Original Arrogate Had Major Impact at Del Mar

Arrogate, the World's Best Racehorse in 2017, ends a four-month break from competition July 22 in the $300,000 TVG San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar. The 4-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song will put on the line a seven-race winning streak—the last three in stakes with purses of $6 million, $12 million, and $10 million—to build a bankroll of more than $17 million from just eight career starts.

He’s enough to make officials of the track that will host the 2017 Breeders’ Cup thank their lucky stars for being on his campaign trail—the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic (G1) in August and $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) are other likely Arrogate showings at Del Mar, enough to bring the eyes of racing fans and attention from the general public to the seaside oval every time Arrogate runs.

But for the record, the Arrogate of 2017 is not the first Arrogate to stir things up in a major way where the turf meets the surf.

On Sept. 3, 1956, legendary jockey John Longden booted home a horse named Arrogate in the Del Mar Handicap. It was career victory No. 4,871 for Longden, making him the winningest rider of all time, surpassing Sir Gordon Richards of England.

It was a grand moment in the career of Longden, who had ridden for 30 years at that time and was dealing with arthritis in his shoulders, elbows, and knees. It also was a memorable moment in the history of Del Mar, especially when coupled with one 14 years later. On Sept. 7, 1970, Bill Shoemaker rode a filly named Dares J to career victory No. 6,033, surpassing Longden on the all-time wins list. Longden was there to greet “The Shoe” in the winner’s circle.

The original Arrogate was a foal of 1951, a son of Goya II out of the Stimulus mare Hug Again. He was bred by the storied Calumet Farm in Kentucky, and raced under the Calumet colors for the first 2 1/2 years of his career. Then he was acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Dick Griegorian, for whom he competed for the next 4 1/2 years, and was trained by Reggie Cornell.

A chestnut colt, unlike his gray latter-day namesake, Arrogate campaigned for seven years, 1953-59, won 20 races from 83 starts, and finished in-the-money another 22 times. His earnings of $226,545 translate to more than $2 million in 2017 dollars. Not current-day Arrogate kind of money, but certainly not bad.

Old Arrogate’s best years were 1955 and 1956, when his annual earnings totals were $64,800 and $60,540, respectively. Arrogate won three stakes in both 1955 and 1956, accounting for six of his nine stakes scores. He won three stakes at Del Mar, the 1955 Escondido Optional Claiming Handicap, and the 1955-1956 editions of the Del Mar Handicap.

In the 1955 Del Mar Handicap, Arrogate established good position soon after the start from post 6 in a field of nine, right behind front-running Bobby Brocato. Longden had his horse well in hand to the second turn, then subjected Arrogate to what the official chart called “vigorous handling in the drive” to edge Bobby Brocato and jockey George Taniguchi by a nose.

The time, 1:47 2/5, equaled the track record.

The race favorite, coupled in the betting with seventh-place finisher Turk’s Delight, Arrogate paid $5.20 $2.60 and $2.30.

Arrogate drew post 2 for the 1956 Handicap, and tracked from fourth in a field of nine for the first six furlongs of the 1 1/8-mile race. The charts point out that Longden had Arrogate well in hand while saving ground through three quarters, then “moved up thereafter on the outside, wore down Poona II approaching the final eighth and stalled off Honey’s Alibi to make his rider the new jockey champion of the world.”

The margin, again, was a nose. The time, 1:47 flat, established another Del Mar record.

Arrogate raced for Calumet until the 1955 summer meeting at Hollywood Park, when the Griegorians took over. Racing publications often referred to Arrogate as a “Calumet castoff” in chronicling the successes that followed.

“Trainer Reggie Cornell has made something of a specialty of taking bad-legged horses from Calumet Farm at private treaty and making them pay their way for various clients,” the Thoroughbred of California Magazine noted of the 1956 season. “Arrogate is just one more in an extensive list.”

If there was a reason Calumet named the horse Arrogate, it has likely been lost in time. Bob Baffert, Hall of Fame trainer of the 2017 model, said he didn’t know how the name for his current star came about.

The Jockey Club naming rules prohibit the reuse of a name of a truly famous horse—for example, a Horse of the Year, an Eclipse Award winner, a Triple Crown race winner. Since the original Arrogate was none of those, the moniker became available under their rules as of 1964. Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms opted for it four years ago.

The dictionary defines arrogate as: “to claim without justification.”

Hardly fitting for either the original or the new Arrogate who, then and now, justly recorded major accomplishments. Especially at Del Mar.