On DVD or VHS: This ULTRA VINTAGE 1950's FILM from Racing's GOLDEN AGE - A LOST CLASSIC!! (Picture above is of NATIVE DANCER).

 

 

The "Fabulous 50's", for the Thoroughbred this was his greatest year - a decade of racing champions. The early 1950's were comparable to the "Roaring 20's" with its Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth and other all-time sports heroes.

The mighty CITATION in his final race, the Hollywood Gold Cup, becomes the first horse ever to win more than $1 million - he bids - his fans farewell but other great champions are soon to follow.

The 1950's gave way to the famous "Gray Flyer", NATIVE DANCER, winner of 21 of 22 races - shown recently retired to his owner, Alfred Vanderbilt's Sagamore Farm.

The powerful NASHUA became Horse-of-the-Year in 1955 only as a three-year-old - shown with EDDIE ARCARO up in the winner's circle after his Florida Derby victory at Gulfstream.

The sensational SWAPS held world records from a mile to 1-5/8 miles set at Hollywood Park in 1956.

ROUND TABLE would retire at the close of 1959 as the new leading money winner with $1.75 million.

Closing the, "Fabulous 50's", was an equine vintage year. From 1959 came such champions as SWORD DANCER, ROUND TABLE, HILLSDALE, TOMY LEE, BALD EAGLE, ROYAL ORBIT, WARFARE and SILVER SPOON.

Some of the best races of the late 1950's that are shown include the 1959 Santa Anita Handicap with HILLSDALE and AMERIGO; 1959 Woodward at Aqueduct - a power-house race whose outcome would decide year-end Horse-of-the-Year honors with SWORD DANCER, HILLSDALE and ROUND TABLE; 1959 Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont; 1959 Arlington Handicap Turf with ROUND TABLE; 1959 United Nations Handicap with ROUND TABLE; and the 1959 Hollywood Gold Cup with HILLSDALE.

One of the wonderful things about racing is that from the best of each year comes a new crop of great runners - already from the breeding farm such champions of the 1950's as CITATION, TOM FOOL, NATIVE DANCER, SWAPS and NASHUA are sending us new stars. And so it goes from champion Thoroughbreds come their handsome sons and daughters to take over the winner's circle and add new thrills to our, "Sport of Kings.

A VERY RARE PRE-HISTORIC racing documentary that dates back to 1960 can be the latest addition to your horse racing collection. Film footage of these racing legends is becoming more scarce with each passing day - take a stroll back in time and re-visit these racing icons when they made history!

AS AN ADDED BONUS...A priceless segment on the immortal NATIVE DANCER is shown after the main feature ends; every single horse entered for the 2005 Travers Stakes was directly descended to NATIVE DANCER - his legacy is still very much alive and kicking to this very day!!

IN ADDITION TO THIS....also included is a treasure-trove of a find...an unearthed 10-minute relic mini-documentary showing several of the entries for the 1956 Garden State Trial for two-year-olds - at that time the richest race in the world! See very rare footage of CALIFORNIA KID (trained by Mesch Tenney and ridden by Willie Shoemaker), Calumet Farm's BARBIZON and IRON LIEGE, MR. JIVE, CLEM, and the eventual winner, FEDERAL HILL. Also included is footage of Calumet Farm's trainer, Jimmy Jones, shown on horseback supervising his string of horses for their daily workouts and an exclusive interview with him before the race. Next shown is newsreel footage of the 1956 Kentucky Derby with footage of Calumet lead trainer, Ben Jones and his Derby hopeful and eventual winner, HILL GAIL.

BUT WAIT...as if all this ISN'T ENOUGH...a lengthy 10-minute segment on NATIVE DANCER and his owner, Alfred G. Vanderbilt's Sagamore Farm is showcased through the eyes of his son, Alfred G. Vanderbilt the III. The younger Vanderbilt re-lives tales of his childhood living at the fabled Sagamore Farm with rare footage from family archival films of NATIVE DANCER; how the farm was run as a full breeding and racing operation; how all the farm's personal trainers would show up before big race days loading all the horses on the family's private rail system en-route to tracks all around the country and how Sagamore Farm was ultimately sold in the 1980's when his father felt the racing industry had changed so much that he was outdated in a commercial-racing game motivated only by profit and not love of the game. Sagamore Farm would eventually fall into the wrong hands through the years and fall victim to neglect and disrepair until just recently as a new owner has vowed to re-build and renovate Sagamore back to its storied glory days...very promising indeed!
 

 

 

50 Minutes.

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