Racing History Highlights – February 22-March 3

Feb. 22, 1969: Barbara Jo Rubin became the first woman jockey to win a parimutuel race in America when she rode Cohesion to victory at Charles Town.

Feb. 22, 2003: Xtra Heat won the Barbara Fritchie Handicap and became the leading stakes-winning filly of all time with 25 stakes wins.

Feb. 23, 1935: Seven-year-old Azucar, a former steeplechaser, won the inaugural Santa Anita Handicap at Santa Anita Park.

Feb. 24, 1947: Acting upon an earlier recommendation by The Jockey Club stewards, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations unanimously approved lip tattoos as a method of identifying Thoroughbred racehorses.

Feb. 24, 1979: Trainer J.C. Williams saddled eight winners in 12 attempts at Waterford Park. Williams also owned seven of those eight winners.

Feb. 25, 1990: The 11th race at Charles Town was declared a no-contest because the starting gate could not be removed from the track after the race had begun. The track announcer warned the jockeys to pull up their mounts, and the track subsequently refunded all wagers on the race.

Feb. 25, 1998: The purse of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff was increased from $1 million to $2 million, effective with that year’s Breeders’ Cup Championship at Churchill Downs.

Feb. 25, 1999: Jockey Robbie Davis got his 3,000 win aboard Inevitably Private in the fourth race at Gulfstream Park.

Feb. 26, 1973: With Secretariat having been named Horse of the Year for 1972 and champion two-year-old, it was announced by Claiborne Farm that the colt had been syndicated for a then-record $6,080,000_equivalent to 32 shares at $190,000 each.

Feb. 27, 1982: Florida apprentice Mary Russ became the first female jockey to win a Grade I stakes in North America when she captured the Widener Handicap aboard Lord Darnley at Hialeah.

Feb. 28, 1957: John Longden became the first jockey in history to reach 5,000 victories.

March 1, 1969: Tuesdee Testa, 27, became the first female jockey to win a race at a major American Thoroughbred track when she won the third race at Santa Anita Park aboard Buz On.

March 1, 1991: Pat Day, 37, became the sixth rider in history whose mounts earned $100 million when he rode Wild Sierra to a second-place finish in the first race at Oaklawn Park.

March 2, 1940: Beaten by a nose in both the 1937 and 1938 Santa Anita Handicaps, Seabiscuit finally won the Big ‘Cap in his final race. He retired the then-leading money-winning horse in the world.

March 2, 1966: Kelso, Horse of the Year 1960-64, ran his last race, finishing fourth at Hialeah Park.

March 3, 1966: Ogden Phipps’ Buckpasser won the Flamingo Stakes by a nose, under the guidance of Bill Shoemaker. The colt was such a prohibitive favorite among the field of nine that the race was declared a non-wagering contest and was dubbed “The Chicken Flamingo.”

March 3, 1985: Bill Shoemaker became the first jockey in history to win $100 million in purses after he won the Santa Anita Handicap aboard Lord at War (ARG).

March 3, 1993: Russell Baze had his 4,000th career win, with Frank Musso, at Golden Gate Fields.

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