1940's Sports | Citation Wins the Belmont

Photograph

Date: June 12, 1948

Source: "Belmont Stakes." June 12, 1948. Corbis. Image no. IH136407. Available online at http://pro.corbis.com (accessed March 25, 2003).

Introduction

Despite World War II, the 1940s were a golden age for thoroughbred horse racing. The decade saw four horses win racing's Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes); Whirlaway in 1941, Count Fleet in 1943, Assault in 1946, and, perhaps the greatest of the group, Citation in 1948.

Citation was born in April 1945. Bred at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, "Big Cy," as he was nicknamed, won eight of nine races as a two-year-old in 1947. As a result, Citation was voted the two-year-old colt of the year, earning $155,680 in prize money. Citation's only defeat as a two-year-old was to his stable mate, Bewitch. As a three-year-old, Citation had what many...