Clement Lang Hirsch (April 26, 1914 – March 15, 2000) was an American businessman and a prominent

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

owner who co-founded

Oak Tree Racing Association The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American nonprofit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California. Graded Stakes races at the Oak Tree meet Since Oak Tree Racing moved to Hollywood Park in 2010, some ...

. Born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

to a very successful family of retail merchants, Clement Hirsch moved to California as a young man. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and was part of the

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

. In 1936, Clement Hirsch founded the Dog Town Packing Company in

Vernon, California Vernon is a city five miles (8.0 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, California, the nearest separate city to downtown Los Angeles. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census, the least of any incorporated city in the state. I ...

which became a highly successful pet food producer he later renamed Kal Kan Foods, Inc. In 1968,

Mars, Incorporated Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$40 billion in annual sales in 2021. Mars was ranked as the fourth-largest priva ...

acquired the company and today it forms part of their

Pedigree Petfoods Pedigree Petfoods is a subsidiary of the American group Mars, Incorporated specializing in pet food, with factories in England at Melton Mowbray and Birstall, Leeds; and offices at McLean, Virginia. History Manchester In 1934, Mars Limited, a ...

division. He also was the founder of Stagg Foods of

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of t ...

which he built into the a major producer of canned chili. He sold Stagg Foods in 1996 to

Hormel Foods Hormel Foods Corporation is an American food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, by George A. Hormel as George A. Hormel & Company. The company originally focused on the packaging and selling of ham, sausage and other pork, ...

. In 1963 Clement Hirsch and his second wife Edith Mack Hirsch were divorced. She remarried to actor

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Lov ...

.''Time magazine''
/ref> Married four times, Clement Hirsch had six children from his marriages.

Thoroughbred horse racing

Clement Hirsch purchased his first Thoroughbred racehorse in 1947. A rarity in the racing industry, during his more than fifty years racing horses, Hirsch employed only two

trainers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used f ...

. He first hired Robert H. McDaniel Red McDaniel then after he decided to move to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, he hired Warren Stute who remained with him for more than forty years. A member of

The Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...

, as an owner Clement Hirsch was successful with a number of horses imported from

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, among them the colt Figonero who won the 1969

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...

and set a world record for 1⅛ miles in winning the

Del Mar Handicap The Del Mar Handicap is an American thoroughbred horse race run each year during the third week of August at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The Grade II race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and three-eighths ...

. He was also successful with the

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

Magical Maiden who won the 1991 Hollywood Starlet and the 1992

Las Virgenes Stakes The Las Virgenes Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over the distance of one mile on the dirt scheduled annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The eve ...

. In 1993, Magical Maiden won the Chula Vista Handicap at Del Mar Racetrack, a race that track officials would rename the

Clement L. Hirsch Handicap The Clement L. Hirsch Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for Filly, fillies and Mare (horse), mares age three years and older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track, scheduled annuall ...

in his honor. Hirsch retired Magical Maiden to broodmare duty. She is the granddam of 2009

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

entrant

Papa Clem Papa Clem (foaled February 13, 2006 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was a contender for the 2009 U.S. Triple Crown. Papa Clem was bred and raced by Bo Hirsch who named the Southern California-based colt for his late fathe ...

and the 2021 Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Sprinter winner Ce Ce through her GI-winning daughter Miss Houdini. Papa Clem and Ce Ce are both owned by Hirsch's son Bo Hirsch. The name "Papa Clem" stems from the name Clement Hirsch's grandchildren called him, and that horse was trained by Gary Stute, Warren Stute's nephew. While successful racing horses, Clement Hirsch is best remembered in the sport as a co-founder and President of the

. In 1968 the operators of

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundin ...

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach town in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the De ...

decided to cancel their fall racing program and to host only a summer meet. Clement Hirsch, along with businessman/racehorse owner

Louis R. Rowan Louis R. Rowan (September 27, 1911 – September 28, 1988) was an American businessman and Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner and breeder. A native of California, Rowan was educated in England. In 1968, along with Clement L. Hirsch and Dr. ...

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

Dr. Jack Robbins, and other racing enthusiasts, formed the Oak Tree Racing Association to annually host a fall meet at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

. It would prove to be highly successful and Clement Hirsch would serve as its president from its inception until his death in 2000. In 1998, Clement Hirsch was awarded the Commissioners Cup by the

National Thoroughbred Racing Association The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is a broad-based coalition of American horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with incr ...

. Following his death in 2000, the Oak Tree Racing Association honored him by changing the Oak Tree Turf Championship Stakes to the Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship for the 2000 renewal.

References

* Nolan, Laurence C. ''Fundamental Principles of Family Law'' (Hirsch vs Mirken) (2005) William S. Hein & Co.
''Los Angeles Times'' obituary for Clement L. Hirsch

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, Clement L. 1914 births 2000 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II American food company founders American chief executives of food industry companies Businesspeople from California American racehorse owners and breeders American horse racing industry executives Jewish American sportspeople Santa Anita Park Businesspeople from St. Louis People from Newport Beach, California 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews