Golden Mile

When Citation was sidelined with an osselet after two years of racing, he had won the triple crown, $865,150 for Owner Warren Wright, and ranking with Man o' War. For most of last year, when he should have been at his racing prime, four-year-old Citation did nothing much but munch his daily quota of oats and hay. He went back to work last fall and by January, at Santa Anita, Trainer Jimmy Jones had him ready again. He won an easy one, then finished second in five successive handicaps in which he carried top weight. Though each of the defeats was a near miss, many horsemen thought that Big Cy had lost some of his zip.

At California's Golden Gate Fields last week, Trainer Jones had Calumet's big bay primed for the Golden Gate Mile. But when he saw the assigned weights he groaned: despite his five straight losses, Citation was asked to lug 128 Ibs., give five to four-year-old Bolero, which had just set a world record for six furlongs. Said Jones: "Every handicapper we've come up against sticks five pounds on because of Calumet's name. If Citation wasn't so ready I wouldn't run him."

Trainer Jones's instructions to Jockey Steve Brooks were simple: "Don't let anything get too far ahead of you, and make your move at the three-eighths pole. Get that horse up on his toes."

Citation broke fast, with Brooks giving him a crack of the bat as he came out of the gate--the first time Citation had ever been whipped away from the post. But it was Bolero that set the pace, and Citation trailed him around the first turn and into the backstretch. It was a jet pace. Though the times did not count as official, Bolero was under the world records for five and six furlongs on the ultra-fast track.* Even so, he could not shake the Calumet colt.

Going into the stretch, Jockey Brooks drew his whip again, gave Citation a businesslike whack. "I wanted him to keep his mind on the race," said Brooks. Citation did. He ran down Bolero in the stretch, got home three-quarters of a length ahead. The tote board flashed the time: Citation had run the mile in 1:33 3/5, two-fifths of a second better than the world record set by his stablemate Coaltown at Washington Park last year. A moment later, the announcer verified what everybody at Golden Gate already knew: Big Cy had also beaten Stymie's alltime money-winning record. His earnings to date: $924,630 ($14,550 for the race) as against $918,485 for retired Stymie.

* Golden Gate is the fastest track in the U.S. World records set there: six furlongs, Bolero, 1:08 1/5; 1 1/16 mile, Count Speed, 1:41; 1 1/8 mile, Shannon II, 1:47 3/5; 1 1/4 mile, Shannon II, 1:59 4/5.

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