Citation

It was the decade where Triple Crowns were common; unlike the last two decades, where there have been none. The established racing series had been won four times during the 1940's, first by Whirlaway, then Count Fleet, Assault and then Citation in 1948. The Bull Lea colt would be come the last Triple Crown winner for twenty-five years, until the great Secretariat would win it in 1973.

Yet, unlike the great horses as Secretariat and

Man O'War (whom Citation would always seem second best to), this champion would go on to be a great handicaping horse. Racing's first millionaire, Citation ran forty-five times and was only off the board once, his first stakes race after a lay off. He won sixteen races consecuatively running in major stakes and beating some of the best horses in history, a feat only to be matched forty-six years later by the great Cigar.

     Bred in Kentucky on the famous Calumet Farms, Citation would be raised and trained along with his well known stablemates, Coaltown and Bewitch, both of whom were by Bull Lea, the same as Citation. Citation would meet these two horses as well as other Calumet Farm horses on the track. But Citation would become the real star of the farm.

      Citation would start his career in Maryland. He broke his maiden and won an allowance race at Harve de Grace, and an allowance at Pimlico, a track where he would win four races. Next the bay colt would travel to the state of Illinois. He won another allowance race and then won the Elementary Stakes at six furlongs. Just over two weeks later, Citation was entered in the Washington Futurity, along with stablemates Free America and unbeaten filly Bewitch. The trio entry would go off as the favorite. But he would recieve his first taste of defeat, when the Bewitch would hold on to the lead and beat Citation by one length, with Free America coming in thrid.

      However, Citation would not lose again during his two-year-old season. Brought to New York's Belmont Park, Citation would win the Futurity Trial and then the Futurity Stakes, where he beat Bewitched. He capped off his season where it began, in Maryland in the Pimlico Futurity. It was the first time Citation would stretch out beyond seven furlongs and took the 8.5 furlong race by three lengths. Citation would recieve the Eclipse Award for Champion two year old male , while Bewitch (only losing one race that year to Citation) was named Champion filly, and stable mate Armed would win Horse of the Year honors.

In to his three-year-old campaign, Citation would keep on winning, at least for a little while. His two starts would be against older company. First he raced in an won an allowance race and then he beat Champion Armed in the Seminole Handicap. Citation would then go back to racing horses of his own age, and took the Everglades Handicap and Flamingo Staks. All Four races were held at Hialeah, a track in Florida which stands a

statue of the great horse.

      Citation was taken to back to Harve de Grace where he would suffer his one defeat of the year. A horse named Saggy held off Citation to win the Chesapeake Trial. But Citation would take teh Chesapeake Stakes five days afterwards. In his first time racing in his home state of Kentucky, Citation won the Derby Trial easliy. There was no doubt in anyones mind who would be favored for the Derby. But Citation would be favored along with stablemate and Citation's greatest threat, Coaltown.

      But in the Kentucky Derby, Citation proved he was the better of the two Calumet colts. Citation finished three and a half lengths a head of Coaltown, with My Request another three lengths back in third. He would go back again to Maryland to win the Preakness Stakes, this time without Coaltown by his side. He won by over five lengths to Vulcan's Forge and Bovard.

      Now, most horses in present day would wait that three weeks till the Belmont Stakes after running and winning both the Derby and Preakness, trying to stay fresh for the long Belmont Stakes. But since the Belmont Stakes (in 1948) was four weeks away, Citation would be entered in the mile and a quarter Jersey Stakes. He won by eleven lengths, with a finished time two seconds faster than his Derby win. Two more weeks and Citation won the Belmont Stakes by eight lengths, wrapping up the fourth Triple Crown of the decade, the second for Calumet Farms (Whirlaway in 1941) and the last Crown for twenty five years.)

   Citation would finish up the year by winning the Stars and Stripes Stakes, American Derby, Sysonby Mile (beating Coaltown), the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes and the Empire City Gold Cup, in which he beat Phalanx both times (a top handicap horse). He also won a few allowance races, the Tanforan Handicap and won the Pimlico Special in a walkover , when no horses would challenge him.