Kelso at Aqueduct
Kelso, center, with Never Bend to the left and Crimson Satan to the right. Photo by George Silk (LIFE).
The caption on this undated photo, found browsing the LIFE archive now on Google (via), is simply “Kelso Horse,” but the picture is almost certainly of the 1963 Woodward Stakes, then held at Aqueduct, which Kelso won by 3 1/2 lengths as the 1-4 favorite. It was his third win in the Woodward (Kelso would finish second by a nose to Gun Bow in 1964) and his eighth victory of the year; in 1963, Kelso not only won the Woodward, but the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Whitney, Suburban, and Gulfstream Handicap, going 9-for-12 and earning a fourth straight Horse of the Year title.
A crowd of 50,234 was at the Big A to see the famous gelding face a small, but deep, field that included two juvenile champions (Never Bend, second, and Crimson Satan, third) and 1961 Kentucky Derby winner Carry Back (fourth), who was then fourth on the all-time earnings list. Kelso was second (the retired Round Table led with more than $1.7 million in purses) and this Woodward marked the first time two horses with earnings of more than $1 million met on track.
The race was run much as expected, with Never Bend the pacesetter and Kelso taking over at the 3/16 pole. “Speed to spare,” reads the chart. According to the NYT, “When Kelso was guided by Valenzuela into the lead … he was hailed by a steady flood of applause … the cheers were steady and spontaneous, unlike the shrieking and hysterical shouts that are offered up to a pure betting representative.” That must have been something to hear.
A few other striking photos from the archive: Seabiscuit, after winning the Santa Anita Handicap, Busher, “having ankles strapped,” and trainer Sunny Fitzsimmons, “sadly gazing at racehorse Nashua.”
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