Turf and Sport Digest, shared co-Horse of the Year honors with Capot in some accounts, and earned titles as Champion Handicap Horse and Champion Older Horse. Coaltown holds a significant place in racing history as one of Calumet Farm's standout performers during the farm's dominant postwar era, where he often raced as a stablemate and rival to Triple Crown winner Citation. Known for his extraordinary speed that allowed him to set one world record, equal two others, and break four track records, he demonstrated his class by stepping up as Calumet's leading horse in 1949 during Citation's injury-related absence. He remains remembered as Citation's brilliant but often overshadowed contemporary, whose accomplishments underscored the depth of talent in Calumet's legendary stable.

Cultural references

Coaltown's achievements have been documented in specialized horse racing media and literature. Archival footage of the horse appears in the 1956 short documentary Races to Remember. Coaltown was ranked number 47 on the list of the top 100 Thoroughbred racehorses of the 20th century in the 1999 book Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, published by The Blood-Horse, Inc. These inclusions reflect his enduring recognition within the thoroughbred racing community and its historical accounts.
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.