![]() (BloodHorse photo)īut in the Blue Grass Stakes everything fell into place and Arts and Letters notched a 15-length win to emerge as a top threat for both Majestic Prince and Top Knight in the Kentucky Derby. He then reeled off three straight second-place finishes, winding up behind 2-year-old champion Top Knight in the Flamingo and then Florida Derby.Īrts and Letters and Braulio Baeza after winning the Travers. He needed four tries to break his maiden and it wasn’t until his eighth start – and second at 3 – that he captured his first stakes, the Everglades at Hialeah Park. His initial starts were hardly awe-inspiring as he ran fourth in his first two efforts at 2. ![]() ![]() Rokeby Stables’ Arts and Letters, the horse who lost by such a slim margin in both the Preakness and Derby, registered a decisive victory over Majestic Prince in the Belmont Stakes and during the final six months of the year went on to dominate his division and the sport as only a rare few have.Īt the year’s end, it was Arts and Letters, not the majestic “Prince,” who was voted Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old.Īrts and Letters was a homebred son of the undefeated English runner Ribot, who raced under the banner of philanthropist, sportsman, and Mellon Bank heir Paul Mellon’s Rokeby Stable and was trained by future Hall of Famer Elliot Burch. The balance of power tipped swiftly and dramatically. Majestic Prince was that rare breed of horse that lived up to every letter in his regal name. Purchased for a record $250,000 as a yearling, when he gamely won the 1969 Kentucky Derby by a neck there was a widespread, fervent belief that the electrifying, undefeated colt would be the one to become Thoroughbred racing’s first Triple Crown winner in 21 years.Īnother narrow, heart-stopping victory In the Preakness kept those hopes alive, but after that thrilling victory on the third Saturday in May at Pimlico, everything changed. Record: 23 starts, 11 wins, 6 seconds, 1 third Owner-Breeder: Paul Mellon's Rokeby Stable
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