Kelso's 5 straight Jockey Club Gold Cups
 

He was 7-for-7 beyond 10 furlongs on dirt for his career -- with 5 straight wins in the Jockey Club Gold Cup coming from age 3 through age 7.

Obviously rates as the greatest dirt stayer of all-time in my opinion.


1960 Jockey Club Gold Cup:

* Field of 8: Wins by just 3.5 lengths as a 3-year-old (the closest anyone ever got to him in a dirt route beyond 10 furlongs) That years champion older male Bald Eagle finishes 3rd by 13.5 lengths. The 4th place finisher is beaten 28.5 lengths.






1961 Jockey Club Gold Cup:

* Wins by 5 lengths. The third place finisher is beaten 13 lengths.




1962 Jockey Club Gold Cup:

* Wins by 10 lengths in field of six.




1963 Jockey Club Gold Cup:

* Wins by 4 lengths in field of 7.






1964 Jockey Club Gold Cup:

Wins by 5.5 lengths as a 7-year-old. The second place finisher Roman Brother won the following years Jockey Club Gold Cup by 5 lengths and the following years Woodward by 10 lengths.

Quadrangle -- who had defeated Northern Dancer in the Belmont Stakes and won the Travers earlier in the year, finished 3rd beaten 11.5 lengths.

The 4th place finisher in the field of six was beaten 27.5 lengths.

No image for this race.

"Where he gallops, the earth sings.."

Epitaph on Kelso's gravestone. (As adapted from Shakespeare)

Good stuff. As often happens, you got me doing some more reading. One thing I'd forgotten was that the JCGC was run at 2 miles during Kelso's era. I'd been thinking it was 1.5 miles then.

Whenever someone says horseracing needs another Triple Crown winner, I always think 'another Kelso would be better'. A TC-winning long-careered gelding would be best of all.

Kelso raced 63 times, winning 39. That's 9 more races and one fewer wins than our last 3 HOY winners put together.

And from Wikipedia:

"Still holds the World Record time for two miles on dirt of 3:19.1 set in the 1964 Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Set a new American record for 1½ miles on the turf of 2:23.4 in the 1964 Washington, D.C. International, set just 11 days after his Jockey Club Gold Cup victory."

What?! No 6 weeks spacing between races?!

--Dunbar

Great stuff, Doug! And thanks for the quote, Steve -- I did not know that.

I have to agree with Dunbar about what a TC and/or BC winning long-careered gelding would do for the sport. What on Earth would the NY Times have to report about him? :p

Kelso was put in a lot of tough racing situations (in terms of running in so many sprints, turf races, and handicaps where he had to give huge spreads) and his connections did a lot of VERY sporting things (He could have beat Gun Bow 100 times out of 100 had he used a rabbit -- but they wouldn't do it)

Just asking......but could Wise Dan become this winning long-careered gelding? Great stuff Doug!

One of the greats.......and the name of my recently deceased 15yo german shepherd.

LOL Amazing the horses AND the trainers back then, what would his resume have been if trained by Pletcher? :D

he was an amazing horse. and they could run him short, and then long, or vice versa, and he'd never miss a beat. incredibly versatile, talented horse-very special.