On the late suggestion of William Collins Whitney, himself a titan of the turf, the oval was named for Belmont.īelmont Park was built under the aegis of August’s son and heir August II. In 1905, Belmont Park opened, 15 years after his death. In 1867, the first edition of the Belmont Stakes was run at Jerome Park in the Bronx just two years later, Belmont’s Fenia n took the 1869 edition.Įventually, the stake moved to a new track on Long Island in New York, also site of Belmont’s Nursery Stud. Still an agent for the Rothschilds, Belmont was indignant when the Pennsylvania state treasurer wrote him in 1868: “We are willing to give you the pound of flesh, but not one drop of Christian blood.”įour years earlier, when Belmont served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, the New York Times spat: “Yes, the great Democratic party has fallen so low that it has to seek a leader in the agent of foreign Jew bankers.”īelmont headed the American Jockey Club, a forerunner of the modern, august institution, for two decades.
![play planet horse play planet horse](https://s3.amazonaws.com/nichesites-files/horseplains_com/images/blog/1430/400.jpg)
Before the nuptials, Belmont is said to have converted from Judaism to Episcopalianism whether or not he actually did, he eschewed future mention of his heritage going forward, and his children were raised Protestant.īut antisemitism lingered.
![play planet horse play planet horse](https://edutoysplanet.s3.amazonaws.com/catalog/product/cache/9/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/r/br3.jpg)
In 1849, he wed blueblooded Caroline Slidell Perry, daughter of Commodore Matthew Perry, who helped force open Japanese trade to the West. Heading to New York, August took advantage of the depression and made astute purchases, becoming an independent financial player nearly overnight.īut it was his choice of bride that helped make him part of in New York’s social elite. Aged just 21, he was assigned to work in Havana, Cuba, when a financial crisis – better known as the Panic of 1837 – struck. The young man soon impressed with his ability to manage funds, even handling delicate papal transactions while still a teen. Details of his life are greatly obscured his family was alternately impoverished or wealthy, and Belmont either covertly maintained his faith for life or gave it up.Įither way, clever August moved to Frankfurt at age 13, where he worked for the esteemed Rothschild bank. He was born August Schönberg in 1816 in what is now western Germany. Looming over them all, both in terms of capital and legacy in the sport, was August Belmont I. The number of tracks exploded, as did the amount of Central and Eastern European Jews, known as Ashkenazim, populating cities these immigrants became intertwined with the local sporting landscapes, including horse racing. Horse racing, in particular, transformed after the Civil War, moving from a sport associated with aristocratic plantation owners to a pastime driven by gambling.
![play planet horse play planet horse](https://d39qw52yhr4bcj.cloudfront.net/catalog/product/cache/9/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/w/-/w-re-7118-4.jpg)
Indeed, one can trace the indelible legacy left by those of Jewish heritage throughout the sport’s history.Īs Melvin Adelman noted in A Sporting Time, the rise of organized, competitive sports in America in the 19th century went hand-in-hand with immigration, urbanization and industrialization. But digging deeper reveals a complex character with a complicated life.ĭespite assimilating into Protestant society, Belmont was a Jewish immigrant. Here, ahead of this weekend’s Belmont Stakes, Carly Silver traces the Thoroughbred industry’s rich Jewish heritage.Īs the Belmont Stakes looms on the horizon, attention shifts north from Churchill Downs and Pimlico. It is well-known that financier August Belmont I, a pioneer in New York racing, serves as the namesake for both the Triple Crown’s third jewel and its host track.
![play planet horse play planet horse](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0012/3420/6827/products/Shire_Horse_Animal_Planet_387290_1024x1024.png)
Last month was Jewish American Heritage Month, paying tribute to the generations who have helped shape the fabric of history, culture and society. Both the race and its host venue were named after Jewish immigrant August Belmont I the horse was owned by Ahmed Zayat, from a family of Egyptian Orthodox Jews. American Pharoah charges into history as he completes the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes in 2015.