Sylvester E. "Syl" Veitch (February 24, 1910 – February 14, 1996) was a

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

thoroughbred horse trainer. He was the son of

Silas Veitch Silas or Silvanus (; Koine Greek, Greek: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who according to the New Testament accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey. ...

, a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

and trainer who began his career as an exercise boy with the powerful

Joseph E. Seagram Joseph Emm Seagram (April 15, 1841 – August 18, 1919) was a Canadians, Canadian Distilled beverage, distillery founder, politician, philanthropist, and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses. Early life Joseph Seagram was born April 15, 1841 at ...

stable in his native Canada and who would become a successful

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

trainer in the United States. Sylvester Veitch followed in his father's footsteps and also began his career in racing as a

and trainer in steeplechase racing. In 1939 he moved to flat racing when he was employed as a trainer with Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney in Kentucky. He won two

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 ...

while in Whitney's employment, one in 1947 with Phalanx and the second in 1951 with

Counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

. In 1958 he left his position with C.V. Whitney and began employment with

George D. Widener, Jr. George Dunton Widener Jr. (March 11, 1889 - December 8, 1971) was an American businessman and thoroughbred racehorse owner; one of only five people ever designated "Exemplars of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Early l ...

where he trained What a Treat, and many other notable horses. In 1971, after Mr. Widener's death, Sylvester Veitch opened his own public stable. He was inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

in 1977. Among his accomplishments, Sylvester Veitch held the single-season mark of 24 wins in 24 days set in 1954 at Saratoga Race Course, a record that held until 2003. In the course of his career he had forty-four stakes winners. He trained 5 champions in all: First Flight in 1946, Phalanx in 1947,

in 1951,

Career Boy Career Boy (foaled 1953 in Kentucky) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Background He was bred and raced by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, a member of the prominent horse-racing Whitney family. Out of the mare Swanky, whose damsire ...

in 1956, and

What a Treat What a Treat (foaled 1962 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was voted the 1965 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and who was sold as a broodmare in 1972 at a world record price. Background Bred and raced by George D. W ...

in 1965. Sylvester Veitch died at the age of 85 at the Winthrop Hospital in Mineola,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in February 1996 after a brief illness. His son,

John M. Veitch John M. Veitch (born June 27, 1945 in Lexington, Kentucky) is an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Sylvester Veitch, he belongs to a family that has been in the horse-training business ...

, was also a successful trainer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Veitch, Sylvester American horse trainers United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees 1910 births 1996 deaths