From Travers glory to the jumps
Harry Payne Whitney’s Beacon Hill, the 1929 Travers Stakes winner, later became a top steeplechaser for Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
By Brien Bouyea Beacon Hill was co-favored in the Travers at 7-2 along with Live Oak. From start to finish, the race belonged to the Whitney colt.
“Perhaps no easier victory has ever been scored in this famous test of a mile and a quarter than that of Beacon Hill,” reported the New York Times. “A crowd of 25,000 persons watched in astonishment as he dashed out at the start and was never pushed, finishing easily four lengths ahead of the nearest of the eight others. Robertson just let him gallop and he came home on the bit.”
Beacon Hill, however, was unable to build on his Travers victory. He lost his form completely as a 4-year-old in 1930, finishing off the board in all seven of his starts. Whitney died that October and his racing stable passed to his son, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, who decided to geld Beacon Hill and turn him over to steeplechase trainer Johnny Lambert to see if a change in disciplines would revitalize his career.
Returning to the races as a 5-year-old in 1931, Beacon Hill quickly became one of the best steeplechasers in America, winning the Duettiste Steeplechase, Colonial Steeplechase (by 12 lengths), Stony Point Steeplechase (by 25 lengths), Saratoga Steeplechase (by 100 yards while carrying high weight of 169 pounds), and Bushwick Steeplechase (by 20 lengths while carrying high weight of 170 pounds). Beacon Hill won two more important jump races as a 6-year-old, the Corinthian Handicap and International Steeplechase Handicap.
Beacon Hill died at the Beacon Hill age of 9 in 1935.
Interesting fact: Along with his tremendous success as an owner, Harry Payne Whitney was also America’s leading breeder by earnings 11 times, including four years posthumously. He bred 192 stakes winners, including 20 recognized champions. Whitney was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Pillar of the Turf in 2018.
Brien Bouyea is the Hall of Fame and Communications Director at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and a former Saratogian sports editor. He is the co-author, along with Michael Veitch, of the new book “The Travers: 150 Years or Saratoga’s Greatest Race.” To learn more about the book, visit www.traversbook.com Lineage: Broomstic/Yankee Maid, by Peter Pan Owner: Harry Payne Whitney, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Breeder: Harry Payne Whitney Trainer: James G. Rowe, Jr., Johnny Lambert Career record of Beacon Hill Career dates: 1928–1932 Starts: 48 1st: 13 2nd: 6 3rd: 5