Damascus cemented his legacy as an all-time great with several epic performances fifty years ago
By Brien Bouyea SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Half a century has come and gone since Damascus composed one of the most remarkable campaigns in American racing history. The sensational record achieved by the son of Sword Dancer in 1967 represents a rare run of dominance that is still marveled at today.
Named 1967 Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Yearold Male, Damascus also shared Champion Handicap Male honors and set a single-year earnings record of $817,941, surpassing Nashua’s 12-year-old mark. From March of 1967 through that November, Damascus compiled a ledger of 12-3-1 from 16 starts. His victories included the Wood Memorial, Preakness, Belmont, Dwyer, American Derby, Travers, Aqueduct, Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup, among others.
He decimated the field in the Travers by 22 lengths and won the Woodward by 10, defeating fellow legends Buckpasser and Dr. Fager in a race many historians consider to be among the most important of the 20th century.
“He danced all the dances and ran all the distances from a mile to two miles,” said prominent turf writer Charles Hatton. “Never did we see him spit out the bit, as the homely expression goes, and he was confronted with such defiant tasks as carrying topweight of 128 pounds in the Dwyer, giving Ring Twice and Straight Deal actual weight in the Aqueduct, and running smoothshod in unaccustomed going in the grassy Laurel International. Fort Marcy won the money that day, but Damascus won the crowd’s heart.”
Bred and owned by Edith Bancroft, Damascus broke his maiden in his second career start at Aqueduct on Oct. 12, 1966. He added an allowance victory at Laurel before returning to Aqueduct to close out his juvenile season with a victory in the Remsen.
After beginning his sophomore year with wins in an allowance and the Bay Shore Stakes, Damascus was a half-length short of Dr. Fager in the Gotham Stakes. He rebounded to win the Wood before finishing third in the Kentucky Derby, which was won by Proud Clarion.
Whiteley believed the humidity and crowd noise played factors in the Derby result, so he provided Damascus a stable pony to help him relax on the way to the post. Favored to turn the tables on Proud Clarion in the Preakness, Damascus did just that. His remarkable speed took him from seventh to first around the far turn as he proved to be too much for the Derby winner and eight others.
The Belmont was a special experience for Mrs. Bancroft, as her father, William Woodward, Sr., won the race five times in the 1930s. Damascus was up for the challenge, defeating Cool Reception by 2½ lengths. Damascus then won the Leonard Richards at Delaware Park, the Dwyer Handicap at Aqueduct, the American Derby at Arlington (setting a track record), the Travers at Saratoga and the Aqueduct Stakes. The Travers victory was historic, as Damascus was 16 lengths behind after the first half-mile before romping home by a record 22 lengths in 2:01 , equaling the track record owned by Buckpasser and Jaipur.
The Woodward Stakes, named for Bancroft’s father, was a tour de force for Damascus. Before a crowd of 55,259 at Aqueduct on Sept. 30, 1967, Damascus separated himself from his rivals with authority in the stretch under jockey Bill Shoemaker. At the end, the 4-year-old Buckpasser was 10 lengths back, a half-length ahead of 3-year-old Dr. Fager.
“I got more kick out of that, I guess, than any other race I ever did win,” Whiteley said.
Like his sire did eight years earlier, Damascus followed the Woodward with a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at two miles. With seemingly nothing else to prove on dirt, Damascus was given a try on the grass in the Washington, D.C., International at Laurel, the nation’s premier turf race. In his first attempt on the surface, Damascus came within a nose of defeating Fort Marcy, later named grass champion.
Damascus went to California to begin his 4-yearold season in 1968. He won the Malibu and San Fernando and finished second in the Charles H. Strub Stakes. Damascus then finished third in the Suburban Handicap at Aqueduct, as Dr. Fager equaled the track record of 1:59 for 1¼ miles in the contest. Two weeks later, Damascus turned the tables on Dr. Fager in the Brooklyn Handicap. Carrying top weight of 135 pounds and making his third start in 16 days, Damascus lowered the track record for 1¼ miles to 1:59 . As of 2017, the record still stands.
Following his recordsetting Brooklyn, Damascus won the William du Pont Handicap and Aqueduct Stakes under 134 pounds and then ran second in the Michigan Mile and One-Eighth Handicap and Woodward. In his final start, Damascus bowed a tendon and finished last in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. It was the only time in his career he was off the board. Damascus was retired with a record of 21-7-3 from 32 starts and earnings of $1,176,781. He won at 10 different distances from six furlongs to two miles and won the equivalent of 12 Grade 1 races.
Damascus entered stud at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky., in 1969. He sired 71 stakes winners, including the successful stallions Private Account, Time for a Change, Timeless Moment, Ogygian and Crusader Sword. Damascus was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1974.
In 1989, Damascus was pensioned from stud duty. He died at the age of 31 of natural causes on Aug. 8, 1995 at Claiborne.