Gold Heels
Encyclopedia
Gold Heels was an American Thoroughbred
Champion racehorse
who, in a two-year period, set one new stakers record and four track records, including a world record
.
at his Chesterbrook Farm in Berwyn, Pennsylvania
. He was sired by Cassatt's outstanding runner, The Bard
, a son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee, Longfellow
. Gold Heels was out of the very good race mare Heel-and-Toe. A daughter of four-time Leading sire in North America
, Glenelg
, the durable Heel-and-Toe made 107 career starts winning 21 times.
but after racing him a short time at age two, the colt was deemed to have limited potential and in June 1900 was sold for $1,500 to trainer David Sloan, a cousin of future Hall of Fame jockey Tod Sloan
. David Sloan raced the colt during the remainder of 1900 in mainly lower class races, finishing the year with five wins from twenty-four starts including the Chappaqua Handicap at Empire City Race Track
. Facing financial problems, David Sloan put Gold Heels up for sale and on the advice of trainer
, Matthew Allen, he was purchased for $7,000 by the racing partnership of Fred C. McLewee and Diamond Jim Brady.
in which he set a new Sheepshead Bay Race Track
record for one mile and one furlong on dirt. On July 2 he won the Long Island Handicap
at Sheepshead Bay and then on July 25 won the richest race for three-year olds at Brighton Beach Race Course
, the mile and one furlong Seagate Stakes. He followed this up with a ten length
victory on September 25, 1901 in the one mile and one furlong Monarch Stakes at Gravesend Race Track
. In winning the October 5 Oriental Handicap at Gravesend he set a new track record time for a mile and a quarter on dirt. On October 26, at Morris Park Racecourse
, Gold Heels showed he was not only capable at longer distances but a truly outstanding stayer
when he won the 2¼ mile Woodlawn Vase
in a track record time of 3:56.00.
. With jockey Otto Wonderly
aboard, Gold Heels won the June 14 Suburban Handicap
at Sheepshead Bay Race Track. Not only did he win what was then America's most prestigious race, he broke the stakes record on an off track while carrying top weight. On June 28 Gold Heels won the 1 ½ mile Advance Stakes at Sheepshead Bay Race Track
and was
top-weighted again when he won the July 5 Brighton Handicap
at Brighton Beach Race Course in a world record
time of 2:03.80 for a mile and a quarter on dirt. For the July 26 Brighton Cup, Gold Heels was again given highweight but still earned the win in the 2¼ mile endurance test. Even though he still won by twenty lengths, near the finish jockey George Odom
slowed him to a canter due to an injury that ended his racing career.
The New York Times wrote on October 5, 1902 that Gold Heels was the "accepted champion of the year" and Thoroughbred Heritage selected him as the retrospective American Champion Older Male Horse for that year.
announced that the racing partnership of McLewee and Daly was to be dissolved
and on October 4, 1902 Gold Heels was sold at a dispersal auction. Expected to bring $15,000, jockey Winfield O'Connor bought him for only $6,500
then quickly resold the horse to St. Louis, Missouri
breeder, E. J. Arnold.
At stud
, Gold Heels met with little success although Covadonga (b. 1908) became one of the first American-bred horses to be imported to Puerto Rico
where he raced with considerable success. Gold heels was sold in December 1912 to the U.S. Cavalry Remount Service for use as a sire for military horses.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
Champion racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
who, in a two-year period, set one new stakers record and four track records, including a world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
.
Background
Gold Heels was bred by Alexander CassattAlexander Cassatt
Alexander Johnston Cassatt was the 7th president of the Pennsylvania Railroad , serving from June 9, 1899 to December 28, 1906. Frequently referred to as A. J. Cassatt, the great accomplishment under his stewardship was the planning and construction of tunnels under the Hudson River to finally...
at his Chesterbrook Farm in Berwyn, Pennsylvania
Devon-Berwyn, Pennsylvania
Devon-Berwyn is a census-designated place in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,067 at the 2000 census. The area is part of Philadelphia's Main Line suburbs...
. He was sired by Cassatt's outstanding runner, The Bard
The Bard (horse)
The Bard was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was the most popular horse of his day and one who raced and beat all the top horses. Bred by Charles Reed, owner of the Fairview Stud Farm in Gallatin, Tennessee, his dam was Bradamante and his sire was the U.S...
, a son of 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...
inductee, Longfellow
Longfellow (horse)
Longfellow was one of America's first great Thoroughbred racehorses and the sire of great racehorses. A legend in his own time, he was out of the first crop of the outstanding imported English stallion Leamington....
. Gold Heels was out of the very good race mare Heel-and-Toe. A daughter of four-time Leading sire in North America
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
, Glenelg
Glenelg (horse)
Glenelg was a thoroughbred bred in England but born in the United States after his dam was imported into the US in 1866. Bred from two horses of no notable talent he would go on to become one of the most influetal sires of his time...
, the durable Heel-and-Toe made 107 career starts winning 21 times.
1900: Two-Year-Old Season
Gold Heels was purchased by William C. WhitneyWilliam C. Whitney
William Collins Whitney was an American political leader and financier and founder of the prominent Whitney family. He served as Secretary of the Navy in the first Cleveland administration from 1885 through 1889. A conservative reformer, he was considered a Bourbon Democrat.-Early life:William...
but after racing him a short time at age two, the colt was deemed to have limited potential and in June 1900 was sold for $1,500 to trainer David Sloan, a cousin of future Hall of Fame jockey Tod Sloan
Tod Sloan (jockey)
James Forman "Tod" Sloan was an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1955.-Early life and U.S. racing career:...
. David Sloan raced the colt during the remainder of 1900 in mainly lower class races, finishing the year with five wins from twenty-four starts including the Chappaqua Handicap at Empire City Race Track
Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers Raceway, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and New York state-approved slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New York near the New York City border...
. Facing financial problems, David Sloan put Gold Heels up for sale and on the advice of 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...
, Matthew Allen, he was purchased for $7,000 by the racing partnership of Fred C. McLewee and Diamond Jim Brady.
1901: Three-Year-Old Season
In 1901, under the conditioning of Matthew Allen, three-year-old Gold Heels won seven of his twelve starts while setting three track records. On June 27 he won the Spindrift StakesSpindrift Stakes
The Spindrift Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually between 1886 and 1909 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track at Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York...
in which he set a new Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York...
record for one mile and one furlong on dirt. On July 2 he won the Long Island Handicap
Long Island Handicap
The Long Island Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in November at Aqueduct Racetrack, in Ozone Park, Queens, New York...
at Sheepshead Bay and then on July 25 won the richest race for three-year olds at Brighton Beach Race Course
Brighton Beach Race Course
The Brighton Beach Race Course was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened at Brighton Beach, Coney Island, New York on June 28, 1879 by the Brighton Beach Racing Association. Headed by real estate developer William A. Engeman, who owned the Brighton Beach Hotel, the one-mile race...
, the mile and one furlong Seagate Stakes. He followed this up with a ten length
Length (horse racing)
A horse length, or simply length, is a unit of measurement that refers to the length of a horse from nose to tail, approximately 8 feet, It is commonly used in Thoroughbred horse racing, where it describes the distance between horses in a race...
victory on September 25, 1901 in the one mile and one furlong Monarch Stakes at Gravesend Race Track
Gravesend Race Track
Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend on Coney Island, New York was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility built by the Brooklyn Jockey Club as a result of the backing of the wealthy racing stable owners, the Dwyer Brothers. Philip J...
. In winning the October 5 Oriental Handicap at Gravesend he set a new track record time for a mile and a quarter on dirt. On October 26, at Morris Park Racecourse
Morris Park Racecourse
Morris Park Racecourse was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1889 until 1904. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1895 and later became known as Morris Park...
, Gold Heels showed he was not only capable at longer distances but a truly outstanding stayer
Stayer (horse)
In horse racing, a stayer refers to a horse that may be a better performer over a longer distance, such as more than 1-1/2 miles. Sometimes, the term may also refer to a horse that is not able to quicken or speed up.-External links:*...
when he won the 2¼ mile Woodlawn Vase
Woodlawn Vase
The Woodlawn Vase is an American trophy given annually to the winning owner of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.- Overview of the trophy :...
in a track record time of 3:56.00.
1902: Four-Year-Old Season
At age four in 1902, Gold Heels won four of his five starts, setting a stakes record and a world recordWorld record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
. With jockey Otto Wonderly
Otto Wonderly
Otto Wonderly was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey from Ontario who competed in his native Canada and in the United States where he was killed in a racing accident....
aboard, Gold Heels won the June 14 Suburban Handicap
Suburban Handicap
The Suburban Handicap is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is run at the classic one-and-one-quarter mile distance on dirt for a $400,000 purse....
at Sheepshead Bay Race Track. Not only did he win what was then America's most prestigious race, he broke the stakes record on an off track while carrying top weight. On June 28 Gold Heels won the 1 ½ mile Advance Stakes at Sheepshead Bay Race Track
and was
top-weighted again when he won the July 5 Brighton Handicap
Brighton Handicap
The Brighton Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1895 through 1907 at the Brighton Beach Race Course in Brighton Beach, Coney Island, New York and in 1910 at Empire City Race Track...
at Brighton Beach Race Course in a world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
time of 2:03.80 for a mile and a quarter on dirt. For the July 26 Brighton Cup, Gold Heels was again given highweight but still earned the win in the 2¼ mile endurance test. Even though he still won by twenty lengths, near the finish jockey George Odom
George M. Odom
George Martin Odom was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame jockey and trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. He is only one of two people to ever have won the Belmont Stakes as both a jockey and a trainer....
slowed him to a canter due to an injury that ended his racing career.
The New York Times wrote on October 5, 1902 that Gold Heels was the "accepted champion of the year" and Thoroughbred Heritage selected him as the retrospective American Champion Older Male Horse for that year.
Sale and Stud Career
The September 20, 1902 issue of the Chicago Daily TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
announced that the racing partnership of McLewee and Daly was to be dissolved
and on October 4, 1902 Gold Heels was sold at a dispersal auction. Expected to bring $15,000, jockey Winfield O'Connor bought him for only $6,500
then quickly resold the horse to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
breeder, E. J. Arnold.
At stud
Stud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
, Gold Heels met with little success although Covadonga (b. 1908) became one of the first American-bred horses to be imported to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
where he raced with considerable success. Gold heels was sold in December 1912 to the U.S. Cavalry Remount Service for use as a sire for military horses.