Melvin F. Stute
Encyclopedia
Melvin Frederick "Mel" Stute (born August 8, 1927 in Fort Wayne, Indiana
) is an American trainer
of Thoroughbred
racehorses. On December 11, 2010 at Hollywood Park Racetrack he won the 2000th race of a career that includes a win in the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown
series, the Preakness Stakes
in 1986, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
that same year, and the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint
.
A younger brother to trainer Warren Stute (1921–2007), their parents moved to California in 1934 when Mel was seven years old. In his teens, Mel Stute worked as a groom at Santa Anita Racetrack before winning his first race as a trainer in 1947 at Portland Meadows Racetrack
in Portland, Oregon
. Since then he has won twelve training titles at various California tracks of which six were at Fairplex Park Racetrack where he is the all-time leader in races won.
. Snow Chief
, with whom he won the Santa Anita Derby
and Preakness Stakes
, was voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and Brave Raj
, the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Mel Stute bred
and trained Telly's Pop
. The gelding
was owned by the racing partnership of Hollywood film director
and producer
Howard Koch
and actor Telly Savalas
, the latter naming the horse for his father. In 1975, Telly's Pop became the first horse to ever win the California Triple Crown for two-year-olds.
Mel Stute also trained Double Discount
who on October 9, 1977 won the Carleton F. Burke Handicap
in a world record
time of 1:57 2/5 for 1 1/4 miles on turf. In the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint, Stute won with Very Subtle
, a mare
who defeated males to capture the top prize in the world for sprint
horses on dirt.
, given annually by Hollywood Park Racetrack to someone who has served the horse racing industry with integrity, dedication, determination and distinction.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
) is an American 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...
of Thoroughbred
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...
racehorses. On December 11, 2010 at Hollywood Park Racetrack he won the 2000th race of a career that includes a win in the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
series, 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...
in 1986, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a 1 1/16-mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.-Automatic Berths:Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup...
that same year, and the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint
Breeders' Cup Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs , the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World...
.
A younger brother to trainer Warren Stute (1921–2007), their parents moved to California in 1934 when Mel was seven years old. In his teens, Mel Stute worked as a groom at Santa Anita Racetrack before winning his first race as a trainer in 1947 at Portland Meadows Racetrack
Portland Meadows
Portland Meadows is an American horse racing venue in Portland, Oregon, owned by MI Developments Inc. since 2001. Built by William P. Kyne, who also built Bay Meadows Racetrack in San Mateo, California, the facility opened on September 14, 1946....
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Since then he has won twelve training titles at various California tracks of which six were at Fairplex Park Racetrack where he is the all-time leader in races won.
Champions
In 1986, Mel Stute trained two ChampionsEclipse 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...
. Snow Chief
Snow Chief
Snow Chief was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.-Background:Bred by Carl Grinstead, in 1984 retired vaudevillian and successful real estate investor Ben Rochelle bought a fifty percent interest in Grinstead's Blue Diamond Ranch thus becoming a half owner of the yearling, Snow Chief...
, with whom he won 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...
and 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...
, was voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and Brave Raj
Brave Raj
Brave Raj was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who raced only one year but who earned 1986 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honors and won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies....
, the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Mel Stute bred
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
and trained Telly's Pop
Telly's Pop
Telly's Pop was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first horse to ever win the California Triple Crown for two-year-olds...
. The gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
was owned by the racing partnership of Hollywood film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Howard Koch
Howard W. Koch
Howard Winchel Koch was an American director and producer of motion pictures and television.Born in New York City, he attended DeWitt Clinton High School and the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey...
and actor Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
, the latter naming the horse for his father. In 1975, Telly's Pop became the first horse to ever win the California Triple Crown for two-year-olds.
Mel Stute also trained Double Discount
Double Discount
Double Discount was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who on October 9, 1977 set a new world record time of 1:57 2/5 for 1 1/4 miles on turf in winning the Carleton F. Burke Handicap at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Bay gelding, Double Discount was sired by Nodouble and out of the...
who on October 9, 1977 won the Carleton F. Burke Handicap
Carleton F. Burke Handicap
The Carleton F. Burke Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Raced in late October as part of the Oak Tree Racing Association series, it is open to horses age three and older and is contested on turf at a distance of one-and-one-half...
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 1:57 2/5 for 1 1/4 miles on turf. In the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint, Stute won with Very Subtle
Very Subtle
Very Subtle was an American Thoroughbred Filly racehorse who won three Grade I stakes including the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint against male opponents in which she defeated the heavily favored Groovy by four lengths....
, a mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
who defeated males to capture the top prize in the world for sprint
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
horses on dirt.
Awards & Honors
In 2003 Mel Stute became the first inductee into Fairplex Park's Hall of Fame. Along with brother Warren, Mel Stute was the recipient of the 2006 Laffit Pincay, Jr. AwardLaffit Pincay, Jr. Award
The Laffit Pincay Jr. Award is an honor given annually since 2004 by Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California to someone who has served the horse racing industry with integrity, dedication, determination and distinction. Named for retired U.S...
, given annually by Hollywood Park Racetrack to someone who has served the horse racing industry with integrity, dedication, determination and distinction.