Reminiscing about the grand old days of California horse racing this morning. My Mom grew up in Arcadia, right up the street from Santa Anita from the late 30s to the mid 50s. My grandfather had a dry cleaners that many jockeys and trainers used, so she grew up hanging out with a lot of them, including a young Bill Shoemaker. They all used to pile into a convoy of cars and go down to Agua Caliente for racing and weekends in TJ, and she would have so much fun talking about those days. You may not have heard much about Willard Proctor, if you are not a longtime fan of California horse racing. He was a top trainer in the era when TV didnt show many races outside of the Derby preps from California outside the local market,but was truly a Hall of Fame conditioner, even if he never got enough votes. Proctor never shipped his horses out of town, and never used any medications on his horses. He was the epitome of Hay, Oats and Water. I believe if you have a good horse, and you train him good, feed him good, and give him a good amount of rest, thats all you really need to do. was a famous quote. He also was famous for his temper, and many old timers have their favorite Willard Proctor stories. As you can tell from the silks, he was the private trainer for Glen Hill Farms, who now use his son Tom Proctor as their conditioner. He once convinced Leonard Lavin, the owner of Glen Hill Farms, to put up $ 100,000 to challenge the owner of Typecast, considered to be the best female racehorse in training to a match race. Convenience, the Glen Hill runner Proctor was sure could beat her was lightning, and after Typecasts owner put up $ 100,000 and Hollywood Park put up $ 50,000 for a purse, you had a $ 250,000 match race that I really wish I had been there to see. The great Bill Shoemaker was Typecasts rider, and Jerry Lambert, who was a top SoCal rider for 20 years rode Convenience. I will post a video of it on this thread: Here is a short list of Willard Proctor Stakes wins: Fayette Stakes (1964) Demoiselle Stakes (1966) Del Mar Derby (1973) Santa Barbara Handicap (1972) Santa Paula Stakes (1972) Vanity Invitational Handicap (1972, 1973) Santa Maria Handicap (1974) Baldwin Stakes (1975) Chula Vista Handicap (1976, 1977) San Carlos Handicap (1977) San Pasqual Handicap (1977) Santa Ysabel Stakes (1978) Autumn Days Handicap (1979) Del Mar Debutante Stakes (1979) Del Mar Futurity (1979) Monrovia Handicap (1979) Norfolk Stakes (1979) Santa Ynez Stakes (1980) San Diego Handicap (1981) El Encino Stakes (1982,1984) La Brea Stakes (1983, 1994) Providencia Stakes (1985) Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (1985) Santa Monica Stakes (1985) Balboa Stakes (1985) Malibu Stakes (1992) Los Angeles Handicap (1993) Railbird Stakes (1993) Palos Verdes Handicap (1994) Triple Bend Invitational Handicap (1995) Ladys Secret Stakes (1996)
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 10:37:47 +0000
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