Any rivalry wants one thing greater than nice competitors to make it legendary.
East vs. West. Wealthy vs. Poor. Huge vs. Small.
Sprinkle any of these elements right into a battle between two nice athletes and you’ve got one thing memorable.
In 1955, the Kentucky Derby introduced collectively two disparate equine stars. From California got here Swaps, the upstart with a modest pedigree who was a blue-collar hero. His rival was a colt from the east with basic bloodlines who hailed from one of many sport’s best-known stables and was educated by the game’s dwelling legend.
Nashua was the opposite half of that nice rivalry with Swaps. Bred by the famed Belair Stud of William Woodward Jr., the son of Nasrullah completed second to Swaps of their famed conflict on the 1955 Kentucky Derby. However that was one of many few occasions in an excellent profession that Nashua didn’t wind up within the winner’s circle.
In a 30-race profession, Nashua not solely avenged that loss to Swaps, he gained 22 occasions and retired in 1956 with profession earnings of $1,288,565, pushing him previous Triple Crown champ Quotation and making him the game’s all-time cash chief at the moment. He was inducted into the Racing Corridor of Fame in 1965.
As a lot as he’s typically linked with Swaps, very like Affirmed and Alydar have been since their 1977-’78 duels, Nashua’s accomplishments may simply stand the take a look at of time with out the slightest little bit of assist from his nemesis.
Educated by the legendary James E. “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons, who was 79 years outdated on the time, Nashua began his profession impressively with a maiden win on Might 5, 1954, and solely grew higher with age and expertise.
At 2, Nashua took the Juvenile Stakes at Belmont Park in his second begin. He suffered his first loss when he completed second within the Cherry Hill Stakes at Backyard Stakes after which closed out his 1954 marketing campaign by profitable 4 his subsequent 5 begins, highlighted by triumphs within the Hopeful at Saratoga and Belmont Futurity underneath common rider Eddie Arcaro. At 12 months’s finish, he was named the champion 2-year-old of 1954.
At 3, Nashua continued to shine. He gained his first 4 begins, together with the Flamingo, Florida Derby, and Wooden Memorial. His margin of victory within the Wooden and Florida Derby had been slim – by a neck every time – however he was a consensus alternative so as to add a victory within the Kentucky Derby to his rising record of laurels.
One of many horses standing in his means was Swaps, the Santa Anita Derby winner, whose closing prep for the Kentucky Derby was a stable victory in a six-furlong dash at Churchill Downs.
To some, he was a risk for Nashua, however Arcaro noticed it otherwise. He instructed reporters that his principal concern within the race was Summer season Tan. Fitzsimmons, too, believed that Summer season Tan was the one to concern.
Arcaro and Fitzsimmons didn’t make many errors of their profession, however their underestimation of Swaps was unsuitable. Although Nashua was a 7-to-5 favourite, he proved to be second-best as he chased the front-running Swaps for a lot of the race however was unable to collar the speedy Californian, who pulled away within the stretch to win the run for the roses by a size and a half.
“Nashua didn’t lose the Derby due to any fault of his,” Fitzsimmons instructed Sports activities Illustrated. “He misplaced it as a result of I chucked it for him with my directions to Eddie Arcaro to observe Summer season Tan. I did not know a lot about this horse Swaps, however just a few fellows who thought they did instructed me they figured him for a mile or a mile-and-a-furlong horse – in different phrases one who most likely would not just like the mile-and-a-quarter Derby distance. I used to be unsuitable to imagine it. In that race, we lay again — because it turned out we lay again too far – watching Summer season Tan whereas Swaps did the primary three-quarters in a simple 1:12 2/5.
“When Eddie lastly noticed Summer season Tan was not going to be the risk that I had mentioned he can be, he went after Swaps. It was no use. Swaps had ending kick, and we had been cleanly licked. We had no excuse. I’ve by no means alibied for any loss and by no means will. However I figured I chucked that race, and I felt all alongside that issues is perhaps totally different if the 2 horses ever met once more. I do know Eddie felt the identical, and I suppose Mr. Woodward wished one other assembly about as dangerous as anybody else.”
The Kentucky Derby was a ringing endorsement for California racing and created a legion of followers for Swaps, but the rivalry that it spawned went on hiatus for a bit.
Nashua rebounded from his defeat at Churchill Downs to seize the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, however Swaps handed on each races.
As followers clamored for a rematch between the 2 good 3-year-olds, Nashua gained the Dwyer and Arlington Traditional.
Lastly, on Aug. 31, 1955, Swaps and Nashua met once more, this time when the connections of each horses agreed to a match race at Washington Park on the Derby distance of 1 ¼ miles.
A lot modified since their first assembly as followers on the Chicago observe made Swaps the 3-to-10 favourite and Nashua went off at 6-to-5 odds. Fitzsimmons, too, realized from his goof at Churchill Downs.
“The day of the match race, I felt pretty assured,” he instructed Sports activities Illustrated. “I figured we’d win if we ran my sort of a race. In match racing, the aim is to find which is the most effective horse, and I wished to search out out in a rush. I made a decision we had been going to run from the leap, and whichever horse may take it will win. A while in the past, I mentioned that I would not be shocked to see one horse win by an enormous margin when the opposite horse cracked. Nicely, I knew we had been able to run, and I didn’t suppose we had been going to do the cracking.”
This time the Corridor of Fame coach was spot on together with his evaluation. The match race was no contest.
Nashua was in peak situation and he beat Swaps at his personal recreation. He took the lead firstly and by no means gave Swaps an opportunity to defeat him for a second time.
Pulling away within the stretch, Nashua gained by 6 ½ lengths to even the rating together with his rival.
After Nashua ended the 12 months with a five-length victory over older horses within the Jockey Membership Gold Cup, he was later rewarded for his sensational 12 months by being named Horse of the 12 months and the champion 3-year-old.
In between these two occasions, 16 days after the 1954 Jockey Membership Gold Cup, tragedy intervened as Woodward Jr. was accidently shot and killed by his spouse, who mistakenly believed he was a burglar. In consequence, in 1955 Nashua was bought for a staggering $1,251,200 to a bunch that included outstanding breeder Leslie Combs II.
Each Nashua and Swaps raced at 4, however sadly they by no means met in one other showdown. Whereas Swaps spent a lot of the 12 months on the West Coast, Nashua raced 10 occasions on the East Coast and gained 5 occasions, together with stakes just like the Widener Handicap, Suburban Handicap, and Jockey Membership Gold Cup in his closing begin.
In one other accident, Swaps was named Horse of the 12 months for 1956.
But even with out back-to-back Horse of the 12 months titles, Nashua headed into retirement as some of the proficient and revered horses of his era.
And most well-known, too, because of a rivalry that had all the proper elements in it.
This story was first printed in 2014 and has been up to date.
Enjoyable Information About Nashua
- As profitable as he was on the racetrack, Nashua was equally nice as a sire at Combs’ Spendthrift Farm. His offspring featured 85 stakes winners together with champion mare Shuvee; Producer, a champion filly in France; Gold Digger, the dam of famend sire Mr. Prospector; and Melbourne Cup winner Beldale Ball. “That horse just about made Spendthrift Farm,” Arnold Kirkpatrick, vp of Spendthrift Farm on the time, instructed United Press Worldwide when Nashua was put down on account of outdated age in 1982. “He put the farm on the map. We’ve obtained horses who’ve been extra profitable as stallions, however I do not suppose any horse meant extra to us.”
- Nashua’s earnings file stood till 1958, when it was eclipsed by Spherical Desk.
- In BloodHorse journal’s rankings of the Prime 100 U.S. champions of the twentieth Century, Nashua ranked twenty fourth.
- In line with “Covers,” a ebook printed by Sports activities Illustrated, the journal deliberate to call Woodward Jr. as its Sportsman of the 12 months for 1955, however opted for Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Johnny Podres after Woodward’s loss of life.
