Richard E. Handlen (March 25, 1897 - June 2, 1963) was an American

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in t ...

trainer whom the March 15, 1937 edition of the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

called "one of the best trainers in America"

Racing career

Early in his career, Richard Handlen worked for U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer

Preston M. Burch Preston Morris Burch (August 25, 1884 – April 8, 1978) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer, breeder, and owner Biography Family background Born in Augusta, Georgia, he was the son of Hall of Fame trainer, William P. Bu ...

while he was in charge of William du Pont, Jr.'s Foxcatcher Farm racing stable in the early 1930s. Handlen took over the Foxcatcher stable and began winning important races by 1935. He would remain in that position through 1960. In 1937, Richard Handlen became the only trainer in history to win the two most prestigious races in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

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 ...

when he won the

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is on ...

with

Fairy Hill A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

and the

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for old ...

with Rosemont. Through 2009, his record remains intact. The following year, Richard Handlen trained Dauber to a victory in the 1938 Preakness Stakes after finishing second in the

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 ...

. Dauber then went on to run second to

Pasteurized Pasteurization American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), or pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged and non-packaged foods (such as milk and fruit juices) are treated with mi ...

in the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

. Richard Handlen was inducted into the Delaware Park Wall of Fame in 2016.

Champions

Richard Handlen conditioned Foxcatcher Farm horses to six American championships: *

Fairy Chant Fairy Chant (foaled 1937 in Kentucky) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Her sire was the 1927 Belmont Stakes winner Chance Shot, a son of three-time Leading sire in North America Fair Play. Her dam was Star Fairy, a daughter of The ...

- 1940

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

(1940) and 1941

American Champion Older Female Horse The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of the ...

Parlo Parlo (April 12, 1951 – 1978) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Background Bred by William du Pont, Jr. at his Walnut Hall Farm near Boyce, Virginia, she was out of the mare Fairy Palace and sired by the good British runner He ...

- 1954

and the 1954 and 1955

. *

Berlo Berlo (foaled April 10, 1957 in Virginia) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Background Berlo was a brown mare bred by William duPont, Jr. at his Walnut Hall Farm near Boyce, Virginia. She was out of the mare Faberose, a daughter ...

- 1960 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.

Wartime military service

Richard Handlen's military tombstone states that he served with the United States military in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as part of the Farrier Medical Department. Richard Handlen was living in Florida at the time of his death in 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Handle, Richard E. 1897 births 1963 deaths American horse trainers American military personnel of World War I