1950s Kentucky Derby Champions
Native Dancer Popularized By TV; Count Turf Won for Third Generation
Apr 16, 2009
The era of the Gray Ghost of Sagamore came to a resounding crash in the 1953 Kentucky Derby. But the halt was slight, a head's dispute, and the effect, minimal. Like the great Man o' War, Native Dancer came in second just once in his racing lifetime.
Unbeaten at Two Gray Ghost Loses Derby
Undefeated, Native Dancer approached the Kentucky Derby like a steamroller without stopping gears. Horsemen and fans alike were sure the gray ghost's win was in the bag.
Native Dancer entered the Derby on a world stage made intimate by the advent of televised horse racing. But the world was not won on May 2, 1953.
A dark horse, Dark Star, entered stage right. His foreign pedigree was modest, but durable. He was out of Isolde, by Bull Dog, sired by Teddy, who mated with Plucky Liege. Dark Star's sire was Royal Gem II. His sire and those of his dam and his dam's sire were English stock.
Native Dancer encountered traffic difficulties on the first turn, which may, or may not have cost him the race. Jockey Eric Guerin took the situation in hand and had Native Dancer still gaining on Dark Star at the wire, but the little dark colt stayed in front by a head.
1950s Derby Kentucky Winners
- 1950 --- Middleground ----- trainer, Max Hirsch; jockey, Bill Boland
- 1951 --- Count Turf ----- Sol Rutchick --- Conn McCreary
- 1952 --- Hill Gail ----- Ben A. Jones --- Eddie Arcaro
- 1953 --- Dark Star ----- Eddie Hayward --- H. Moreno
- 1954 --- Determine ----- Willie Molter --- Ray York
- 1955 --- Swaps ----- M.A. "Mesh" Tenney
- 1956 --- Needles ----- Hugh Fontaine --- David Erb
- 1957 --- Iron Liege ----- H.A. Jones --- Bill Hartack
- 1958 --- Tim Tam ----- H.A. Jones --- I. Valenzuela
- 1959 --- Tomy Lee ----- Frank Childs --- Willie Shoemaker
Tales of the 1950s Kentucky Derby
Jockey Conn McCreary had been from the top of the mountain riding Pensive to the 1944 KD title to the bottom of the heap in 1951 before his triumph with Count Turf.
Count Turf became the first third generation victor of the Derby. His sire, Count Fleet, won in 1943, and his grandsire, Reigh Count, captured the roses in 1928.
Shoemaker's Misjudged Finish Line
The great Hall of Fame jockey Willie Shoemaker misjudged the finish line in Derby 1957 aboard Gallant Man and lost the race to Iron Liege and rival Bill Hartack.
Second Third Generation Derby Winner Needles
Needles surprised in the 1956 Derby. Although notedly fast, the bay colt had not raced in six weeks prior to the Run for the Roses. The first Florida-bred to win the Derby, Needles was named for the many times a veterinarian's needle penetrated him while he was still a foal, for he suffered frequent ailments.
Needles incredibly became the decade's second third generation Kentucky Derby champion. Scoring before him were his sire, Ponder, in 1949, and Ponder's daddy, Pensive, in 1944.
Silky Sullivan had become wildly popular because of his exciting come-from-the-back-of-the-pack running style, but he was unable to prevail in the 1958 Derby won by Tim Tam. Silky finally ran out of gas, claiming twelfth place.
Hasty Road defeated Determine in the 1954 Derby Trial, but when the real thing was contested, Determine made a quicker move and scored to capture the wreath of roses.
Like the Blenheim II son Whirlaway, Hill Gail inherited the "crazy" gene from Blenheim II through his dam, Jane Gail. It took the great talents of jockey Eddie Arcaro in 1941 to straighten out the great champion Whirlaway. Arcaro returned in 1951 to bring Hill Gail out of the Whirlaway-like notion to run for the opposite fence and get him first to the Derby wire.
