Richard E. Handlen
Encyclopedia
Richard E. "Dick" Handlen (March 25, 1896 - June 1963) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing
trainer
whom the March 15, 1937 edition of the Los Angeles Times
called "one of the best trainers in America"
Early in his career, Richard Handlen worked for U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
trainer Preston M. Burch
while he was in charge of William duPont Jr.'s Foxcatcher Farm racing stable in the early 1930s. Handlen took over the Foxcatcher stable and began winning important races by 1935. He would remain in that position through 1960.
In 1937, Richard Handlen became the only trainer in history to win the two most prestigious races in California
at Santa Anita Park
when he won the Santa Anita Derby
with Fairy Hill and the Santa Anita Handicap
with Rosemont
. Through 2009, his record remains intact.
The following year, Richard Handlen trained Dauber
top a victory in the 1938 Preakness Stakes
after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby
. Dauber then went on to run second to Pasteurized
in the Belmont Stakes
.
Richard Handlen was living in Florida at the time of his death in 1963.
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...
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...
whom the March 15, 1937 edition of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called "one of the best trainers in America"
Early in his career, Richard Handlen worked for 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 Preston M. Burch
Preston M. Burch
Preston Morris Burch was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer, breeder, and owner. -Biography:...
while he was in charge of William duPont Jr.'s Foxcatcher Farm racing stable in the early 1930s. Handlen took over the Foxcatcher stable and began winning important races by 1935. He would remain in that position through 1960.
In 1937, Richard Handlen became the only trainer in history to win the two most prestigious races in 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...
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...
when 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...
with Fairy Hill and 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...
with Rosemont
Rosemont (horse)
Rosemont was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his win in the 1937 Santa Anita Handicap, defeating Seabiscuit, a scene used in the 2003 motion picture Seabiscuit....
. Through 2009, his record remains intact.
The following year, Richard Handlen trained Dauber
Dauber (horse)
Dauber was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1938 Preakness Stakes. Bred by Sonny Whitney, he was sired by Harry Payne Whitney's 1913 Futurity Stakes winner, Pennant. His dam was Ship of War, a daughter of the legendary Man o' War.Dauber was purchased by William duPont,...
top a victory in the 1938 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...
after finishing second 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...
. Dauber then went on to run second to Pasteurized
Pasteurized (horse)
Pasteurized was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1938 Belmont Stakes. He was bred and raced by Carol Averell Harriman Smith Plunkett, daughter of E. H. Harriman, a prominent New York railroad executive....
in the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
.
Champions
Richard Handlen conditioned Foxcatcher Farm horses to six American championships:- Fairy ChantFairy ChantFairy Chant was an American Champion Thoroughbred filly racehorse. Her sire was the 1927 Belmont Stakes winner Chance Shot, a son of three-time Leading sire in North America Fair Play...
- 1940 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly (1940) and 1941 American Champion Older Female Horse - ParloParloParlo was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Bred by William duPont, Jr. at his Walnut Hall Farm near Boyce, Virginia, she was out of the mare Fairy Palace and sired by the good British runner Heliopolis whom Parlo helped earn his second Leading sire in North America title in 1954.-At 2...
- 1954 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and the 1954 and 1955 American Champion Older Female Horse. - BerloBerloBerlo was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Bred by William duPont, Jr. at his Walnut Hall Farm near Boyce, Virginia, she was out of the mare Faberose, a daughter of duPont's Santa Anita Handicap winner, Rosemont...
- 1960 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.
Richard Handlen was living in Florida at the time of his death in 1963.