Joseph H. Stotler
Encyclopedia
Joseph Horace "Bud" Stotler (June 26, 1888 - October 14, 1957) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing
Champion
trainer
who conditioned horses that won four Championships
.
Commonly known as "Bud," he began working in the horse racing business in his native Pennsylvania
where he first conditioned horses for a stable owner from his hometown of Salisbury
. He eventually moved to compete on the Maryland
circuit which at the time was a major player in Thoroughbred racing offering some of the best purses at a number of high profile racetracks such as Pimlico Race Course
, Bowie Race Track
, Laurel Park and the Timonium Racetrack.
During his career, Bud Stotler trained for major owners such as for Sagamore Farm
and beginning in 1932, simultaneously for the Shoshone Stable of William R. Coe. For Coe, Stotler conditioned the 1932 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Ladysman
. In the last few years of his career he trained for Charles Howard, owner of the legendary Seabiscuit
.
Of his four starters in the Kentucky Derby
Stotler's best finish was second in 1934 with Discovery
and from seven starters in the Preakness Stakes
his best was a second with Ladysman
in 1933.
breeding farm with full training facilities. Hired in 1925, the operation was owned by Margaret Emerson, heiress to the Bromo-Seltzer
fortune and widow of the also wealthy Alfred G. Vanderbilt who lost his life when the RMS Lusitania
was sunk by a German
U-boat
on May 7, 1915. In 1933, she gave the farm and racing stable to her son Alfred Jr.
and Stotler remained as the Sagamore Farm manager and trainer.
Bud Stotler would earn national championship honors
in 1935, winning 37 stakes races and earning more purse money than any trainer in the United States. The star of the Sagamore stable, and the horse for which Stotler is best remembered, was the 1935 and 1936 American Champion Older Male Horse and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee, Discovery
. In 1939, Bud Stotler conditioned that year's American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly Now What
even though a serious automobile accident in April 1939 forced him to temporarily hand over his Sagamore training duties to assistant, Lee McCoy. In December 1939, Stotler announced his retirement and resigned from Sagamore but returned later in 1940 to train a small stable of horses for himself and other clients until 1944 when he signed with the major California
operation of Charles Howard.
Following his retirement from racing, Stotler lived out his years in Baltimore, Maryland, not far from Pimlico Race Course
. He was a close friend of orchestra leader Ben Bernie
and made frequent appearances on his radio broadcasts.
Joseph and Ada Stotler's daughter, Katherine, married jockey John Bejshak.
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...
Champion
United States Champion Thoroughbred Trainer by earnings
There is recognition for the United States Champion Thoroughbred Trainer by earnings but no formal award is given to the trainer in Thoroughbred flat racing whose horses earned the most purse money in North American Thoroughbred racing....
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...
who conditioned horses that won four Championships
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...
.
Commonly known as "Bud," he began working in the horse racing business in his native Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
where he first conditioned horses for a stable owner from his hometown of Salisbury
Salisbury, Pennsylvania
Salisbury is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 878 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. He eventually moved to compete on the 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...
circuit which at the time was a major player in Thoroughbred racing offering some of the best purses at a number of high profile racetracks such as 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...
, Bowie Race Track
Bowie Race Track
The Bowie Race Track was a horse racing track located just outside the city limits of Bowie, Maryland. Opened October 1, 1914 by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Society, the racetrack was a major attraction in the area, serving the now defunct WB&A Railroad that drew passengers from New York,...
, Laurel Park and the Timonium Racetrack.
During his career, Bud Stotler trained for major owners such as for 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...
and beginning in 1932, simultaneously for the Shoshone Stable of William R. Coe. For Coe, Stotler conditioned the 1932 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Ladysman
Ladysman
Ladysman was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the son of Pompey who won the 1947 Hopeful Stakes as a two-year-old and the prestigious Suburban Handicap as a four year-old but will be best remembered for his runner up performance to Head Play in the second jewel of the Triple Crown in the...
. In the last few years of his career he trained for Charles Howard, owner of the legendary 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...
.
Of his four starters 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...
Stotler's best finish was second in 1934 with 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."...
and from seven starters in the Preakness Stakes
Preakness 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...
his best was a second with Ladysman
Ladysman
Ladysman was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the son of Pompey who won the 1947 Hopeful Stakes as a two-year-old and the prestigious Suburban Handicap as a four year-old but will be best remembered for his runner up performance to Head Play in the second jewel of the Triple Crown in the...
in 1933.
The Sagamore Farm years
Sagamore Farm was a Glyndon, MarylandGlyndon, 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...
breeding farm with full training facilities. Hired in 1925, the operation was owned by Margaret Emerson, heiress to the Bromo-Seltzer
Bromo-Seltzer
Bromo-Seltzer , is an antacid used to relieve pain occurring together with heartburn, upset stomach, or acid indigestion. Originally produced by inventor Isaac E...
fortune and widow of the also wealthy Alfred G. Vanderbilt who lost his life when 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...
was sunk by a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
on May 7, 1915. In 1933, she gave the farm and racing stable to her son Alfred Jr.
Alfred G. Vanderbilt II
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II 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...
and Stotler remained as the Sagamore Farm manager and trainer.
Bud Stotler would earn national championship honors
United States Champion Thoroughbred Trainer by earnings
There is recognition for the United States Champion Thoroughbred Trainer by earnings but no formal award is given to the trainer in Thoroughbred flat racing whose horses earned the most purse money in North American Thoroughbred racing....
in 1935, winning 37 stakes races and earning more purse money than any trainer in the United States. The star of the Sagamore stable, and the horse for which Stotler is best remembered, was the 1935 and 1936 American Champion Older Male Horse and 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, 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."...
. In 1939, Bud Stotler conditioned that year's American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly Now What
Now What (horse)
Now What was an American Thoroughbred Champion filly racehorse. Her dam was That's That, and her sire was the 1927 American Horse of the Year and two-time Leading sire in North America, Chance Play....
even though a serious automobile accident in April 1939 forced him to temporarily hand over his Sagamore training duties to assistant, Lee McCoy. In December 1939, Stotler announced his retirement and resigned from Sagamore but returned later in 1940 to train a small stable of horses for himself and other clients until 1944 when he signed with the major California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
operation of Charles Howard.
Following his retirement from racing, Stotler lived out his years in Baltimore, Maryland, not far from 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...
. He was a close friend of orchestra leader Ben Bernie
Ben Bernie
Ben Bernie , born Bernard Anzelevitz, was an American jazz violinist and radio personality, often introduced as The Old Maestro. He was noted for his showmanship and memorable bits of snappy dialogue....
and made frequent appearances on his radio broadcasts.
Joseph and Ada Stotler's daughter, Katherine, married jockey John Bejshak.