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Salvator (horse)
Encyclopedia
Salvator was an American
thoroughbred
race horse considered by many to be one of the best during the latter half of the 19th Century.
in Lexington, Kentucky
, Salvator was sired by Prince Charlie out of Salina (by the great Lexington
). (Salvator was the last great horse Swigart would breed; his best stallions had grown old and died as so often happened to stud farms.) On his sire's side he went back to the tremendous mare Pocahontas
by Glencoe. On his dam's side, through Lexington, he carried the blood of Boston
sired by Timoleon sired by Sir Archie sired by Diomed
.
Unusual for the times, the dark chestnut with a large white blaze was born in 1886 in California
. James Ben Ali Haggin
had purchased his dam, Salina, and shipped her to his 44000 acres (178.1 km²) Rancho Del Paso
with Salvator in utero. Haggin had made his money in the California Gold Rush
of 1849, so much of it he was suddenly one of the wealthiest men in America
, and he used his new wealth to establish the biggest horse breeding operation in world history. Aside from the thousands of grazing acres he owned in Arizona
, New Mexico
and Southern California, he headquartered at the Rancho del Paso near the present day city of Sacramento
. He bought breeding horses from every state that bred fine thoroughbreds, as well as shipping them in from Ireland
, Australia
and England
. Eventually he would buy Swigert's Elmendorf Farm and move his headquarters there and add to it until he held 8700 acres (35.2 km²) of prime bluegrass. (Over time, and through several owners, this property was eventually broken up into stud farms like Spendthrift Farm
, Greentree Stud
, and others.)
In the fall of 1887, Haggin's eastern trainer, Matthew Byrnes, and the jockey George "Snapper" Garrison, arrived at the ranch to choose the best young horses to take back to New York
. Salvator was one of their choices.
, (sired by the great Luke Blackburn
). Proctor Knott, who'd already run six races (and who in the following year would lose the Kentucky Derby
to Spokane
in what seemed a dead heat
), was the one horse Salvator could never beat. It was almost like a hex. (There was another colt running throughout Salvator's career who could never beat Salvator, a fine racehorse called Tenny. To the owners of Tenny, this must also have seemed like a hex.) In his first start, Salvator came in third. Proctor Knott and Salvator met three weeks later in the new Futurity at Coney Island
and again Proctor Knott won, but this time Salvator came second by only half a length. The Futurity had attracted a great of attention because at the time it was the richest race in America. Proctor Knott, winning it and thereby winning more money than most 19th century horses in a lifetime, did not bother racing again that year. Salvator, meantime, went on to win four races in a row: the Flatbush, the Maple, the Tuckahoe and the Titan stakes.
Salvator met Proctor Knott only once as a three year old in the Omnibus Stakes. Neither one of them won, but Proctor Knott beat Salvator by placing, while Salvator showed. It was a blanket finish which a colt called Longstreet (a son of Longfellow
who was known as "King of the Turf") won. Salvator never lost again. Only four days later he won the Jersey Handicap. He also proved himself the better horse that year by winning all seven of his other races, while Proctor Knott won only twice in nine starts. In the Tidal Stakes at Sheepshead Bay Salvator beat Eric, the winner of the Belmont Stakes
.
.) But in their fourth year, the rivalry became serious.
In any other year, Tenny would have been a stand-out. Though his back was somewhat low-slung, causing him to be called “The Swayback”, he was a superb race horse, having won ten of his eighteen starts. At the start of his four-year-old season, Tenny won four races in succession. But it was his misfortune to be born the same year as Salvator. Salvator had been sitting on the sidelines for the beginning of the year, but in his first race as a four-year-old, he faced Tenny in the 7th running of the Suburban Handicap
, then taking place at Sheepshead Bay.
Salvator won the Suburban. Tenny’s owner, D. T. Pulsiver, was disgusted with the race and challenged Haggin to a match race. They went back and forth over the conditions of the match but finally came to an agreement. The race would be run at Sheepshead Bay on June 25, 1890.
It caused so much excitement that the “Spirit of the Times” halloo’d the result in the largest headlines possible. SALVATOR! TENNY! GLORY FOR VICTOR AND VANQUISHED.
Ridden by Isaac Murphy
, Salvator won but Tenny, guided by “Snapper” Garrison, was more than gallant in defeat. He lost by half a head. Walter S. Vosburgh (from "Racing in America, 1866-1921," (The Jockey Club, 1922) described the race like this: "The two horses ran side by side for three furlong
s. Then Salvator led by two lengths. Once in the stretch, however, Tenny came very fast and was overhauling Salvator, but the latter 'lasted' to win by a nose in 2:05. Both jockeys thought they had won after they had pulled up, and walked their horses back, chatting as they did so. ‘I think I beat you,’ said Garrison.”
He was wrong.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
was so overcome, she wrote a poem about it. It was called: How Salvator Won. The poem found its way into homes all over the country. It ends like this: “We are under the string now—the great race is done—And Salvator, Salvator, Salvator won!”
Meanwhile the stupendous new Monmouth Park Racetrack
had opened, replacing the old Monmouth track It was enormous, the biggest in America. And it raced clockwise in the Europe
an fashion. Salvator made his appearance in the Monmouth Cup. Not a horse showed up to face him, and he jogged round for the $1,800 prize. After that, only the very game Tenny came out to contest his winning the Champion Stakes at the same track. Salvator easily won by four lengths.
At Monmouth Park, the Grade III
Salvator Mile Handicap
will be in its 62nd running in 2009.
Following the creation of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
in 1955, Salvator was one of the first handful of horses inducted.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
race horse considered by many to be one of the best during the latter half of the 19th Century.
California born
Bred by Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf FarmElmendorf Farm
Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, and has been involved with horse racing since the early 19th century...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, Salvator was sired by Prince Charlie out of Salina (by the great Lexington
Lexington (horse)
Lexington was a United States Thoroughbred race horse who won six of his seven race starts. Perhaps his greatest fame came however as the most successful sire of the second half of the nineteenth century; he was the Leading sire in North America 16 times, and of his many brood mare and racer...
). (Salvator was the last great horse Swigart would breed; his best stallions had grown old and died as so often happened to stud farms.) On his sire's side he went back to the tremendous mare Pocahontas
Pocahontas (horse)
Pocahontas was an English Thoroughbred racehorse and the dam of three sires who had a great influence on the breed. Although mares are not generally considered to be as influential as sires, Thoroughbred Heritage refers to Pocahontas as "one of the most influential Thoroughbreds of all time, male...
by Glencoe. On his dam's side, through Lexington, he carried the blood of Boston
Boston (horse)
Boston , was an outstanding chestnut Thoroughbred racehorse and a Leading sire in North America three times from 1851 to 1853. He started in about 45 races, winning 40 of these, including 15 in succession...
sired by Timoleon sired by Sir Archie sired by Diomed
Diomed
Diomed, foaled in 1777, was an English-bred Thoroughbred race horse who won the inaugural running of the Epsom Derby and was subsequently a successful sire in the United States of America.-Bright Beginnings:...
.
Unusual for the times, the dark chestnut with a large white blaze was born in 1886 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...
. James Ben Ali Haggin
James Ben Ali Haggin
James Ben Ali Haggin was an Turkish Americanattorney, rancher, investor and a major owner/breeder in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing...
had purchased his dam, Salina, and shipped her to his 44000 acres (178.1 km²) Rancho Del Paso
Rancho Del Paso
Rancho Del Paso was a Mexican land grant in present day Sacramento County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Eliab Grimes. The grant extended along the north bank of the American River and was bounded roughly by today’s Northgate Boulevard, Manzanita Avenue, and Elkhorn...
with Salvator in utero. Haggin had made his money in the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
of 1849, so much of it he was suddenly one of the wealthiest men in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and he used his new wealth to establish the biggest horse breeding operation in world history. Aside from the thousands of grazing acres he owned in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Southern California, he headquartered at the Rancho del Paso near the present day city of Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
. He bought breeding horses from every state that bred fine thoroughbreds, as well as shipping them in from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Eventually he would buy Swigert's Elmendorf Farm and move his headquarters there and add to it until he held 8700 acres (35.2 km²) of prime bluegrass. (Over time, and through several owners, this property was eventually broken up into stud farms like Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion, Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor, Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather of Man o' War.- Famous...
, Greentree Stud
Greentree Stable
Greentree Stable, in Red Bank, New Jersey, was a major American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 by Payne Whitney of the Whitney family of New York City. Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable at Saratoga Springs, New York with his brother Harry Payne...
, and others.)
In the fall of 1887, Haggin's eastern trainer, Matthew Byrnes, and the jockey George "Snapper" Garrison, arrived at the ranch to choose the best young horses to take back to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Salvator was one of their choices.
Proctor Knott vs Salvator
Because he had bucked his shins in one of his trials while training in California, Salvator did not start racing until August of his two-year-old season He made his debut in the Junior Champion Stakes against a seasoned colt, Proctor KnottProctor Knott (horse)
Proctor Knott was an American Thoroughbred racehorse gelding. His sire was the Hall of Famer Luke Blackburn, and his dam Tallapaloosa. He was bred by Belle Meade Stud and like his father who had been named for the then current governor of Kentucky, he was named for Governor J. Proctor Knott...
, (sired by the great Luke Blackburn
Luke Blackburn (horse)
Luke Blackburn was a Thoroughbred race horse born and bred in Tennessee by Capt. James Franklin.-Background:Sired by Bonnie Scotland, his dam was Nevada out of perhaps the most influential stallion America ever produced, the great Lexington. A bay foal, he was sold at two to Capt. Jim Williams...
). Proctor Knott, who'd already run six races (and who in the following year would lose 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...
to Spokane
Spokane (horse)
Spokane, a chestnut Thoroughbred stallion foaled in 1886. He was owned and bred by Noah Armstrong of Montana. Spokane was sired by Hyder Ali and out of the mare Interpose by Intruder....
in what seemed a dead heat
Tie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...
), was the one horse Salvator could never beat. It was almost like a hex. (There was another colt running throughout Salvator's career who could never beat Salvator, a fine racehorse called Tenny. To the owners of Tenny, this must also have seemed like a hex.) In his first start, Salvator came in third. Proctor Knott and Salvator met three weeks later in the new Futurity at Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
and again Proctor Knott won, but this time Salvator came second by only half a length. The Futurity had attracted a great of attention because at the time it was the richest race in America. Proctor Knott, winning it and thereby winning more money than most 19th century horses in a lifetime, did not bother racing again that year. Salvator, meantime, went on to win four races in a row: the Flatbush, the Maple, the Tuckahoe and the Titan stakes.
Salvator met Proctor Knott only once as a three year old in the Omnibus Stakes. Neither one of them won, but Proctor Knott beat Salvator by placing, while Salvator showed. It was a blanket finish which a colt called Longstreet (a son of 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....
who was known as "King of the Turf") won. Salvator never lost again. Only four days later he won the Jersey Handicap. He also proved himself the better horse that year by winning all seven of his other races, while Proctor Knott won only twice in nine starts. In the Tidal Stakes at Sheepshead Bay Salvator beat Eric, the winner of 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...
.
Salvator vs Tenny
And then came Tenny. Tenny was Salvator's closest rival for three-year-old honors. They met in the inaugural running of the Realization Stakes which Salvator won. Tenny placed. (This race is now called the Lawrence Realization StakesLawrence Realization Stakes
The Lawrence Realization Stakes was an American horse race first run on the turf in 1889. The race, for three-year-old Thoroughbred colts, geldings and fillies, was last run in 2005.-History:...
.) But in their fourth year, the rivalry became serious.
In any other year, Tenny would have been a stand-out. Though his back was somewhat low-slung, causing him to be called “The Swayback”, he was a superb race horse, having won ten of his eighteen starts. At the start of his four-year-old season, Tenny won four races in succession. But it was his misfortune to be born the same year as Salvator. Salvator had been sitting on the sidelines for the beginning of the year, but in his first race as a four-year-old, he faced Tenny in the 7th running of the 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....
, then taking place at Sheepshead Bay.
Salvator won the Suburban. Tenny’s owner, D. T. Pulsiver, was disgusted with the race and challenged Haggin to a match race. They went back and forth over the conditions of the match but finally came to an agreement. The race would be run at Sheepshead Bay on June 25, 1890.
It caused so much excitement that the “Spirit of the Times” halloo’d the result in the largest headlines possible. SALVATOR! TENNY! GLORY FOR VICTOR AND VANQUISHED.
Ridden by Isaac Murphy
Isaac Burns Murphy
Isaac Burns Murphy was an African-American Hall of Fame jockey, who is considered one of the greatest riders in American Thoroughbred horse racing history. Murphy won three Kentucky Derbies.-Early life:...
, Salvator won but Tenny, guided by “Snapper” Garrison, was more than gallant in defeat. He lost by half a head. Walter S. Vosburgh (from "Racing in America, 1866-1921," (The Jockey Club, 1922) described the race like this: "The two horses ran side by side for three furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s. Then Salvator led by two lengths. Once in the stretch, however, Tenny came very fast and was overhauling Salvator, but the latter 'lasted' to win by a nose in 2:05. Both jockeys thought they had won after they had pulled up, and walked their horses back, chatting as they did so. ‘I think I beat you,’ said Garrison.”
He was wrong.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. Her best-known work was Poems of Passion. Her most enduring work was " Soiltude", which contains the lines: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone"...
was so overcome, she wrote a poem about it. It was called: How Salvator Won. The poem found its way into homes all over the country. It ends like this: “We are under the string now—the great race is done—And Salvator, Salvator, Salvator won!”
Meanwhile the stupendous new Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack
Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.Monmouth Park's marquee event...
had opened, replacing the old Monmouth track It was enormous, the biggest in America. And it raced clockwise in the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an fashion. Salvator made his appearance in the Monmouth Cup. Not a horse showed up to face him, and he jogged round for the $1,800 prize. After that, only the very game Tenny came out to contest his winning the Champion Stakes at the same track. Salvator easily won by four lengths.
In a class of his own
Now Salvator had no horses to race. So he raced the clock. He won that too, shattering the old record for the mile. This was the last time Salvator would race.Equals at last
Though Tenny raced for two more seasons than Salvator, both came at last to stud. And here, they were finally equal. They were both duds at being dads. But at the end, Salvator beat Tenny yet again. In 1909, when they were both twenty three years old, Salvator died first.At Monmouth Park, the Grade III
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
Salvator Mile Handicap
Salvator Mile Handicap
The Salvator Mile Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt at a distance of one mile . A Grade III event, it offers a purse of...
will be in its 62nd running in 2009.
Following the creation of the National Museum of Racing and 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...
in 1955, Salvator was one of the first handful of horses inducted.