The Mr Fitz Purse
Dorothea S. Foote, 1965. Presumed one of only several produced. Matted, unframed photograph with ticket and pin. Outer dimension is 11. 25 inches by 13.5 at backing, and 11 inches by 12 inches in front. Front inner dimension is 7.5 inches by 9.25 inches. Some wear and soiling. The full dimension of the photograph is not able to be determined without removing the backing, but is probably a quarter of an inch more on each side within the matt. The photograph is a montage of three images. At the top there is what appears to be the ownership team with the jockey. There are women on either side of the jockey, with two women holding the trophy in front of the jockey. Below this group is an image of the horses at the finish line with number 3 clearly out ahead. Then there is some text which reads The Mr Fitz Purse --Jockey Ronald Witmer-Up, Why Lie--2nd Dolington Road-3rd Owner Dorothea S. Foote W. A. Arthur Trainer May 15, 1965 6 Fur - 1:11:4/5 Pimlico, MD. In the center in larger letter is "BIX" Below is a picture of the group with the horse wearing number 3, with the jockey still mounted. An orange pin that says Preakness Day 1965 L. Box is affixed to the upper left corner of the matt. A single Preakness Day ticket with minor wear and tear for Lower Box Seat for box E 18 Seat 4 is inserted between the photo and the matt. The owner was believed to be the Dorothea Scudder Foote, a member of a prominent New Jersey family and the wife of Edward A. Foote, former deputy assistant United States attorney general for the Antitrust Division. Jockey Ron Witmer also rode winners in the 1960s at Shenandoah Downs in West Virginia. Historic Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness Stakes, first opened its doors on October 25, 1870, making it the second oldest racetrack in the nation behind Saratoga, which debuted in 1864 in upstate New York. Engineered by General John Ellicott, Pimlico has played host to racing icons for over a century, where Baltimoreans have seen the likes of legendary horses such as Man o’ War, Sir Barton, Seabiscuit, War Admiral, Citation, Secretariat and Cigar thunder down the stretch in thrilling and memorable competition. Constructed on 70 acres west of the Jones Falls, the Maryland Jockey Club purchased the land for $23,500, and built the racetrack for $25,000 after Maryland’s Governor at the time, Oden Bowie, suggested the interesting proposition during a dinner party in Saratoga, New York in 1868. Bowie and his friends, prominent racing figures, had agreed to run a race in two years commemorating the evening, for horses that were yearlings at the time. The winner would have to host the losers for dinner. Both Saratoga and the American Jockey Club made bids for the event, but Governor Bowie pledged he would build a model racetrack in his home state if the race were to be run in Baltimore. Thus, Pimlico was built. “Pimlico” was the name given the area by English settlers in Colonial times, although the “Pemblicoe” spelling appeared on the original settlement charter granted to a group of Englishmen in 1669. The colonists hailed from an area near London, and harbored memories of a famous landmark “Olde Ben Pimlico’s Tavern.” On a typical race day in the 1800’s, Baltimoreans in all sorts of horse-drawn carriages paraded out through Druid Hill Park, then by Green Spring Road to the Course. Afterwards, in the early days, a spur was built from the Western Maryland Railroad at Arlington direct to the grandstand, for convenience. The racetrack soon became affectionately known as “Old Hilltop,” after a small rise in the infield that became a favorite gathering place for trainers and race enthusiasts to view the contestants close-up, and vigorously cheer on their favorites. The infield was always a fashionable rendezvous, where in days gone by the four-in-hands, “spikes,” tandems, pairs and singles were parked and lively guests congregated between the races for a champagne lunch. This custom continues today in the Corporate Village at Preakness, where over 5,000 people representing many major corporations in the Mid-Atlantic region gather in a 21st century version of yesteryear’s “garden party.” Over 60,000 revelers crowd additional areas of the infield to celebrate Preakness Day. Despite a brief hiatus from flat racing between 1889 and 1904, Pimlico has conducted racing each year since its revival in 1904. During this interim period, steeplechase enthusiasts kept racing alive, and even became Maryland Jockey Club members upon Pimlico’s re-emergence. In 1904, racing at Pimlico ignited unprecedented recognition and interest from the public and newspapers alike. Race charts appeared, quite similar to modern-day style, and for the first time Baltimore readers found the news accounts more than mere social reports. Racing in Pimlico even survived a 1910 anti-gambling movement that swept the country, prohibiting the sport everywhere, except in Maryland and Kentucky. Colonel Matt Winn of Churchill Downs is alleged to have credited Pimlico’s Billy Riggs as the savior of eastern racing at this time. It was Riggs’ use of the less-sinful “French Pools,” or pari-mutuel machines, in 1913, that preserved racing at Pimlico during this turbulent time in racing. A new era was born at Pimlico, which later became the first racetrack in the country to utilize an electric starting gate. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Preakenss Day, Pimlico, Dorothea S. Foote, W. A. Arthur, Horse Trainer, Thoroughbred, Race Horse, Jockey, Ron Witmer, Fitz Purse, Preakness Pin, Preakness Admission Ticket
[Book #83195]
Price: $100.00