Kurt Becker’s Stroll Through Racing History presented by Keeneland - Willamston Kid

0:00Hello, I'm Kurt Becker. Thanks for joining me as I take another stroll through racing history presented by Keenlyn. He scored one win in 19 starts as a three-year-old, and even that victory came via promotion by the stewards, and he remains the biggest upset winner in the history of the Florida Derby. His name was Williamston Kid. On April 3rd, 1963, a Timberlain farm, a breeder, EK Thomas, and Paris Kintucky, Williamston Kid was a big cult bipete out of Miss Berea by Mr. Trouble. His sire was memorable for having pulled a $60 up set of coal town in Chicago in 1948, while his dam was a $1,200 claimer. Purchased privately as a yearling for $5,000 by Detroit industrialist Paul Turns, and trainer Jimmy Bartlett, Williamston Kid was named for the town of Williamston, Michigan, where Bartlett's farm was located. The Kid portion of the name was a tribute to Bartlett's grandson Bill, who was the farm manager. Turns and Bartlett came from

1:05different backgrounds, with turns being a University of Michigan graduate, who served as a director at Detroit Racecourse, in addition to being chairman of Thermotech Industries and President of Standard Steel Treaty. By comparison, Bartlett had grown up in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, the son of a steam fitter, and was a former agent for the Marman Motor Company. One thing both men had learned about success was to surround oneself with trustworthy people, and be willing to take a risk if one wants to be rewarded. Having done business in the past with Thomas, they trusted his judgment. When the Kentucky breeder said he had a good yearling, he was willing to sell for $5,000, so Bartlett and Turns bought the cult site unseen. That cult, of course, was Williamston Kid. After a quiet summer campaign in Detroit as a juvenile in 1965, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the freshman Derby at DRC, Williamston Kid shipped to Chicago, and won the 39th running of the Hawthorne Juvenal Stakes. Getting the mile into 16th

2:05and one minute 46 and four-fifths under Jockey Henry Moreno, the cult took advantage of Hawthorne's long-home stretch and rallied from last of 14 in the final quarter mile for the victory. As a three-year-old, Williamston Kid finished a disappointing eighth in the fountain of youth at Gulfstream Park, some ten legs behind winner Kawaii King. Perhaps that's why Kawaii King was the eight to five favorite less than two weeks later for the 15th running of the Florida Derby, while Williamston Kid was dismissed at odds of nearly 91 to one. At the finish, four horses hit the wire together. Kawaii King was not one of them. Instead, it was Abe's hope crossing the wire first by a neck over Williamston Kid, who in turn was second by a nose over bold and brave. But as Abe's hope was standing in the winter circle, the objection sign was posted on the infield tote board. The Jockey, a fourth-place-manager sky guy, had lodged a claim of foul, saying Abe's hope had slammed his mouth twice in the stretch. After a 12-minute review, the stewards agreed.

3:09Abe's hope was disqualified from first to fourth, and Williamston Kid was promoted to the win at a huge price. To be precise, he paid $183 to win, $50 to place, and $23 to show. Even 60 years later, it remains the biggest upset in Florida Derby history. Williamston Kid's writer Robert Bobby Stevenson had long since returned to the jockey squaders unaware of the claim of foul. When word reached him that his mouth had been promoted to the win by the stewards, he scrambled to find the silks he had removed about 10 minutes earlier, and he ran to the winter circle. The stewards' decision had resulted in the first victory of Stevenson's 15-year career in a race for a purse of $100,000 or more. It also capped a special day for Stevenson in another sense. Prior to the races that day, his son, age 8, had been the winning jockey, if you will, in a one-for-long race for miniature horses. Shortly after Stevenson arrived at the winter's

4:11circle, Florida Governor Hayden Burns presented the trophy for the Florida Derby. Afterward, a member of the media asked Bartlett if he truly had believed Williamston Kid had a chance to win. Darn Ride I did, the trainer replied. I bet on it. He's well behaved, highly intelligent, and easy to train. After an 11th place finish in the Kentucky Derby, however, and a string of losses throughout the remainder of the year, turf riders became less enchanted with Bartlett's cult. One even said, Williamston Kid is little more than a conversation piece. His form is bad, his seasonal record is terrible, and he has a bad habit of never crossing the finish line first. Nonetheless, Williamston Kid would continue racing through age 5, adding two more minor stakes victories before retiring with 11 wins in 64 starts and earnings of over $200,000. Returning to Bartlett's farm in Michigan, Williamston Kid stood five seasons at stud before being exported to France. He sired six more crops in Europe, including a pair of stake sources

5:15before his death at age 17 in 1980. We remember Williamston Kid, still the biggest upset winner in Florida Derby history in what was the only win of his sophomore campaign, and we wish everyone a happy and safe Florida Derby Day. Please join me again next week when I take another stroll through racing history presented by Keanland. For HRRN, I'm Kurt Becker.