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A History of Winners at Hialeah Park
The crown jewel of thoroughbred horse racing was at one point Hialeah Park. Countless champions graced the now
demolished stables and raced on its world renowned turf. Below is a sampling of horses, many hall of famers, which
won stakes at Hialeah.
demolished stables and raced on its world renowned turf. Below is a sampling of horses, many hall of famers, which
won stakes at Hialeah.
- War Admiral (1934-1959), the offspring of the great thoroughbred Man O' War
and the mare Brushup, was born at Faraway Farm in Lexington, KY and was
owned by Samuel D. Riddle. Racing out of his Glen Riddle Farm in Berlin, MD,
War Admiral won 21 of his 26 starts, including the Pimlico Special and the
coveted U.S. Triple Crown in 1937, earning him the Eclipse Award for Horse of
the Year. War Admiral retired with an earnings total of $273,240. He was the
leading American sire in 1945 and the leading juvenile sire in 1948. Before his
death in 1959, War Admiral had sired 40 stakes winners.
Whirlaway (1938-1953) a chestnut colt, was sired by Blenheim II, out of the dam
Dustwhirl at Calumet Farm in Lexington, KY. Trained by Ben A. Jones and ridden
by Eddie Arcaro, he won the U.S. Triple Crown in 1941. He was voted the Eclipse
Award for Horse of the Year for 1941 and repeated as Horse of the Year in 1942.
At age 5, Whirlaway was retired to stud and later shipped to France to stand for
Marcel Boussac at his Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard.
Assault (1943 -1971) was born at King Ranch in Texas and remains the only
Texas-bred Triple Crown winner. He was the son of Kentucky Derby and
Preakness Stakes winner Bold Venture and won the U.S. Triple Crown in 1946,
becoming the seventh Triple Crown winner and being voted Horse of the Year.
Assault died in 1971, at the ripe age of 28, at King Ranch. In all, Assault raced 42
times, with 18 victories (15 of which were in stakes races), 6 second-place
finishes, and 7 third-place finishes. He earned $675,470.
Citation (1945 - 1970) Owned and bred by Calumet Farm in Lexington, KY,
Citation was a bay colt, the son of Bull Lea and the mare, Hydroplane. Trained by
Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones, Citation was the first horse to win $1 million. Jockey Al
Snider drowned while fishing off the Florida Keys after winning the Flamingo
Stakes so Jones hired Eddie Arcaro, one of Snider's friends. Citation won the
Kentucky Derby by 3 ½ lengths ridden by Arcaro and he gave the Snider’s widow
a share of his Derby purse. By the end of that season, the three-year-old horse
had a career record of 27 victories and two seconds in 29 starts. Citation died at
the age of 25 and is buried at Calumet Farm. The memory of Citation was
honored when Dwayne Wallace, Chairman of Cessna Aircraft Company selected
the name Citation for the new business jet Cessna was designing. Hints of
Citation's legacy can be found in the jet's logo in the form of a horseshoe
background. Even today, pictures of Citation line the hallways of Cessna's
buildings. Additionally Citation was honored with the now famous statue at
Hialeah Park.
Seattle Slew (1974- ) Seattle Slew was foaled at Ben Castleman's White Horse
Acres Farm near Lexington, KY. Sired by Bold Reasoning out of the Poker mare
My Charmer, Seattle Slew was a beautiful dark brown colt. In 1975, Slew was
sold to Karen and Mickey Taylor. Under the guidance of trainer Billy Turner,
Seattle Slew made his racing debut on September 20, 1976. He would win all
three races in his two-year-old campaign. His accomplish-ments earned him the
Eclipse Award in 1976. In 1977, Slew continued his unmatched championship
form by winning six more consecutive races including the Triple Crown and again
receiving an Eclipse Award. With a career racing record of 14 firsts and 2
seconds in 17 races and earnings of $1,208,726, Seattle Slew would go on to
become a champion again many times over as a sire.
