Cudgel (horse)

Cudgel (1914–1941) was an American two-time Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.

Cudgel
SireBroomstick
GrandsireBen Brush
DamEugenia Burch
DamsireBen Strome
SexStallion
Foaled1914
CountryUnited States
ColourBay
BreederHarry Payne Whitney
OwnerJohn W. Schorr
J. K. L. Ross (1918-9)
TrainerH. Guy Bedwell
RecordNot found
EarningsNot found
Major wins
Dixie Handicap (1918)
Kentucky Handicap (1918)
Brooklyn Handicap (1918)
Liberty Handicap (1918)
Cecil Handicap (1919)
Merchants and Citizens Handicap (1919)
Havre de Grace Handicap (1919)
Hudson Handicap (1919)
Awards
American Champion Older Male Horse (1918)
American Co-Champion Older Male Horse (1919)

Trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee H. Guy Bedwell, Cudgel is probably best remembered for his win in the 1919 Havre de Grace Handicap in which he defeated two future Hall of Fame inductees, Exterminator and Sir Barton.[1]

Cudgel's racing record is incomplete, especially at ages two and three when he raced primarily in "the west"[2] (a term then used for racetracks in Kentucky and other states away from the East Coast). At age two in 1916, he won the Hamburg Place and Mt. Lookout Handicaps and was third in the Glenview Handicap. At age three, he won the Latonia Independence and Madisonville Handicaps, and was second in the Latonia Derby. He finished eleventh in the 1917 Kentucky Derby.[3] In August, he was purchased by Canadian J. K. L. Ross for $30,000.[4]

At age four in 1918, Cudgel was relocated to the east coast where he developed into the champion older horse of the year, winning five major stakes races.[5][6] In the Pimlico Spring Handicap on May 8, he beat Omar Khayyam, the previous year's three-year-old champion.[2] On May 19, he beat Spur in the Kings County Handicap.[4] He briefly returned to Kentucky where he won the Kentucky Handicap on June 1.[7] Travelling back to New York, he beat future Hall of Famer Roamer in the Brooklyn Handicap on June 24 while carrying top weight of 129 pounds.[8] On August 16, he set an American record of 1:56 for ​1 3⁄16 miles while winning the Schenectady Handicap at Saratoga by a nose over Westy Hogan. He carried 131 pounds in the race, 5 pounds more than Westy Hogan.[9] After this, he lost several races but returned to form in the Liberty Handicap on September 27, winning handily despite conceding 48 pounds to the runner-up.[10] After another loss, he finished the season by winning the Dixie Handicap at Laurel racetrack "with ridiculous ease" over Midway and Omar Khayyam.[11]

The next year, despite a long layoff between May and August as a result of an injury, he came back to share Champion Older Horse honors with Sun Briar.

After retiring from racing, Cudgel stood at stud Ross's Yarrow Brae Stud near Laurel, Maryland. A successful sire, his best offspring were Fluvanna, 1923 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, and Froth Blower, who won the 1931 King's Plate, Canada's most prestigious race.

Cudgel died in October 1941 at age twenty-seven.[12]

References
  1. "CUDGEL IS A WINNER.; Defeats Exterminator by Half a Length In Hvre de Grace Race". The New York Times. 28 September 1919. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  2. "OMAR KHAYYAM IS BEATEN BY CUDGEL; Son of Broomstick Sets Fast Pace and Justifies Confidence of Western Turfmen". The New York Times. 9 May 1918. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  3. "Cudgel Horse Pedigree". www.pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  4. "CUDGEL TRIUMPHS IN THRILLING RACE; Western Son of Broomstick Battles to Fore in Kings County Handicap. SPUR IN SECOND PLACE Cheers Great Conqueror of Omar Khayyam as He Passes Thunderer and Then Butler's Crack. Interest in Cudgel. Stargazer Takes Lead". The New York Times. 19 May 1918. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  5. Carter, Allan; Kane, Mike (4 June 2013). "150 Years of Racing in Saratoga: Little Known Stories & Facts From America's Most Historic Racing City". Arcadia Publishing. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  6. "RACING IS RESUMED IN MARYLAND TODAY; Cudgel and Sun Briar Will Match Strides in Opening Feature at Havre de Grace". The New York Times. 11 September 1919. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  7. "CUDGEL TAKES RICH STAKE.; Canadian-Owned Colt Wins Kentucky Handicap of $12,000". The New York Times. 2 June 1918. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  8. "CUDGEL HEADS ROAMER IN BROOKLYN HANDICAP AFTER A BRISK STRETCH DUELI; BROOKLYN HANDICAP TO CUDGEL'S CREDIT Western Turf Star Carries Top Weight to Victory After a Sturdy Battle. GALLANT ROAMER IS NEXT Andrew Miller's Gelding to Beaten by a Length in Stirring Duel at Aqueduct Opening. George Smith Makes Up Ground. Commander Ross Is Happy. Westy Hogan First Away". The New York Times. 25 June 1918. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  9. "CUDGEL IS VICTOR IN STIRRING RACE; Westy Hogan Forces Handicap Leader to New American Record for 9 Furlongs". The New York Times. 17 August 1918. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  10. "ROSS HORSES IN FIELD DAY.; Cudgel and Billy Kelly Take Stake Events at Havre de Grace". The New York Times. 29 September 1918. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  11. "EIGHT RACES GIVE LAUREL NEW START; Exceptional Card, with Great Horses Winning, Reopens Maryland Course". The New York Times. 27 October 1918. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  12. "CUDGEL, TURF STAR, DEAD; Noted Thoroughbred Gained Fame as Distance Runner". The New York Times. 24 October 1941. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
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