Frank Catrone
Encyclopedia
Frank Catrone, Jr. was an American Thoroughbred horse racing
jockey
who best known for winning the 1965 Kentucky Derby
as a trainer
.
Catrone stood 4-feet 9-inches tall and while selling newspapers at a stand outside Saratoga Race Course
in Saratoga Springs, New York
, the diminutive 17-year-old was offered the chance to train to be a jockey by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
trainer, Sam Hildreth
. Although Catrone met with some success as a jockey, it was as a trainer where he would achieve nationwide recognition. Battling weioght problems, in 1936 he began his professional career as a trainer and in the early 1940s enjoyed success training for Texan
Emerson F. Woodward's Valdina Farms. Among his successes for Valdina, Catrone won the 1942 Derby Trial Stakes with Valdina Orphan who then earned a third-place finish to winner Shut Out
in the Kentucky Derby
.
By 1964 Catrone was the secondary trainer behind Clyde Troutt
for the breeding/racing stable of Dan and Ada Rice
. When the Rice's decided to race at Santa Anita Park
over the winter of 1964-65, one of the horses Catrone brought West was a colt named Lucky Debonair
who had made only one start at age two at the Atlantic City Race Course
where he finished out of the money. In 1965, Lucky Debonair gave Catrone his greatest success in racing, winning the Santa Anita Derby
, the Blue Grass Stakes
and the Kentucky Derby
. In 1966, Lucky Debonair won California's most famous race, the Santa Anita Handicap
.
Frank Catrone, Jr. continued to train for the Rice stable until Dan Rice died in 1975 and his widow, Ada, disbanded the racing stable.
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
who best known for winning the 1965 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...
as a trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
.
Catrone stood 4-feet 9-inches tall and while selling newspapers at a stand outside Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
in Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, the diminutive 17-year-old was offered the chance to train to be a jockey by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
trainer, Sam Hildreth
Sam Hildreth
Samuel Clay Hildreth was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.Born in Independence, Missouri, Sam Hildreth began his training career in 1887, competing at racetracks in the Midwestern United States with such horses as the good racemare Hurley Burley, the dam of...
. Although Catrone met with some success as a jockey, it was as a trainer where he would achieve nationwide recognition. Battling weioght problems, in 1936 he began his professional career as a trainer and in the early 1940s enjoyed success training for Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Emerson F. Woodward's Valdina Farms. Among his successes for Valdina, Catrone won the 1942 Derby Trial Stakes with Valdina Orphan who then earned a third-place finish to winner Shut Out
Shut Out (horse)
Shut Out , was an American Thoroughbred racehorse sired by Hall of Famer Equipoise, the multiple stakes winning champion his fans called "The Chocolate Soldier." Shut Out was bred by the Greentree Stable in Lexington, Kentucky owned by Mrs...
in 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...
.
By 1964 Catrone was the secondary trainer behind Clyde Troutt
Clyde Troutt
Clyde Troutt was an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. From Benton, Illinois, on March 15, 1938 Troutt replaced Frank Hackett as one of the trainers of the prominent John and Fannie Hertz stable...
for the breeding/racing stable of Dan and Ada Rice
Dan and Ada Rice
Daniel F. Rice and his wife Ada L. Rice were American businesspeople, thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, and philanthropists. Dan Rice was educated in the public school system of Chicago, Illinois and spent two years at Depaul University and the University of Notre Dame. In 1919, he...
. When the Rice's decided to race at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
over the winter of 1964-65, one of the horses Catrone brought West was a colt named Lucky Debonair
Lucky Debonair
Lucky Debonair was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1965 Kentucky Derby. He was bred by owners Dan and Ada Rice of Wheaton, Illinois at their Danada Farm satellite operation on Old Frankfort Pike near Lexington, Kentucky, a property that once was part of the legendary...
who had made only one start at age two at the Atlantic City Race Course
Atlantic City Race Course
The Atlantic City Race Course , formerly the Atlantic City Race Track, is a thoroughbred horse race track located in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The track is located off the Black Horse Pike next to the Hamilton Mall...
where he finished out of the money. In 1965, Lucky Debonair gave Catrone his greatest success in racing, winning the Santa Anita Derby
Santa Anita Derby
The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $1 million. Inaugurated in 1935, it is considered the most important West Coast stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby...
, the Blue Grass Stakes
Blue Grass Stakes
The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky....
and 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...
. In 1966, Lucky Debonair won California's most famous race, the Santa Anita Handicap
Santa Anita Handicap
The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season...
.
Frank Catrone, Jr. continued to train for the Rice stable until Dan Rice died in 1975 and his widow, Ada, disbanded the racing stable.