Horse Racing: Laurels for Arts and Letters

HORSE RACING

For the first half of the season, it looked as if Arts and Letters was destined to become one of history’s great also rans. Paul Mellon’s wiry three-year-old lost by a neck to the magnificent California chestnut, Majestic Prince, in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. The Prince was favored to take the Belmont Stakes and thereby become the first thoroughbred to win racing’s Triple Crown since Citation turned the trick in 1948. But the race was not even close: guided by the steady hand of Braulio Baeza, Arts and Letters whipped Majestic Prince by 5½ lengths.

Since then, Arts and Letters has romped through the season as blithely as a stud in pasture. He won impressive victories in some rugged stakes races, including the Travers, Metropolitan Mile and Jim Dandy Mile. He recently returned to New York’s Belmont Park and, with Baeza again in the saddle, swept to a two-length win over No-double in the $106,000 Woodward Stakes. His time: 2 min. 1 sec., a scant second off the track record set by Kelso in 1961. That triumph also brought his 1969 earnings to $486,574, which placed the tough little colt well ahead of Majestic Prince ($408,710) and No-double in the year’s money derby. It also made him a virtual shoo-in for Horse of the Year laurels.