Jamestown (horse)
| Jamestown | |
|---|---|
| Sire | St. James |
| Grandsire | Ambassador |
| Dam | Mlle. Dazie |
| Damsire | Fair Play |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1928 |
| Country | United States  |
| Colour | Bay |
| Owner | George D. Widener, Jr. |
| Trainer | A. Jack Joyner, Bert Mulholland (from 1933) |
| Record | 19: 12 ?-? |
| Earnings | US$189,685 |
| Major wins | |
| Flash Stakes (1930) United States Hotel Stakes (1930) Saratoga Special Stakes (1930) Grand Union Hotel Stakes (1930) Tournament Handicap (1931) Withers Stakes (1931) Colin Purse (1931) Capitol Handicap (1933) | |
| Awards | |
| American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (1930) | |
| Last updated on January 20, 2010 | |
Jamestown (1928-1953) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred and raced by George D. Widener, Jr., an Exemplar of Racing and someone described by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune newspaper as "one of thoroughbred racing's most respected horsemen." [1]
Bred in Kentucky, Jamestown's racing success led to his name and image of Jamestown was used to promote Park & Tilford whiskey using the slogan: Proof of Kentucky bred quality! [2] His sire was St. James, the 1923 retrospective American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. Out of the mare, Mlle. Dazie, Jamestown's damsire was U. S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Fair Play who also sired Man o' War.
Conditioned for racing by future U. S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer, Jack Joyner, Jamestown raced against very strong opponents in 1930 and 1931 when he was part of what the Chicago Tribune newspaper called the "big four" in racing which included Twenty Grand, Mate, and Equipoise. As a two-year-old, Jamestown won five important races, capping off 1930 with a win in the most prestigious race in the United States for two-year-olds, the Belmont Futurity Stakes. At time when there was no official voting for annual racing Champions, Jamestown was recognized in the industry as the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. [3] Although Jamestown twice defeated Equipoise, he shared the 1930 retrospective honors as listed by The Blood-Horse magazine [4] and Thoroughbred Heritage. [5]
Injured, Jamestown did not start again until May 27 of 1931 when the then three-year-old won the Tournament Handicap at Belmont Park. [6] Three days later the colt won the Withers Stakes at Belmont Park and on June 9 at the same track won the Colin Purse. [7] Four days after that, Jamestown raced again, finishing third to winner Twenty Grand in the Belmont Stakes. After running third in the June 25th Shelvin Stakes against inferior competition, Jamestown was rested [8] and did not race again in 1932.
Racing as a four-year-old in 1932, on July 1st Jamestown ran second to Equipoise in world record time in the Delavan Handicap at Chicago's Arlington Park. [9] Jack Joyner retired at the end of 1932 and assistant trainer Bert Mulholland took over as head trainer of the Widener stable. For Mulholland, the five-year-old Jamestown won the Capitol Handicap at Laurel Park Racecourse in Maryland. [10]
As a sire
Jamestown was retired to stud duty for the 1934 season at his owner's Erdenheim Farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania but the following year Widener would relocate him to his Old Kenney Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
Overall, Jamestown met with reasonable success as a stallion, siring eighteen stakes race winners. Among his sons were excellent runners such as:
- Johnstown (b. 1936) - Hall of Fame inductee and 1939 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner
- Rosetown (b. 1937) - won 20 races including the Adirondack Handicap, Diana Handicap, and Vineland Handicap
- Natchez (b. 1943) - wins include Travers Stakes, Kent Stakes
Through his daughter, Reaping Reward, Jamestown was also the damsire of Sheilas Reward, back-to-back winner of American Champion Sprint Horse honors in 1950 and 1951.
Jamestown died at age twenty-five in 1953 and is buried in the Old Kenney Farm's equine cemetery.