Tinseltown and the Turf

The 1930s Hollywood film industry loved horseracing and many of the stars owed horses, including the legendary Fred Astaire, who had racehorses in the UK and the US.

Letters sent by Astaire to his UK trainer Jack Leach were part of an online exhibition staged this spring by the National Horseracing Museum.

We trace the union between the US film industry and horseracing, and profile Astaire’s passion for the sport. With thanks to the National Horseracing Museum and the Cox Library

HOLLYWOOD STARS from the 1930s and today’s digital world collided and crossed generations in Newmarket this spring.

The National Horseracing Museum hosted an online exhibition of letters written by the legendary dancer and actor Fred Astaire to his UK-based racehorse trainer Jack Leach.

Astaire was a keen racing man, owned horses in training in the UK and the US and was fully part of the racing scene in both countries.

Leach’s grandson Andrew Gosling has a collection of letters sent between the star and his trainer spanning the period between the 1930s to the 1950s, and loaded them to the museum for this online exhibition.

In some respects, it is no surprise that Astaire was a fan of horseracing and was actively involved – the 1930s Hollywood film industry and the racing world enjoyed a close association, with many of the stars as well as those working behind the scenes involved either as racehorse owners or keen racegoers, bettors, fans or just on track to be “seen”.

Fred Astaire

The two worked off each other and the sport then had a huge following in the US – horseracing and baseball dominated the sporting world and the racetrack provided rich content for the films of the day.

Bing Crosby welcoming guests at Del Mar

Crosby and Pat O'Brien, founders of Del Mar racecourse

In the book “Hollywood at the Races: Film’s Love Affair with the Turf” author Alan Shuback writes: “A day at the races is as much a social occasion as a sporting event, and this was appreciated by the Hollywood film community.

“Actors are a sociable breed. They enjoy the camaraderie a racetrack can offer, be it in the stands, in the restaurant, or under the trees in one of the track’s gardens. Each way station at a racetrack – the paddock, the bar, the line at the betting windows, the winner’s circle – is an opportunity to greet friends, exchange opinions on the next race, or complain about the jockey’s horrible ride on the favorite in the previous race.

To that extent, racetracks seemed purpose-built for Hollywood, where a good conversation – or a juicy piece of gossip – never went unheard. And of course, there was the betting. Anyone who worked regularly in Hollywood had reserves of cash that they were just itching to pour through the bookies.”

Racing in California had first really found its commercial feet in the early 1900s when businessman Lucky Baldwin opened a racetrack on his private ranch in Arcadia, about 20m east of Los Angeles, on December 7, 1907.

He called it Santa Anita, and business boomed for two winter seasons until 1909, when California’s “moralising” middle-class put it out of business with laws outlawing gambling.

Things got even worse by the 1920s when prohibition had come into effect, set up to protect individuals and families from the “scourge of drunkenness.”

By the 1920s there had been an explosion in movie production and audience numbers, but the growing Hollywood crowd could not get to the races to have a drink and a bet.

It led to regular a weekend migration as the stars crossed the border to Mexico to find their find fun at the sports.

As Alan Shuback adds: “Sinfulness has its attractions, but when sin becomes illegal as well as immoral, incurring the wrath of the state as well as God, it becomes a bit too dangerous even for high-profile movie stars with big bankrolls and protectors in high places.

“You had all these rich, talented, sociable people who couldn’t get a legal drink, couldn’t put a legal bet down and had no Hollywood major league sports,” writes Shuback.

“So they went to Tijuana where there was horseracing, casino gambling, bars, restaurants and prostitutes – everything that movie stars liked.”

The 1930s Great Depression began to turn things back in the favour of the movie stars and horseracing as the local authorities needed to puts funds in the bank – a tax on betting was seen as an easy win, and the sport found a legal home north of the Mexican border again. The poorly run prohibition laws were also repealed in 1933.

A group of investors spent around $3 million on redeveloping Santa Anita to the state-of-the-art facility we still know today, and thrilled owners and racing fans everywhere by offering a $100,000 (around $7 million today) winner-take-all prize in its signature annual event, the Santa Anita Handicap.

The extravagant prizes drew in the horses, and the horses drew the fans.

Twenty horses lined up for what was already being called the “Big ’Cap,” the nickname given to the race to this day. That first year the race was termed “the best field in the history of racing,” and the Hollywood contingent was out in force.

Leading the field was Bing Crosby, who never missed a big race day in his life. Astaire, who loved to have a bet and enjoyed the use of “systems” and was just two weeks out from the release of Roberta, his first film with Ginger Rogers.

The race really signified the beginning of a golden relationship between horseracing and the movies through the 1930s.

In the sleeve notes to his book, Alan Schuback quotes the 1930s TV personality Ed Sullivan who said in 1939: “Hollywood has gone nuts over horse racing, and by the same token racing has gone nuts over Hollywood.”

Not only did the Hollywood crowd enjoy a day at the sports, the racecourses provided the ideal film set. Horseracing was so popular and influential between 1930 and 1960 that nearly 150 racing-themed films were released through those 30 years.

Santa Anita with its art deco architecture, the San Gabriel mountains on the horizon, and the track’s proximity to Hollywood meant it became the “go-to place for filmmakers”.

Shuback writes: “Films about fixed races, crooked jockeys, and gambling coups, as well as sporting-related historical dramas, were released with increasing frequency throughout the second half of the 1930s. Hollywood produced at least eight racing-themed films per year over the last half of the decade.”

“The 1930s were halcyon days for the racing film. When a movie was scheduled for release, the studio would send the leading players out to the track. Being photographed at Santa Anita, Del Mar, or Hollywood Park was good publicity, whether the film was a racing picture or not. And in the case of Warner Bros., that sort of publicity also promoted their track down in Inglewood.”

The burgeoning success of Santa Anita had not gone unnoticed, and for racing to have a real chance of success in the region the sport needed year-round opportunities, the concept for Del Mar was born.

In 1936, financial man William Quigley pitched the idea to Crosby and together they formed the Del Mar Turf Club, one of the members being Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy fame.

Funds were raised and the track opened in 1937 with Crosby famously at the gate to welcome fans. The song “When the Turf meets the Surf” was written and sung in honour of the big day.

In 1938 the now-defunct Hollywood Park also opened, its chairman was Jack L. Warner of the Warner Brothers and prominent shareholders from the film industry included Warner’s brother, Hollywood studio executives Walt Disney, Samuel Goldwyn, Darryl Zanuck, actors Al Jolson, Crosby, Joan Blondell, George Jessel, Ronald Colman and Ralph Bellamy.

Astaire buys racehorses in the UK

IN THE MEANTIME, Astaire had been developing his equine ownership interests in the UK and the US. Nobody in Astaire’s family had ever been interested in racing and yet reportedly when the song and dance man first got to New York as a young upand -coming star he was often found to be missing in the afternoons having skipped off to the races at Belmont Park.

Astaire headlined the Gershwin musical Lady Be Good in London and it led to his first racehorse ownership interest in 1925. Sidney Beer, a prominent owner of era and whose sprinter Diomedes had won the King’s Stand Stakes, the July Cup and the Nunthorpe Stakes, sold Astaire a colt named Dolomite. Sadly, the horse did not mange to win, but, amazingly, Astaire still managed to sell on the horse for twice the purchase price – turning a horse over for cash, even for a man on the way to make his millions, even then was an important part of the ownership process.

Astaire bought his first racehorse when he was in the UK for the stage show Lady Be Good

In his autobiography Astaire wrote: “I’ve learned never to fall in love with a horse, when it becomes uneconomically sound to keep one it must go.”

Astaire was not so sensible as he liked to make out – instead of banking the profit, as a responsible man should have done, he bought more racehorses – High Hat, Mavis, Rainbow Tie and The Greek. All were eventual winners albeit at a low level. His first “proper” winner was owned alongside Beer and named Social Evening and as the owner noted: “There is nothing like a winner of your own to give you that certain feeling.”

Astaire loved a bet and had account with all the major firms and he is also reported as saying: “I enjoyed my wagers immensely, and so did they!”

He met John Edward Leach, known as Jack Leach, when the trainer was still riding, the jockey brought backstage to meet the star. A better-than-journeyman jockey, Leach had won the Portland Handicap on Diomedes, the best he said he sat on, rode some 500 winners and won the Derby on Adam’s Apple in 1927.

Leach went on to train the majority of the UK-based Astaire-owned horses and as the correspondence, written between the pair for over 30 years, reveals Lech’s main patron took a hands-on approach even when he was the other side of the Atlantic.

Astaire ensured he was involved in administrative matters with his trainer, such as the selection of colours and the latest training plans, but he particularly wanted to be kept aware of any horses laid out for a punt both by the trainer and others; the then long-term entry system meant that through his sources he still had time to “get on”, even though the inside information had to be sent by post.

He also always kept Leach up to date with the latest musings in Hollywood, some of the gossip about the stars and the films he had been working on.

In 1938, the excited owner discussed the new horse Leach had purchased and, as for all owners, the dreams were endless, chosing the right name the starting point.

And as for all owners he was fully aware of his Weatherbys account (see left).

His letter to Leach in 1939 discussed silk selection (right), while Astaire’s betting was informed by the British form books, which Leach sent over on a regular basis.

“Thanks for the form book. Now I wish you’d send me one with the seasons [sic] jump races to date. If you send it immediately I can still have time to pick the National winner this year. I really don’t need it but I just want to check up. You see it’s either Blue Shirt or War Vessel and I want to put a “monkey” on each. Now don’t say I didn’t tell you.

“Glad Crosswire looks to be progressing and everytime I think of the money we are going to clean up with him it makes me chuckle. In fact I'm chuckling about it as much as Moe Tarsh did before he went broke.

“I went to the Santa Anita Derby to-day and had my ass trimmed. A filly by the name of Ciencia won it easily. She’s a nice one and just laughed at the colts. However I doubt she can win the Kentucky Derby.

“We finished the new picture and it looks good. It is a more serious story and they say audiences at the try-out performances liked it a lot.”

Astaire liked a bet on a variety of topics and on the presidential election, he wrote: “That guy Roosevelt looks like ‘trotting in’ to the next election here although they say you can get as good as 7 to 5 on him. I mean Landon is 7 to 5 against.

“I’d like to lay 700 to 500 that Roosevelt walks it but I’m sure I could not get any takers even at broader odds. I wish they’d unseat the guy though – there’s a lot of feeling against him.”

Astaire loved his visits to Newmarket and there are reports of him dancing in the bar of The Carlton Hotel, which was a feature of Newmarket High Street for more than 100 years. In its heyday The Carlton patronised by many wealthy racehorse owners and top jockeys.

Astaire ventures into US ownership

It was not until after the WWII and the full return of racing in the US that an opportunity arose for Astaire to have horses in training in the US.

He sent a telegraph to his friend, the New York-based trainer Clyde Phillips: “Dear Clyde, here’s that wire I talked about eleven years ago – buy me two young ones possibly as high as ten thousand apiece if necessary and I hope you are available to train them for me.”

Prominent Kentucky owner Colonel Edward Bradley of Idle Hour Farm had an unraced two-year-old filly by War Admiral he was considering selling and Philips had first refusal.

Eventually, the owner changed his mind and decided to keep her for himself, she turned out to be the 1944 and 1945 champion Busher; it was the closest Astaire got to owning a brilliant, generation-defining champion.

Astaire with Triplicate

Astaire and his advisor instead spent $6,000 on a three-year-old colt in training named Triplicate, he was by the 1928 Kentucky Derby winner Reigh Count.

Triplicate won his debut, sadly, Astaire was performing in a United Services Organization tour for troops in Europe and was not at the track to watch.

The colt went on to win his second start by over 4l, beating older and experienced horses.

Astaire did make it to the track to see Triplicate finish fourth at Belmont third time out; the horse was subsequently shipped to California so his owner could watch him more often.

After the San Juan Capistrano Handicap

On June 7, 1945, after winning a minor stakes event, Triplicate secured himself a berth in the Santa Anita Handicap in which he finished an honourable fourth.

After the race Philips said to his excited owner: “There is no knowing how good this horse could be.”

In the Santa Anita Handicap he closed late to finish sixth beaten only 2l from a draw of 22 in the 23-runner field with jockey J.D. Jessop reporting that the horse would have won if he’d been granted a clear passage.

A subsequent 5l victory in the 1m4f San Juan Capistrano Handicap within the fortnight righted that wrong and the horse was entered in the $100,000 Hollywood Gold Cup.

Unfortunately, Jeesop was suspended and could not ride, and with jockey plans up in the air, the team engaged young riding star Basil James, who was based in New York.

As just a 16-year-old he been the United States champion jockey by winners and in 1939 when 19 years of age he taken the title of United States champion jockey by earnings.

Come the day, stormy weather led to the cancellation of commercial flights and it looked as though James would be unable to travel but, luckily, Astaire’s friend, the producer Howard Hughes, came to the rescue – he had got to know Astaire while he was courting Ginger Rogers – and the jockey grabbed a flight on his private plane arriving in the nick of time.

The horse, still in the form of his life, made a late outside run under James and got to the line in front to win by a neck.

Later that year Philips died from longterm lung problems and his assistant Lloyd Campion took over. Triplicate never found that level of form again and he was retired with earnings of over $245,000, a decent result from a $6,000 purchase.

He initially stood in Kentucky, and his owner was excited about the plans.

As he wrote to Leach in June 1950: “Triplicate is in stud in Kentucky. He’s 8 and we retired him absolutely sound. He covered 24 mares although we retired him late in the season just after Santa Anita. He never could negotiate the lousy going at S.A. It rained like hell. I guess Harry Wragg told you all about that. Our nice mare has been sent to Trip & been covered & we hope in foal (Over Anxious).”

Triplicate at stud

In the same letter, he expressed many of the frustrations owners feel on a daily basis.

“I sold old Early Bird. He was a useful old plater – won about 10 races for us but his legs were getting sorer & sorer.

“I now have three two year old [sic] all sore. They’ve bucked their shins a good while back but now one of ‘em has a knee situation and the best one, a colt Slot Machine stepped on a stone after running a promising 3rd to good company. I think this one has a chance to be something when the distances stretch out.

“He’s a nice gray Jack & built like a rock as far as soundness is con-cerned. His stone bruise or whatever it is – is not serious I’m told only I can’t run him for some time of course.

“The other – a nice filly (on the small side) but can run. We had fired for ringbone and now she’s rid of that (for a while anyway) but she ran through a fence & really knocked herself out – so we have to wait for her too. She’s one of those “charmers” & acts so damn cute & cry all the time & bumps herself around.

“She’s nice natured however. Well – that’s the story. I’m digging for some new animals soon if these don’t get going. Have to wait out the colt however, I’m stuck on him.

“I suppose you’ve been knocking ‘em over. I hope so Jack – it sure is pleasant to win races!!!

“Let me know the news of your horses (and also of course your women).”

He also filled Leach in on the Hollywood gossip and wider racing stories in the US.

“I’m doing a movie with Betty Hutton and she’s really a wild one. She’s a good kid but very excitable & when she gets confused or misses anything she’s trying to do, she comes out with anything – no matter who’s around.

“Its “Oh s**t!” all day long – and “Well F**k That” etc etc. We’ve just done a hell of a funny number that you’ll really like. This picture won’t be out for some time. The one “Barkleys of Broadway” with Ginger Rogers is a hell of a hit & that should hit London soon.”

Astaire remained an active owner, bought a farm in the San Fernando Valley that he named Blue Valley Ranch. He also continued to be a frequent visitor to the UK and enjoyed race days at Royal Ascot, and continued his correspondence with Leach, who by then had retired from training and was writing for the sporting pages.

His breeding interests continued to be dear to his heart: “All is well here. I have a pretty decent filly in Oh Cecelia for Santa Anita. She has only run once as a two yr old and is just coming back and training well. She’s nice and big and seems to have some class. We’ll see!

“I’m pleased about the possibility of a service to Alycidon. Hope it works out. Also – it looks better for Isle of View for her three yr old – according to Harry too.”

Astaire’s first wife Phyllis, who although frequently was at the races with her husband, was not a fan, died in 1954.

Astaire with Clark Cable and his wife Sylvia Ashley in 1951

The star remained a bachelor for 26 years before falling in love with the female jockey Robyn Smith.

Astaire first met Smith, the first woman to ride a stakes winner when successful on the Alfred Vanderbilt-owned North Sea in the Paumanok Handicap at Aqueduct, when she was riding for the big-name owner on New Year’s Day at Santa Anita in 1973.

By 1972, Smith, who was the first female to ride in a race in Northern California,was winning more races at Aqueduct than any other jockey achieving a 20 per cent strike rate second only to that of Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero.

Although she said to the press “I love winning,” she was not a first choice for many trainers, a fact she claimed was due to being a female.

However, Vanderbilt, then chairman of the New York Racing Association, was a strong advocate and in 1971 the owner said to reporters:

“Yes, there’s a tremendous prejudice against girl riders here. A lot of people shudder at the thought of using them.”

Astaire and Smith did not meet again until 1978 when she was in Los Angles to film a commercial. To his amusement and oldfashioned astonishment she called him and invited him to dinner.

Astaire with second wife Robyn Smith

She moved to ride on the Santa Anita-Del Mar-Hollywood Park circuit and love blossomed, despite a 45-year age gap.

They married in 1980, and the day after the ceremony she rode at Hollywood Park.

In all Smith rode 247 career winners and retired in August 1980, citing: “Fred thinks riding horses is dangerous. It isn’t, but my No. 1 priority is to keep Fred happy.”

The couple began to sit back from the spotlight and Astaire died on July 22, 1987, the end of a wonderful relationship between the star, the sport, the stage and the screen.