Three years after Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps' outstanding Bold Ruler was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, the New York Racing Association honored the 1957 Horse of the Year and 3-year-old male and 1958 sprint champion by carding a six-furlong stakes in his name. And fittingly so. The homebred son of Nasrullah—Miss Disco, by Discovery, made 22 of his 33 career starts in New York, 12 of them in sprints, with 13 victories (11 at sprint distances).
Trained by Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons for Phipps' Wheatley Stable, Bold Ruler made a smashing debut as a juvenile in April 1956, winning by 3 1/2 lengths. That was only the beginning. He won his first five starts from April through June. Among them were the prerequisite stepping-stones for young juvenile males with promise: the Youthful Stakes at Jamaica and the Juvenile Stakes at Belmont.
Following a brief rest, the dark bay colt returned in September and finished second on a sloppy Belmont surface. He rebounded and took the Futurity at Belmont. Despite having won seven of his 10 starts at 2, he lost the juvenile championship by throwing in a clunker in the Garden State Juvenile (the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, G1, of its day), struggling home 17th of 19 runners behind Calumet Farm's Barbizon. A final thrust to reclaim his stature resulted in a disastrous last in the Remsen Stakes at Jamaica, where he was eased in the stretch.
At 3, Bold Ruler was a bit of an enigma, with a win-one, lose-one pattern with Calumet's Gen. Duke during the classic prep season in Florida. He took the Bahamas Stakes but lost the Everglades; won the Flamingo and was defeated in the Florida Derby.
Taking the northern route prior to Louisville, he and Eddie Arcaro nosed out a determined Gallant Man to win the Wood Memorial.
Injury forced Gen. Duke to the sideline before the Derby, so Bold Ruler went into the Kentucky classic as the even-money favorite. He didn't run like one, finishing fourth behind Calumet's second stringer Iron Liege who defeated Gallant Man by a nose with Round Table, third.
Bold Ruler returned in the Preakness to better Iron Liege but failed over the 12 furlongs of the Belmont as Gallant Man rose to the fore with an eight-length triumph.
Another June to September freshening found Bold Ruler back to his winning ways. He took the one-mile Jerome by six lengths and showed his prowess against older horses at a distance in Belmont's Woodward Stakes, where he was third to Dedicate and Gallant Man.
The seven-furlong Vosburgh against older horses was the tipping point of Bold Ruler's sophomore campaign. He delivered a nine-length bravo performance in the slop. He did not lose again that year as the Queens County Handicap and the Benjamin Franklin Handicap fell before him.
The ultimate showdown came in the Trenton Handicap at Garden State, where he faced nemesis Gallant Man and Round Table, who had been plundering rich races on dirt and turf in the West and Midwest.
Over the same track that had felled his championship bid as a juvenile, he bested both of those foes to earn not only a divisional title but Horse of the Year honors as well.
The following year Bold Ruler returned to win five of seven starts and earn his sprint championship.
An outstanding stallion, Bold Ruler led the U.S. sires list eight times, bettering the five of his sire Nasrullah. He sired 82 stakes winners from 366 foals (22%), 11 of them champions.
Belmont hosts the 46th edition of the Bold Ruler Handicap (G3) Oct. 31 now run at seven furlongs.
