Faded Glory: Forgotten Kentucky Derby Winners (Dust Commander, 1970)

The Kentucky Derby is an experience unlike any other, prompting Bluegrass-born author Irvin S. Cobb to write, “Until you go to the Kentucky Derby with your own eyes, behold the Derby, you ain’t never been nowhere, and you ain’t seen nothing.” For fans, the Run for the Roses is a bucket list item, a chance to experience a taste of the best that racing has to offer. For breeders, owners, trainers, and jockeys, standing in that winner’s circle with the scent of roses filling the air is the ultimate achievement, their names preserved in the history of America’s most famous contest. 

In 1970, Dust Commander made dreams come true for a journeyman jockey, a young trainer, and a family new to racing, a victory that rewarded the faith of the few who believed in this long shot from the Land of Lincoln.

High Hopes 

Robert and Verna Lehmann were new to breeding and racing when they bought the former Steelway Farm near Paris, Kentucky, in 1964 and then a 100-acre farm in Ocala, Florida, a year later. The couple christened both Golden Chance Farm and set out to supplement the broodmares that came with the property with stock from the Keeneland auctions. “With one of these six, we're going to win the Kentucky Derby,” Robert Lehmann told his wife after buying those young horses.

At the 1968 Keeneland yearling sale, Lehmann picked out a small chestnut colt by Bold Commander, a stakes-winning son of 1957 Horse of the Year and leading sire Bold Ruler, out of the Windy City II mare Dust Storm, and brought him home to Golden Chance for $6,500. According to his paperwork, this new acquisition was a Kentucky-bred, but later the Lehmanns would discover that the colt, now named Dust Commander, was actually an Illinois-bred. Breeders Tom and Jim Pullen had purchased Dust Storm in foal for $900, tried unsuccessfully to sell her, and then brought her back to Illinois to foal. When Dust Commander was about 45 days old, they sold both the mare and her colt to W. Paul Little. Little then mistakenly entered the colt in the Keeneland sale as a Kentucky-bred. 

At two, Dust Commander raced 14 times, breaking his maiden in his fifth start and then winning the City of Miami Beach H. at Tropical Park in late December. Originally trained by Billy Turner, who would later condition 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, the Lehmanns moved their colt to the barn of Don Combs that September. A native of Lexington, Combs had grown up with horses and initially had aspired to be a lawyer before turning to training. The 31-year-old had been on his own for only three years before Dust Commander landed in his barn, but the young trainer would make the most of this opportunity. 

Bluegrass Blessing

Dust Commander opened his three-year-old season with six starts and six off-the-board finishes, including the Hutcheson S. and Fountain of Youth S., before Combs brought him to Keeneland. There, with jockey Mike Manganello in the saddle, he won the 1 1/16-mile Hamburg Purse on April 8 and then returned to for the Blue Grass S. on April 24, just eight days before the Kentucky Derby. When rain soaked Keeneland’s dirt oval, Combs was thrilled: Dust Commander had broken his maiden over a wet track at Delaware Park the previous summer. 

In the paddock before the Blue Grass, Verna Lehmann stood with Archbishop Emanuel Milingo, a Catholic archbishop visiting the United States from Zambia, who asked the owner if he could bless the horse. The petite colt, who stood just over 15 hands and weighed a scant 900 pounds, stood for the blessing and then went on to upset the Blue Grass by three-quarters of a length. 

For his part, Robert Lehmann was completely unaware that his Derby hopeful had scored this big victory. The Ohio native and contractor was up in a tree stand in the Indian jungle, indulging his love of big-game hunting as he tracked a tiger that had reportedly killed a number of local residents. The day of Dust Commander’s Blue Grass win, Lehmann found his target and brought down the 10-foot-long, 700-pound tiger, and then days later, phoned Verna, who shared the news of their colt’s victory. Lehmann gave the go-ahead for sending their hopeful to Louisville for the big race and then started the long journey back to the United States, arriving just before the Derby. 

Spectacular Surprise

The 1970 Derby field included Personality, who would go on to win the Preakness two weeks later; High Echelon, who would take the Belmont S.; and Silent Screen, the previous year’s two-year-old champion colt. Most notably for racing historians, the 96th edition featured a first in Diane Crump, who became the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Though Fathom finished toward the back of the field, Crump opened the door for the women who followed her, including Hall of Famer Julie Krone.

Going off at 15-1, Dust Commander and Manganello drew post 2 and broke cleanly, taking up position on the rail early. At the half-mile pole, he gave the colt the cue to go and held on as Dust Commander picked off horses one by one. The crowd gasped as Holy Land, running 13th of 17, clipped heels and fell, dropping his rider Hector Pilar. (The colt got to his feet and was fine.) Coming out of the turn, Manganello swung his colt to the outside to find racing room in a tightly packed field. With a furlong to go, Dust Commander seized the lead and quickly put five lengths between him and the field, capitalizing on his Blue Grass performance to become the first Illinois-bred to win the Kentucky Derby. 

The colt came out of the race with an injured ankle, which hampered his preparation for the Preakness two weeks later. He finished eighth behind Personality, that ankle forcing him to miss the Belmont. Dust Commander retired to Golden Chance Farm the following year and stood stud there until 1974, when he was exported to Japan. He returned to the United States in 1979, standing at Gainesway and then Springland Farms until his death in 1991. His two best American progeny include Preakness winner Master Derby and Run Dusty Run, who was among the horses that finished behind Seattle Slew in the 1977 Triple Crown.