Aiken: A Special Place Where the Horse Rules
Jun 10, 2013 7:59:15 GMT -5
Post by cait on Jun 10, 2013 7:59:15 GMT -5
cool article - aiken is a haven! not just for the trials although they are often "indicative"of what's to come
Aiken: A Special Place Where the Horse Rules
By LESLIE KNAUF New York Times
Horses and riders in February at the annual Aiken Horse Show in Hitchcock Woods.
When Dogwood Stable’s president and chief cheerleader, W. Cothran Campbell, who is known as Cot, expressed his delight at winning the Belmont Stakes with Palace Malice, he included in his winner’s circle remarks an acknowledgement of the small city of Aiken, S.C., the home base for his racing partnership operation.
Over the years, I’d clipped several magazine articles about Aiken — a city of nearly 30,000 about 20 miles northeast of Augusta, Ga. — knowing that a visit there would be in my future at some point. In early February, I finally had a chance to spend a few days in Aiken to visit with a horsewoman friend who was spending the winter there. I jumped at the chance to escape the snows and chill of upstate New York and tour the town that had long been on my bucket list of must-see destinations.
I’d long known of Aiken’s history as a winter haven for thoroughbreds, from reading about racing luminaries like the Hall of Fame trainer Mackenzie Miller, who spent winters there freshening horses and starting 2-year-olds from barns at the storied Aiken Training Track, also within the city along Two Notch Road.
As a horsewoman, I find it nearly impossible to resist a community that has a 2,100-acre forest preserve – Hitchcock Woods – within the city’s limits, with 70 miles of sandy trails open to public use, particularly equestrians. An indication of the priority given to horses and riders is found at a stoplight at an intersection near the woods along the city’s busy Whiskey Road, where a special signal change button is located on its pole well above the normal height. Its unusual placement enables riders mounted on horseback to reach it easily to stop vehicular traffic so they can cross and enter the wooded enclave without dismounting.
In many ways, Aiken feels like a southern version of Saratoga Springs, both in the size of its population and its long history of horse-centric culture. Indeed, the two cities share a legacy of racing families, including Vanderbilts and Whitneys, among other influential residents who helped shape their respective racing, cultural and architectural landscapes in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Like Saratoga Springs, Aiken has many historic Victorian-era buildings, homes and attractions, including the historic Willcox Inn, which opened in 1900 and remains a popular hotel and meeting spot. A drive down South Boundary Avenue, under its stunning canopy of arched oak trees, reveals an array of stately older homes similar to those found along North Broadway and Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs.
Aiken also has its own racing museum, the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum. More modest in scale and scope than the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, Aiken’s facility houses a wonderful small collection of images, art and artifacts in the former carriage house of Hopelands Gardens, the former estate of Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, who was one of the grand dames of American racing in the 20th century. The hall’s displays and exhibitions celebrate the champion horses who have trained in Aiken over the years along with their accomplished connections. Each spring, it annually honors a contemporary racing star with Aiken mileage as its Horse of the Year.
Along with a handful of other southeastern towns like Camden and Ocala, long popular with the racing crowd as mild and restful winter retreats, Aiken’s fabled winter colony, initially populated by well-heeled thoroughbred owners, has evolved over the past century into a draw for a variety of residents and visitors involved racing, steeplechasing, polo, foxhunting, eventing, dressage and driving. Its temperate winter climate, superb sandy footing and long heritage as a haven for horses have made the genteel community a growing magnet for many horse enthusiasts.
When I contemplated a move to Aiken a few years ago, a good friend in Saratoga offered to introduce me to Cot Campbell’s wife, Ann. In preparation for a possible meeting, I read the periodic newsletter on Dogwood Stable’s Web site along with Cot’s messages posted on the site. They were terrific, entertaining reading, and, although I subsequently deferred the decision to relocate to the South, I regretted not taking advantage of the opportunity for an introduction to the Campbells. Cot has written several books about on his life and experiences in racing. His “Lightning in a Jar,” published in 2000, is a must-read primer for anyone seriously interested in getting into racing as an owner.
Three months after visiting Aiken this winter, I alerted my friend, who had since returned to her home in upstate New York, that the Aiken-based Dogwood Stable had a horse running in the Kentucky Derby. A colt that showed increasing potential since breaking his maiden at Saratoga last summer, Palace Malice took a somewhat erratic path to Louisville this spring by hitting the board, but not quite winning, several graded stakes that served as Derby preps.
The son of Curlin, equipped for the first time with blinkers to help him focus in Kentucky, shot out of the gate and set a scorching early pace that Mike Smith said later was faster than he wanted but he was reluctant to restrain the colt. Palace Malice’s rocket-like early speed was fueled in part, Smith added, by the wall of noise made by 19 other horses’ hooves slapping the muddy surface at Churchill Downs, coupled with his restricted vision. The horse was probably equal parts keen and more than a little terrified at the relentless firecracker-like slapping of galloping hooves on the wet, sealed track emanating from horses behind him that he couldn’t see. It wasn’t the plan, nor was it a pace that Palace Malice could sustain, and they left him with a disappointing 12th-place finish.
Palace Malice had five weeks of rest between the Derby and Belmont Stakes, some solid works and the removal of the blinkers. I contacted my friend to let her know Palace Malice was running again and that the colt had a real chance in the Belmont Stakes. I asked her if she wanted me to put a bet on him for her. She did, and when the sun came out at Belmont Park, the track that had been soaked with rain the day before was labeled fast and Palace Malice got the trouble-free trip he needed find his way directly to the Belmont Park winner’s circle.
It surely was a great day of redemption for Palace Malice, for his trainer, Todd Pletcher, for Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith and for my friend, whose $2 investment was rewarded with a $29.60 return. For Cot and Ann Campbell and their Dogwood Stable, it’s a long-awaited classic victory to celebrate with their beloved community in Aiken, S.C. — a special place where the horse rules
Leslie Knauf is a writer, editor, marketer and horsewoman in upstate New York who has been attending races at Saratoga for more than 50 years. She began riding at 9 and owned several thoroughbreds that she rode for pleasure. She’s certain they taught her far more than she ever could teach them.
Aiken: A Special Place Where the Horse Rules
By LESLIE KNAUF New York Times
Horses and riders in February at the annual Aiken Horse Show in Hitchcock Woods.
When Dogwood Stable’s president and chief cheerleader, W. Cothran Campbell, who is known as Cot, expressed his delight at winning the Belmont Stakes with Palace Malice, he included in his winner’s circle remarks an acknowledgement of the small city of Aiken, S.C., the home base for his racing partnership operation.
Over the years, I’d clipped several magazine articles about Aiken — a city of nearly 30,000 about 20 miles northeast of Augusta, Ga. — knowing that a visit there would be in my future at some point. In early February, I finally had a chance to spend a few days in Aiken to visit with a horsewoman friend who was spending the winter there. I jumped at the chance to escape the snows and chill of upstate New York and tour the town that had long been on my bucket list of must-see destinations.
I’d long known of Aiken’s history as a winter haven for thoroughbreds, from reading about racing luminaries like the Hall of Fame trainer Mackenzie Miller, who spent winters there freshening horses and starting 2-year-olds from barns at the storied Aiken Training Track, also within the city along Two Notch Road.
As a horsewoman, I find it nearly impossible to resist a community that has a 2,100-acre forest preserve – Hitchcock Woods – within the city’s limits, with 70 miles of sandy trails open to public use, particularly equestrians. An indication of the priority given to horses and riders is found at a stoplight at an intersection near the woods along the city’s busy Whiskey Road, where a special signal change button is located on its pole well above the normal height. Its unusual placement enables riders mounted on horseback to reach it easily to stop vehicular traffic so they can cross and enter the wooded enclave without dismounting.
In many ways, Aiken feels like a southern version of Saratoga Springs, both in the size of its population and its long history of horse-centric culture. Indeed, the two cities share a legacy of racing families, including Vanderbilts and Whitneys, among other influential residents who helped shape their respective racing, cultural and architectural landscapes in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Like Saratoga Springs, Aiken has many historic Victorian-era buildings, homes and attractions, including the historic Willcox Inn, which opened in 1900 and remains a popular hotel and meeting spot. A drive down South Boundary Avenue, under its stunning canopy of arched oak trees, reveals an array of stately older homes similar to those found along North Broadway and Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs.
Aiken also has its own racing museum, the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum. More modest in scale and scope than the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, Aiken’s facility houses a wonderful small collection of images, art and artifacts in the former carriage house of Hopelands Gardens, the former estate of Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, who was one of the grand dames of American racing in the 20th century. The hall’s displays and exhibitions celebrate the champion horses who have trained in Aiken over the years along with their accomplished connections. Each spring, it annually honors a contemporary racing star with Aiken mileage as its Horse of the Year.
Along with a handful of other southeastern towns like Camden and Ocala, long popular with the racing crowd as mild and restful winter retreats, Aiken’s fabled winter colony, initially populated by well-heeled thoroughbred owners, has evolved over the past century into a draw for a variety of residents and visitors involved racing, steeplechasing, polo, foxhunting, eventing, dressage and driving. Its temperate winter climate, superb sandy footing and long heritage as a haven for horses have made the genteel community a growing magnet for many horse enthusiasts.
When I contemplated a move to Aiken a few years ago, a good friend in Saratoga offered to introduce me to Cot Campbell’s wife, Ann. In preparation for a possible meeting, I read the periodic newsletter on Dogwood Stable’s Web site along with Cot’s messages posted on the site. They were terrific, entertaining reading, and, although I subsequently deferred the decision to relocate to the South, I regretted not taking advantage of the opportunity for an introduction to the Campbells. Cot has written several books about on his life and experiences in racing. His “Lightning in a Jar,” published in 2000, is a must-read primer for anyone seriously interested in getting into racing as an owner.
Three months after visiting Aiken this winter, I alerted my friend, who had since returned to her home in upstate New York, that the Aiken-based Dogwood Stable had a horse running in the Kentucky Derby. A colt that showed increasing potential since breaking his maiden at Saratoga last summer, Palace Malice took a somewhat erratic path to Louisville this spring by hitting the board, but not quite winning, several graded stakes that served as Derby preps.
The son of Curlin, equipped for the first time with blinkers to help him focus in Kentucky, shot out of the gate and set a scorching early pace that Mike Smith said later was faster than he wanted but he was reluctant to restrain the colt. Palace Malice’s rocket-like early speed was fueled in part, Smith added, by the wall of noise made by 19 other horses’ hooves slapping the muddy surface at Churchill Downs, coupled with his restricted vision. The horse was probably equal parts keen and more than a little terrified at the relentless firecracker-like slapping of galloping hooves on the wet, sealed track emanating from horses behind him that he couldn’t see. It wasn’t the plan, nor was it a pace that Palace Malice could sustain, and they left him with a disappointing 12th-place finish.
Palace Malice had five weeks of rest between the Derby and Belmont Stakes, some solid works and the removal of the blinkers. I contacted my friend to let her know Palace Malice was running again and that the colt had a real chance in the Belmont Stakes. I asked her if she wanted me to put a bet on him for her. She did, and when the sun came out at Belmont Park, the track that had been soaked with rain the day before was labeled fast and Palace Malice got the trouble-free trip he needed find his way directly to the Belmont Park winner’s circle.
It surely was a great day of redemption for Palace Malice, for his trainer, Todd Pletcher, for Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith and for my friend, whose $2 investment was rewarded with a $29.60 return. For Cot and Ann Campbell and their Dogwood Stable, it’s a long-awaited classic victory to celebrate with their beloved community in Aiken, S.C. — a special place where the horse rules
Leslie Knauf is a writer, editor, marketer and horsewoman in upstate New York who has been attending races at Saratoga for more than 50 years. She began riding at 9 and owned several thoroughbreds that she rode for pleasure. She’s certain they taught her far more than she ever could teach them.