The Washington Park Futurity Stakes was an American

Thoroughbred horse race 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 ...

run annually at the now defunct

Washington Park Race Track Washington Park Race Track was a popular horse racing track, racing venue in the Chicago metropolitan area from 1884 until 1977. It had two locations during its existence. It was first situated in what is the current location of the Washingto ...

Woodlawn, Chicago Woodlawn, on the South Side, Chicago, South Side of Chicago, Illinois, is one of Chicago's 77 Community areas of Chicago, community areas. It is bounded by Lake Michigan to the east, 60th Street to the north, Martin Luther King Drive to the west ...

. A race on dirt for two-year-olds, it was first run in 1937 as a six furlong event. Placed on hiatus for two years, it returned as an annual feature in 1940. From 1959 through 1961 the race was hosted by Chicago's

Arlington Park Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago regi ...

race track where it was run at a distance of six and a half furlongs. Made permanent at Arlington Park, the Washington Park Futurity was merged with the Arlington Futurity Stakes and is known as the

Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes The Arlington-Washington Futurity is a Listed horse race for Thoroughbred two-year-olds. It is scheduled to run at a distance of one mile on the turf at Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois every fall and as at 2020 offers a purse of $100 ...

Race notes

During its tenure, the Washington Park Futurity hosted some of the best horses in the United States. * The 1941 edition was won by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee,

Alsab Alsab (1939–1963) was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. Background Alsab was bred in Kentucky by Thomas Piatt. His sire was Good Goods, and his dam was Winds Chant. Buy ...

. * In 1947,

Bewitch Bewitch (1945–1959) was a Thoroughbred race horse born in 1945 at Calumet Farm, Kentucky, United States in the same crop in which the stallion Bull Lea produced Citation and Coaltown. Each of them was eventually inaugurated into the Thoroughbr ...

won,

Citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of ...

finished second, and Free America was third. All three horses were owned by

Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegras ...

and all were trained by Jimmy Jones.https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/419932141.html?dids=419932141:419932141&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+17%2C+1947&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Bewitch+Grabs+Rich+Futurity&pqatl=google * 1953 winner

Hasty Road Hasty Road (1951–1978) was an American thoroughbred racehorse which won the 1954 Preakness Stakes. In 1953, Hasty Road won six of his nine races including the Arlington Futurity and the Washington Park Futurity, and set a record for prize m ...

went on to win the 1954

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

* 1959 winner

Venetian Way Venetian Way (March 23, 1957 – October 17, 1964) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1960 Kentucky Derby. Background Venetian Way was a chestnut horse bred in Kentucky by John W. Greathouse. He was purchased by Ch ...

won the next year's

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 ...

Records

Speed record: (at distance of 6 furlongs) * 1:09.60 -

Swoon's Son Swoon's Son (February 13, 1953 – 1977) is an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred and raced by E. Gay Drake, owner of Mineola Stock Farm in Lexington, Kentucky and a charter member of the Thoroughbred Club of America. Rid ...

(1955), Restless Wind (1958),

(1959) Most wins by 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 ...

: * 3 -

Bill Hartack William John Hartack Jr. (December 9, 1932 – November 26, 2007), born in Colver, Pennsylvania, was a Hall of Fame jockey. Colver is in the northwestern part of Cambria Township, 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Ebensburg, the county seat. ...

(1956, 1957, 1961) Most wins by an owner: * 3 - John Marsch (1942, 1943, 1944) * 3 -

Fred W. Hooper Fred William Hooper (October 6, 1897 – August 4, 2000) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. He was a member of The Jockey Club, an honorary director of the Breeders' Cup, and one of the founders of the Thoroughbred Owners ...

(1946, 1956, 1960)

Winners

† In 1956, California Kid won but was disqualified bumping in the stretch and set back to second.

Notes

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References

June 26, 1937 ''Palm Beach Post'' article on the inaugural running of the Washington Park Futurity

Recurring events established in 1937 Discontinued horse races in the United States Flat horse races for two-year-olds Horse races in the United States Horse racing in Illinois Recurring events disestablished in 1961