Alfred G. Vanderbilt II
Encyclopedia
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II (September 22, 1912 – November 12, 1999) was a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family
, a son of the first Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
who died a hero in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania
. His mother, Margaret Emerson, was one of America's wealthiest women and most sought-after hostesses, operating at least seven large estates around the country. His grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt II
, had been one of America's most revered businessman; his great-grandfather, William Henry Vanderbilt
had been the richest man in the world. "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt
started the family fortune in shipping and railroads as the founder of the New York Central Railroad
and builder of Grand Central Terminal
in New York.
, England
. His mother, Margaret Emerson, gave him a 600 acre (2.4 km²) horse farm in Glyndon Maryland
called Sagamore Farm for his 21st birthday, and it was in Thoroughbred horse racing that he made his mark. The Vanderbilt family had by then given up control of most of their former railroad interests. Alfred G. Vanderbilt was President of Belmont Racetrack in New York and was the principal owner and president of Pimlico Race Course
in Baltimore
.
When he was called into service for World War II
, he captained a PT Boat
in the South Pacific
, earning the Silver Star
for bravery. On his discharge, he returned to racing in a major way.
, in 1922. He often said, "After that, I was hooked." On his 21st birthday, his Mother gave him Sagamore Farm
, her racing operation in Glyndon
, Maryland
. In the early years Vanderbilt often slept in the barns, overseeing the breeding and training of his stable. He was President of Pimlico twice, the first time when he was just 20. As a stable owner his first major acquisition was Discovery
, one of the great handicap horses of the age who became his foundation sire. Vanderbilt was elected to The Jockey Club
as the youngest member in its history in 1935 and eventually campaigned four Eclipse Award
champions: Discovery, Next Move, Bed O' Roses and the great Native Dancer
. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, he owned and ran Pimlico Racetrack outside Baltimore, and arranged the famous match race between Seabiscuit
and War Admiral
in 1938. He was President of Belmont Park and Pimlico at the same time before joining the Navy. During the Second World War, he captained a PT boat in the South Pacific and was awarded The Silver Star for bravery under fire. He returned to racing with characteristic zeal, bringing his greatest champion, Native Dancer, to the track in 1952. "The Gray Ghost" won all 9 starts as a 2-year-old and was named Horse of the Year. He won every start as a three-year-old too, except the Kentucky Derby
, which he lost by a head to Cain Hoy Stable
's Dark Star
. The Dancer was Horse of the Year
again in his 4th year. All told, he won 21 of 22 starts, with the single second-place finish in the 1953 Kentucky Derby his only career loss. Alfred G. Vanderbilt continued racing throughout his life and served as Chairman of the Board of the New York Racing Association
from 1971 to 1975. The New York Turf Writers voted him "The Man Who Did The Most for Racing," a record four times, posthumously renaming the award in his honor.
In the early 1950s, he was a regular panelist on the NBC
game show
, Who Said That?
, along with H. V. Kaltenborn, Boris Karloff
, and the American actress Dagmar.
, New York
after attending the morning racehorse workouts.
Vanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
, a son of the first Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt I was an extremely wealthy sportsman and a member of the famous Vanderbilt family of philanthropists. He died on the .-Life:...
who died a hero in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
. His mother, Margaret Emerson, was one of America's wealthiest women and most sought-after hostesses, operating at least seven large estates around the country. His grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, heir, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
, had been one of America's most revered businessman; his great-grandfather, William Henry Vanderbilt
William Henry Vanderbilt
William Henry Vanderbilt I was an American businessman and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family.-Childhood:William Vanderbilt was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1821...
had been the richest man in the world. "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
started the family fortune in shipping and railroads as the founder of the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
and builder of Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
in New York.
Early years
Of American parents, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His mother, Margaret Emerson, gave him a 600 acre (2.4 km²) horse farm in Glyndon Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
called Sagamore Farm for his 21st birthday, and it was in Thoroughbred horse racing that he made his mark. The Vanderbilt family had by then given up control of most of their former railroad interests. Alfred G. Vanderbilt was President of Belmont Racetrack in New York and was the principal owner and president of Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
.
When he was called into service for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he captained a PT Boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
in the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
, earning the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for bravery. On his discharge, he returned to racing in a major way.
Racing
He was one of the driving forces behind thoroughbred racing in America for most of the 20th Century. His mother, Margaret Emerson, took him to his first race, the Preakness StakesPreakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
, in 1922. He often said, "After that, I was hooked." On his 21st birthday, his Mother gave him Sagamore Farm
Sagamore Farm
Sagamore Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding farm on Belmont Avenue in Reisterstown, Baltimore County, Maryland. Established in 1925, it was owned by Margaret Emerson Vanderbilt who gave it to her son Alfred G. Vanderbilt II for his twenty-first birthday...
, her racing operation in Glyndon
Glyndon, Maryland
Glyndon, Maryland is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1871 by Dr. Charles A. Leas, the village is located in the northwest section of Baltimore County and serves primarily as a residential suburb of metropolitan Baltimore City...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. In the early years Vanderbilt often slept in the barns, overseeing the breeding and training of his stable. He was President of Pimlico twice, the first time when he was just 20. As a stable owner his first major acquisition was Discovery
Discovery (horse)
Discovery was an American Thoroughbred racehorse about whom the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame said: "...considered one of the greatest horses of the 20th century."...
, one of the great handicap horses of the age who became his foundation sire. Vanderbilt was elected to The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club, formed on February 9, 1894, is the keeper of The American Stud Book. It came into existence after James R. Keene spearheaded a drive in support of racehorse trainers who had complained about the Board of Control that governed racing in New York State.-History:On its formation, The...
as the youngest member in its history in 1935 and eventually campaigned four Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
champions: Discovery, Next Move, Bed O' Roses and the great Native Dancer
Native Dancer
Native Dancer , nicknamed the Grey Ghost, was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in history, the first horse made famous through the medium of television. He was one of the best horses produced in USA after the war...
. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, he owned and ran Pimlico Racetrack outside Baltimore, and arranged the famous match race between Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...
and War Admiral
War Admiral
War Admiral was an American thoroughbred racehorse, the offspring of the great thoroughbred Man o' War and the mare Brushup. He inherited his father's fiery temperament and talent, but did not resemble him physically...
in 1938. He was President of Belmont Park and Pimlico at the same time before joining the Navy. During the Second World War, he captained a PT boat in the South Pacific and was awarded The Silver Star for bravery under fire. He returned to racing with characteristic zeal, bringing his greatest champion, Native Dancer, to the track in 1952. "The Gray Ghost" won all 9 starts as a 2-year-old and was named Horse of the Year. He won every start as a three-year-old too, except the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, which he lost by a head to Cain Hoy Stable
Cain Hoy Stable
Cain Hoy Stable was a Thoroughbred racing stable and horse breeding operation with training facilities in Columbia, South Carolina and Kissimmee, Florida. It was owned by Harry Guggenheim who also raced horses in Europe...
's Dark Star
Dark Star (horse)
Dark Star was an American thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1953 Kentucky Derby, in the process becoming the only horse ever to defeat Hall of Fame horse Native Dancer.Dark Star finished fifth in the Preakness Stakes...
. The Dancer was Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year is an honor given by various organizations worldwide in harness racing and thoroughbred horse racing.Some of the awards include:* Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year* Breeders' Cup World Championships Poll* European Horse of the Year...
again in his 4th year. All told, he won 21 of 22 starts, with the single second-place finish in the 1953 Kentucky Derby his only career loss. Alfred G. Vanderbilt continued racing throughout his life and served as Chairman of the Board of the New York Racing Association
New York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
from 1971 to 1975. The New York Turf Writers voted him "The Man Who Did The Most for Racing," a record four times, posthumously renaming the award in his honor.
In the early 1950s, he was a regular panelist on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, Who Said That?
Who Said That?
Who Said That? is a 1947-55 NBC radio-television game show, in which a panel of celebrities attempts to determine the speaker of a quotation from recent news reports. The series was first proposed and edited by Fred W. Friendly, later of CBS News....
, along with H. V. Kaltenborn, Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
, and the American actress Dagmar.
Death
He died November 12, 1999 at his home in Mill NeckMill Neck, New York
Mill Neck is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 997 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Mill Neck is located at .The highest point of Mill Neck is Mill Hill....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
after attending the morning racehorse workouts.