Look Back: Justakiss, Ole Liz Win Divisions of Bewitch

In conjunction with Tom Hall's Throwback Thursday features in BloodHorse Daily, BloodHorse.com each Thursday will present corresponding race stories from the pages of the magazine. 

This week is a stakes report of the 1965 Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland, which was split into divisions won by Justakiss and Ole Liz. At that time, the Bewitch was for 2-year-old fillies. Following is a BloodHorse staff report from the May 1, 1965 issue.

Justakiss

At the 1956 Keeneland summer yearling sale, C. Grief Raible, owner of Pebblebrook Farm, bid up to $61,000 for a filly by *Royal Charger—Tige O’Myheart, by War Admiral, but he had to catch a plane and was unable to continue bidding. The next day he learned that Mrs. Josephine Paul’s bid of only $2,000 more had acquired the filly, which, named Idun, was to become the unbeaten 2-year-old filly champion of 1957 and champion 3-year-old filly of 1958. The year Idun was a 3-year-old, Raible went back to Keeneland and for $32,000 acquired her strapping full brother from the consignment of Leslie Combs II. Named Irish Lancer, the youngster at 2 won three overnight races and held off Tompion to win the Saratoga Special, earning an Experimental Free Handicap ranking of 122 pounds, even with Bally Ache.

A broken knee bone kept Irish Lancer out of action for eight months, but he returned in the summer of 1960 to beat John William in the Lamplighter Handicap. He was nosed out by Keenation in the Peter Pan Handicap and lost by a neck to Francis S. in the Dwyer Handicap. Irish Lancer went to stud at Combs’ Spendthrift Farm near Lexington in 1961, having won 6 of 15 races to earn $92,534. Last Year, six Irish Lancer yearlings sold at public auction averaged $9,817, one bringing $25,000.

Justakiss, the first stakes winner from Irish Lancer’s first crop, won her last two starts prior to the Bewitch Stakes and was made favorite for the first division of the event, which was split after 16 fillies had been entered. She raced sixth into the stretch, then rallied to win by a length.

Justakiss was bred and is owned by Clifford Lussky of Louisville, Her dam, Log House, which won three races and earned $7,840, is a full sister to Lussky’s good runner, Federal Hill, earner of $212,577 and one of the fastest members of the outstanding 1954 foal crop. The second dam, Ariel Beauty, also foaled stakes winner Casting.

Ole Liz

Odds-on Ole Liz, winner of her last previous start by six lengths, took the lead turning for home in the second division of the Bewitch Stakes and drew off to win by more than three lengths. Her time was three-fifths of a second slower than the track record, but was three-fifths of a second faster than the time of the first division.

Ole Liz was bred by James V. Tigani, who also bred good race mare Shirley Jones. Both stakes winners are by Double Jay, which raced for Tigani. Ole Liz was foaled on March 23, 1963, at A.B. Hancock Jr.’s Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky., and was sold by Tigani for $4,700 at the 1964 Keeneland fall yearling sale to Henry Forrest, agent. Forrest trains the filly and races her in partnership with Elton Gordon.

Islay Mist, dam of Ole Liz, was sold by Elmendorf Farm to King Ranch for $13,000 at the 1950 Keeneland summer sale. She won the 1952 La Centinela Stakes and three other races from 27 starts and earned $24,110. Islay Mist was sold to Tigani for $8,200 at the 1957 Keeneland fall mixed sale. The second dam is Evening Mist, an unraced half sister to $121,150 earner Cosmic Missile, both being foals of Misty Isle, winner of six stakes in 1940 and 1941.

Ole Liz is the first 1965 stakes winner sired by Double Jay (Balladier—Broomshot, by Whisk Broom II), which stands at Claiborne Farm and had an Average-Earnings Index of 2.90 with 766 year starters through 1964. Double Jay has sired 29 stakes winners, including Doubledogdare, Manotick, Bagdad, Irish Jay, and Sunrise Flight.