Charles Edward Whittingham a legend and icon in the domain of racing horse trainings
While going through the history of racing horse trainers, the first name that comes into mind is the legendary, Charles E. Whittingham. This American thoroughbred race horse trainer has always been applauded and admired ,for the training he has given to
his race horse.
The icon died of Leukemia, at the age of eighty six on the 20th of April, 1999. His death gave a big shock to UK's horse racing domain.
Whittingham was born on the 13th of April 1913, in Chula Vista a city in California, America.
His tremendous achievement and amazing career forced writers to write his biography, a known writer Jay Hovdey, wrote a book on this thoroughbred racing legend, by the name of Whittingham.
At a very young age, he was in to horse racing, he started his career by working under Hall of Fame trainer, Horatio Luro as an assistant.
American Marine Corps interfered in his career during World War II, but later on in 1950 he continued his service as an assistant.
Whittingham’s very first achievement was with two-year-old colt Porterhouse, owned by Liz Whitney Tippett.
Whittingham’s amazing training made the colt win the title of U.S Two-Year-Old colt.
The renowned trainer has uncountable wins, but among them are few major wins, the famous event Santa Anita Handicap race was won by him eight times in his entire career.
In 1957, the very first time a horse under his training won this event and then the victory continued in 1967, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1985, 1986, and the last Santa Anita Handicap winning was in 1993.
The famous cup of his home city California, the Hollywood Gold Cup was won by his stallion in 1971.
The next three years, this title was consecutively won by his horses and after a four year gap, again, the winning was in his hands, in 1982, 1985 and in 1987.
Chicago’s famous flat horse racing, Arlington Million, was won three times by the icon, in 1982 he gained his first victory, then in 1986 and 1990 he became lucky to win the purse of $ 1 million.
In 1981 Grade 1 Washington, D.C. International Stakes, was won by Whittingham, in 1987 and 1989 the Santa Anita Derby title was won by him and last but not the least, Japan Cup victory helped Whittingham to achieve the prize of ¥476,000,000 in 1991.
Charles Edward Whittingham has a big name in the American Classics, due to his success in the Kentucky Derby in 1986 and in 1989, in the same year he won the Preakness Stakes and the Breeder’s Cup Classic.
Apart from the winning and victories in races by his remarkable trained stallions, he was rewarded three times with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1971, 1982 and 1989, along with this he was rewarded seven times, with the U.S Champion Trainer
by earnings.
Whittingham was declared as the leading trainer, for Santa Anita Park and the Hollywood Park Racetrack, due to his 252 stakes win at the age of forty-nine.
Charles Edward Whittingham’s training has made many stallions the champions of their times, among those outclass thoroughbreds were, American Horse of the Year, Ack Ack and Sunday Silence, the winner of U.S Champion Turf Horse, Cougar II, and Kennedy Road,
the Canadian Horse of the Year and Exceller.
In 1974 the legendary trainer was honored with United States Hall of Fame , then in 1993 he was honored with the San Diego of Champions.
In the Santa Anita Park and at the Hollywood Park, Charles Edward Whittingham is sculpted, which is big proof of his likeness.
The achievements of this icon would have continued, but his death brought an end to his career or else this victorious trainer had an urge of gaining more and more success.
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