Citation

1948 Triple Crown Winner Profile

Sire: Bull Lea
Dam: Hydroplane (GB)

Owner: Calumet Farm
Breeder: Calumet Farm
Trainer: Ben A. Jones & Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones
Primary Jockey: Eddie Arcaro

Race record: 45 starts, 32 wins, 10 seconds, 2 thirds
Earnings: $1,085,760

By definition, any horse who completes a sweep of the Triple Crown must be considered a truly great champion. Yet even among Triple Crown winners Citation stands out as a legend among legends, with the breadth of his accomplishments arguably unparalleled to this day.

A Calumet Farm homebred, Citation was almost unbeatable at age two and three, winning 27 of his first 29 starts to twice reign as an undisputed division champion. As a juvenile he dominated the historic Futurity at Belmont by three lengths, and his only defeat came when simply cruising to a runner-up effort behind stablemate Bewitch (a future Hall of Fame inductee) in the Washington Futurity. Had Citation been asked for his best, he might have gone undefeated for the season.

Yet as much promise as Citation showed at age two, he was even better as a sophomore. After beating up on older rivals (including reigning Horse of the Year Armed) during the winter, Citation dominated the spring classics with complete authority. He won the Kentucky Derby by 3 1/2 lengths, the Preakness by 5 1/2 lengths, and the Belmont by 8 lengths. The only drama in the “Test of Champions” came when Citation stumbled at the start, but after quickly recovering to secure the lead, he pulled away easily to win in the record-equaling time of 2:28 1/5.

Citation continued to make a mockery of his rivals through the end of 1948. No distance was beyond his scope; he won an allowance race sprinting 6 furlongs and the Jockey Club Gold Cup galloping two miles. He scared away all his opposition in the Pimlico Special, winning in a walkover, and ended the season as a clear-cut Horse of the Year with 16 stakes wins to his credit.

Unfortunately, the development of an ankle osselet sidelined Citation for all of 1949, and when he returned to action in 1950, he’d lost his aura of invincibility. A season-opening allowance victory extended his win streak to 16 consecutive races, but Citation lost 11 of his next 12 starts before recapturing some of his old glory during the summer of 1951. Victories in the American H. and Hollywood Gold Cup pushed Citation’s earnings to $1,085,760, making him the first Thoroughbred to win more than $1 million in purse money.

Having reached this historic milestone, Citation promptly retired to stud at Calumet Farm. While some consider him to have been a minor disappointment as a stallion, Citation nevertheless sired champion filly and Hall of Fame inductee Silver Spoon, as well as Preakness winner Fabius.

Long considered one of the greatest horses to ever grace a North American racetrack, Citation passed away in 1970, 11 years after his induction into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.