While the names of celebrated racehorses are retired, never to be used again, those who fall just below top class can find their names used more than once. Three good fillies named Wistful raced during the last century. The first was a chestnut foaled in 1914. A daughter of Star Shoot – Witfull, she won the first running of Coaching Club American Oaks.
The most recent was a bay foaled in 1977, by Maribeau (a son of Ribot and leading broodmare Cosmah) and out of Margaret’s Number. This Wistful was a multiple Graded stakes winner and is the second dam of champion sprinter Lost In The Fog.
The middle Wistful is notable for being the first winner of a Triple Crown for fillies.
A homebred for the all-conquering Calumet Farm, Wistful was a chestnut foaled on March 1, 1946. She was from the first crop of multiple stakes winner Sun Again, who also sired Sunglow, himself the sire of Hall of Famer Sword Dancer, sire of champion Damascus.
Her dam was Easy Lass, who, courtesy of the exploits of Wistful and her older half-brother Coaltown, was named Broodmare of the Year for 1949.
Another Calumet homebred, Hall of Famer Coaltown, a foal of 1945, was champion sprinter in 1948 and champion handicap horse in 1949.
In 1961 the New York Racing Association linked the Acorn, Mother Goose and Coaching Club American Oaks into its own Fillies’ Triple Crown. Eight fillies captured the series.
From 2003 to 2006 it was changed to the Mother Goose, Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama. In 2007 it reverted to the original three races, then in 2010 it became the Triple Tiara, comprising the Acorn, Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama. So far it has not produced any winners in its present form.
The original Fillies Triple Crown more closely followed the males’ triumvirate: Kentucky Oaks, Pimlico Oaks (now called the Black-Eyed Susan) and the Coaching Club American Oaks. Two fillies won it, both for Calumet, Wistful in 1949 and Real Delight in 1952.
Calumet’s Davona Dale won both the old and new Fillies’ Triple Crown by capturing the Kentucky Oaks, Black-Eyed Susan, Acorn, Mother Goose and Coaching Club American Oaks in 1979.
As a 2-year-old ...
Wistful made her career debut down a sloppy Widener Chute at Belmont in a 17-runner 5½ furlong fillies’ maiden on September 30, 1948. With the start “obscured by mist”, she finished eighth.
A month later, Wistful broke her maiden by six lengths over 11 other juvenile fillies going six furlongs at Pimlico. That was it for her juvenile season.
According to The Blood-Horse, most of Calumet’s 2-year-olds that year were bothered by coughs and “were raced sparingly”.
As a 3-year-old ...
In January and February of 1949, Wistful ran five times in the space of a month, including four times in 16 days. She started off at the old Tropical Park, finishing fourth in a 6-furlong allowance against males on January 15.
Four days later, she could only manage seventh of 11 after encountering trouble over the same trip. She scored her first victory of the season by two lengths over seven furlongs on January 27. She then finished third after a slow start going six furlongs three days later, all three of those runs at Hialeah.
She won another 7-furlong allowance at the same track on February 14, this time by four lengths, then was off for two months. During this hiatus, Ben Jones took over her training from his son, Jimmy.
Her stakes debut came in the Ashland at Keeneland over six furlongs on April 14. She had to take up and go to the outside but with a belated run managed to finish second of ten. On April 30, she made a late run on the outside to win a one-mile allowance at Churchill Downs.
From there it was on to the Kentucky Oaks six days later. She won the 75th running of the 8½-furlong contest ‘going away’ by 4½ lengths over nine others. It was Wistful’s first stakes win. The next day Calumet completed the Oaks-Derby double with Ponder taking the Roses.
After the Oaks, she moved from Ben back to Jimmy Jones.
Only one week later, Wistful took the 26th running of the Pimlico Oaks, coming from way back to score by three-quarters of a length. Kentucky Derby-winning rider Steve Brooks was aboard her for the first time. She ran the 8½ furlongs in 1:44⅖, equaling the stakes record set by the great Gallorette in 1945.
The 33rd running of Belmont’s Coaching Club American Oaks on May 28, at 1m3f, saw the largest field to date, with 14 runners. The race started on the old Widener Chute, which, beginning on the training track, bisected the track. This start was only used once a year for the Oaks and was the only race over a recognized track in America that involved a right-hand turn. Santa Anita’s hillside turf course was four years in the future.
Let’s let the esteemed turf scribe Joe Palmer explain it:
“Belmont, being a mile and a half around, to start the Oaks 11 furlongs out would send the field into the first turn too closely jammed, so it is started away up the Widener Chute. The field comes down, swings right into the main track close to the mile pole, and then is run around orthodox turns.”
Wistful, having virtually walked out of the gate, trailed the field for the first half-mile, then began steadily gaining ground, running down Adile by a half-length in front of a crowd of 36,599. The roan Adile would go on to win the Alabama. The taking of a fillies’ triple was only alluded to in passing in the press at the time.
After a short break, Wistful returned in the one-mile Cleopatra at Arlington on July 20. She closed well to finish third behind the winner, another Calumet colorbearer, Two Lea. She came out of the race with an osselet, a joint inflammation, and didn’t run again that season.
Wistful and Two Lea were named co-champion 3-year-old fillies in 1949.
Two Lea won six of seven races at three. Her only defeat was a half-length loss, giving ten pounds to winner No Strings, in the Modesty at Arlington in July. Two Lea is found in the pedigree of Davona Dale, as the dam of broodmare sire Tim Tam, while Wistful’s sire Sun Again is also in the pedigree of Davona Dale, as the sire of her granddam Princes Gate.
As a 4-year-old ...
Wistful’s 4-year-old debut came at Arlington in a 6-furlong allowance against males on June 24, 1950. She finished seventh. A month later she closed strongly to finish second in the Arlington Matron over a mile.
She beat males the following month in the Clang Handicap at Washington Park, scoring by a length over ten others in the 7-furlong contest. A week later she was off slowly as usual and only managed to finish fifth in the Misty Isle Handicap over the same track and trip.
She was tried over longer against her own gender on August 30 in the 9-furlong Beverly Handicap at Washington Park and finished second carrying 128 pounds.
Back east on September 9, she was second against males in the 9-furlong Edgemere Handicap. A week later she came from far back in a field of 12 to get third in the Beldame. Both of these starts came at Aqueduct.
She closed well for third in the mile and half Ladies Handicap at Belmont on October 4.
There was no let-up in her schedule as she ventured to the west coast for her next run, a one-mile allowance against males at Hollywood Park on November 14. Her distaste for off tracks led to her finishing fifth in the muddy going.
In the final start of her campaign, on December 2 she finished third in the 9-furlong Vanity Handicap at Hollywood under 125 pounds. Finishing in front of her were a pair of good ones in winner Next Move, carrying 128, who had bested her in the Beldame and Ladies, and Bewitch, under 124.
As a 5-year-old ...
Still she kept going. On January 20, 1951, she was sixth of eight in the 9-furlong Santa Margarita at Santa Anita.
She lined up against the boys three times at Santa Anita in February, finishing third over 8½ furlongs on the February 1 after being impeded, languishing in tenth over seven furlongs on the 12th, and managing second over a mile on the 20th. She then went back under the care of Ben Jones.
A change of scenery was no help as she ran poorly, finishing eighth of nine, against males going 6½ furlongs at Keeneland on April 17.
Four days later, her fortunes were reversed as she scored in the 8½-furlong Ben Ali Handicap against males by six lengths. Only five ran. Wistful carried 112 to second-placed Counterpoint with 105. Counterpoint would go on to win that year’s Belmont and be named Horse of the Year.
On the 28th, she was sixth of eight in the Churchill Downs Handicap, but five days later beat the boys by a head in a three-horse blanket finish in the 8½-furlong Clark Handicap.
She came back from another break on July 21 to finish fifth against her own sex in a 7-furlong allowance at Arlington. This was followed by a good effort to finish a fast closing third on a heavy track against males at Washington Park on August 7.
Four days later, she got up just in time to defeat the boys again in the nine-furlong Whirlaway at Washington Park by three-quarters of a length.
Back with Jimmy Jones, she went one better than the previous year in winning the Beverly Handicap on August 29 by a length and a quarter under 126 pounds.
A third in a filly and mare allowance at Aqueduct in September was followed by a poor showing in the Beldame, after which she was done for the year.
As a 6-year-old ...
She made her 6-year-old debut over a muddy strip at Golden Gate in a 6-furlong filly and mare allowance on April 10, 1952, and, unsurprisingly, finished six of nine. Six days later, she was last of six over the same trip.
Three more poor efforts followed, the first two over six furlongs against males at Golden Gate on May 3 and Hollywood on May 22, then on May 31 in the 7-furlong Milady.
She gained her first win of the year by a neck in a one-mile filly and mare allowance at Hollywood on June 6. It would be her final career victory. On June 14 she was second in the Vanity behind Two Lea. Two weeks later she was sixth in the Inglewood.
In the Hollywood Gold Cup over a mile and a quarter on July 12, she finished tenth, but the race was won by a filly, as Two Lea took the honors.
A week later she tried the 1m5f of the Sunset Handicap, finishing third.
Heading down the coast to Del Mar, she ran sixth over six furlongs against males on August 20, then took her chance in the Del Mar Handicap over nine furlongs on September 1, finishing fourth.
Two Lea again got the better of Wistful, who could only manage third, in the October 4 San Mateo Handicap at Bay Meadows for fillies and mares over a mile.
Wistful closed out her career with an eighth-place finish against males at Bay Meadows on October 18.
In retirement ...
Always a slow starter but a fast finisher, she made 51 starts, with 13 wins and earnings of $213,060. She ran against males 22 times in her career, winning four.
She was ridden by 16 different jockeys, including Bill Shoemaker (twice) and Eddie Arcaro (once). Neither won on her. Hall of Famer Steve Brooks rode her the most, in 15 races, including the last two-thirds of her Triple Crown.
Wistful produced three foals, all colts and all by Calumet’s star sire Bull Lea. Her first - and best - was foaled in 1954. Named Gen. Duke, he ran twice as a 2-year-old, winning his debut then coming out of a third-place finish with bucked shins.
He was second to Gallant Man in his 3-year-old debut on January 3 at Tropical Park, second to Bold Ruler in the Bahamas and Flamingo Stakes, and beat him by a head in the Everglades Stakes. He again beat Bold Ruler in winning what is still the fastest Florida Derby to date, equalling the world record for nine furlongs in 1:46⅘.
The morning after finishing second in the Derby Trial, Gen. Duke developed pain in his left front foot and missed the Kentucky Derby. The following month he pulled up lame after working at Pimlico. X-rays revealed a hoof fracture. He never returned to the races and was put down on July 28, 1958, after he became a wobbler, a neurological condition causing loss of coordination.
Sources
American Race Horses, 1948 & 1949, Joe H. Palmer, Sagamore Press, 1949 & 1950
American Race Horses, 1957, Joe Estes, Thoroughbred Breeders Association, 1958
American Racing Manuals, 1950 & 1961
Champions, The Lives, Times and Past Performances of America’s Greatest Thoroughbreds, Daily Racing Form, 2005
Daily Racing Form online archives, various dates, 1949, 1951
Pedigreequery.com
Santa Anita Media Guide, 1990-91
The Blood-Horse magazine, various dates, 1949, 1958 & 1981