About three-quarters of a century ago, Citation showcased the most exceptional performance for a three-year-old in horse racing history. Endowed with natural quickness, endurance, and an insatiable drive for victory, Citation moved his trainer Jimmy Jones to confidently declare: “My equine athlete was capable of defeating any creature with fur.”
In the year 1948, Citation triumphed in 19 out of 20 starts. His victories spanned all distances, occurred at ten distinct venues, and took place across seven different states, as he journeyed nationwide in unventilated lorries and hot train carriages. He secured his wins by an aggregate margin of 66 lengths, and dominated the Triple Crown events by a combined 17 lengths. His successes in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes contributed to his impressive streak of 16 consecutive wins.
Citation was associated with the renowned Calumet Farm and the Jones father-son duo, their dedicated trainers. Hailing from Purnell, Missouri, they achieved eight Kentucky Derby wins, establishing an unparalleled legacy. The distinguished conditioner Ben Jones, a large, muscular, and formidable figure, informed his son on the eve of the 1948 Kentucky Derby: “Jimmy, rest easy this evening, and accept this as absolute truth: any competitor Citation can observe, he can overtake. And his vision is flawless.”
Citation originated from an exceptional genetic combination engineered by Warren Wright’s Calumet Farm, nestled within the undulating verdant landscape of Fayette County, Kentucky. Wright brought together two rather unremarkable racing horses. The father was Bull Lea, who placed a disappointing eighth as the 3-1 second favorite in the 1938 Kentucky Derby. Opting to introduce some international lineage, Wright acquired Citation’s mother, Hydroplane II, from Lord Derby during the spring of 1941.
Securing the mare was straightforward. However, transporting her to the United States as World War II began presented a significant challenge. To circumvent the threat of torpedoes from German submarines in the Atlantic, Wright arranged for Hydroplane II to travel an extended Pacific route. Ultimately, Bull Lea and Hydroplane II successfully bred, resulting in the birth of a bay male foal on April 11, 1945. Wright dispatched him as a year-old to the Jones’ training facility in Florida to commence his racing education. Subsequently, he moved to Maryland to begin his competitive career in 1947.
Demonstrating his elite potential right away, Citation competed nine times as a two-year-old, achieving eight wins and one second-place finish, earning him the title of champion two-year-old. The young horse spent the winter at Hialeah Park, where he amassed four consecutive wins. Following his victory in the Flamingo Stakes, Citation’s regular rider, Al Snider, met a tragic end, drowning during a fishing mishap off the Florida shoreline. Trainer Jones enlisted Eddie Arcaro, a close confidant of Snider.
During Arcaro’s initial outing aboard Citation, the horse placed second behind Saggy in the Chesapeake Trail Stakes, contested on a damp racing surface.
“I had the capability to overtake him,” Arcaro stated post-race, “but I was unwilling to overexert that animal for a mere $8,300 prize, given the numerous $100,000 competitions awaiting us.”
Within five days, that defeat was reciprocated when Citation triumphed in the Chesapeake Stakes, beating Saggy by eleven lengths. He secured victory in the Derby Trial seven days prior to the Kentucky Derby, yet the primary discussion at Churchill Downs focused on a different Calumet entrant, Coaltown, who had broken the course record in the Blue Grass Stakes the week before. Coaltown was under the guidance of Ben Jones.
The day of the Derby saw an inch of precipitation. The one and a quarter-mile distance would be run on a mucky track. As the starting gates opened, Coaltown surged to the front, and at the midpoint, the young horse was comfortably ahead by six lengths. Subsequently, Arcaro prompted Citation, who effortlessly swept past his barn-mate to claim a three-and-a-half-length win. Despite the amiable Jimmy Jones being Citation’s conditioner, the colt competed in the Derby under Ben Jones’s designation, enabling him to equal trainer H. J. “Derby Dick” Thompson’s achievement of four Kentucky Derby champions. Arcaro presented a portion of the prize money to the bereaved wife of his companion, Snider.
As the Preakness Stakes approached, Coaltown opted not to participate. “The Big Cy” had the competition to himself, quickly taking the lead and leisurely striding to a five-and-a-half-length triumph over Vulcan’s Forge. Following an eleven-length easy win in the Jersey Stakes, Citation proceeded to the Belmont Stakes, aiming for the concluding prize of the Triple Crown.
On June 12, on a rapid surface at Belmont Park, as Citation navigated the final bend, Arcaro grasped the young horse’s streaming mane as they sped through the homestretch to secure an eight-length win against Better Self. Citation matched Count Fleet’s event record of 2:28 1/5 and emerged as the sport’s eighth (and Calumet’s second) Triple Crown champion.
“Citation stood as the ultimate. His pace was so extraordinary it instilled apprehension in me,” Arcaro commented.
Noted equestrian journalist Joe Palmer penned in BloodHorse: “I detected no discernible movement from Arcaro. Yet, with a subtle lowering of his hands, he unleashed the surging power of the magnificent competitor beneath him. Citation drew clear. He was still three-sixteenths of a mile from the wire, but his victory was assured. The audience at Belmont started to cheer before he reached the furlong marker. This spectator set aside his binoculars, navigated past various photographers, and descended to partake in the celebratory champagne.”
Citation was to achieve nine additional victories in 1948. He won 19 out of 20 races, ranging from quick six-furlong dashes to lengthy sixteen-furlong endurance tests. Following two seasons of competition, Citation’s career record was astonishing: 29 appearances, 27 first-place finishes, two second-place finishes, and global record prize money of $865,150.
He was awarded Horse of the Year for 1948. However, a bone growth on his left foreleg and issues with his tendons prevented him from competing in 1949. On January 11, 1950, Citation returned to win his first contest in precisely thirteen months, securing an allowance race by one and a half lengths, thereby extending his victorious run to an unparalleled sixteen races.
The five-year-old participated in eight further races in 1950, claiming one victory and placing second in the remaining seven. Among these defeats were four against the gifted Noor, with several being particularly disappointing. During the Santa Anita Handicap, Citation was bested by Noor by one and a quarter lengths, despite carrying 132 pounds, which was 22 pounds heavier than his conqueror.
Upon Warren Wright’s passing in 1950, his testament specified that the Jones family continue Citation’s training until he surpassed the one million dollar threshold in earnings. At the commencement of that year, Citation had accumulated $938,630 in prize money, but his initial three appearances yielded only $830 for the veteran champion.
He placed third on two occasions, then, in the Hollywood Premiere Handicap, Citation failed to earn prize money for the first instance in his competitive history. On July 14, 1951, Citation concluded his career triumphantly with a win in the Hollywood Gold Cup in Inglewood, elevating his total earnings to $1,085,760, which marked the conclusion of his time on the track.
Aftermath
The defeats Citation experienced toward the conclusion of his career somewhat diminished his otherwise brilliant standing. Nevertheless, Citation’s achievements as a two- and three-year-old, arguably the most formidable American racing has ever witnessed, are unlikely to ever be equaled.
By 1951, Citation was returned to his place of birth, Calumet Farm. His performance as a breeding stallion never approached the level of his racing ability, even though he produced a notable filly in Silver Spoon and Fabius, who won the 1956 Preakness and placed second in the Derby.
Citation passed away on August 8, 1970, at the age of 25, and was interred adjacent to his father and mother in Calumet’s renowned equine burial ground. Jimmy Jones’ fellow Hall of Famers, James Fitzsimmons and Max Hirsch, considered Citation the finest horse they had ever observed, despite having witnessed Man o’ War in their earlier years.
Citation earned induction into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1959 and was ranked third in BloodHorse‘s compilation of the Top 100 racehorses of the twentieth century.
