Citation

Citation, the son of Bull Lea out of Hydroplane II, was born on April 11, 1945. The bay colt went to Jimmy Jones's division in the spring of 1947 to begin his racing career.

Citation made his first appearance on April 22, 1947, at Harve De Grace.He won the 4 1/2 furlong race by a half-length. He needed to win 4 races to start his career in order to be trained for and entered into a stakes race. He wrapped up his season with eight wins out of nine starts.

As great as he was as a two year old, Citation was even more outstanding as a three year old. He began by winning over older horses, including Armed, who was Horse of the Year in 1947. After winning the Everglades handicap and Flamingo Stakes, Jimmy Jones took him back to Maryland to prepare him for the Triple Crown.

Before making his next start, however, Citations jockey, Albert Snider, was lost off the Florida coast in the Everglades on a fishing trip, just two months before the 1948 Kentucky Derby. The mystery of Snider's disappearance has never been solved.Jones then made the decision to put the already legendary Eddie Arcaro on board for the next race, the Chesapeake Trial on April 12, at Harve De Grace. Racing in the mud with a brand new jockey, and dropping down from 1 1/8 mile to six furlongs, Citation was unable to make up lost ground and lost by a length to a colt named Saggy, whom he had defeated earlier in the Flamingo Stakes.

Citation had only five opponents in the Kentucky Derby, including stablemate Coaltown. He won by 3 1/2 lengths. Even though Jimmy was Citation's trainer, he ran in Ben Jones's name, allowing him to tie trainer H.J. "Derby Dick" Thompson's record of four Kentucky Derby winners.

Coaltown was absent in the Preakness and Citation breezed ahead of the other horses, winning easily by 5 1/2 lengths. Jimmy Jones was the trainer on record again. With a 4 week break in between the Preakness and Belmont, Jones decided to give Citation another race in between. He entered him into the Jersey Derby, and Citation won by an astounding 11 lengths. On June 12, over a fast track at Belmont, Citation became racings eighth Triple Crown Winner. He led all the way and won by eight lengths.

Citation won nine more starts in 1948, including the walkover in the Pimlico Special. In his three year old year, he won 27 out of 29 starts, with earnings of $865,150, just over $50,000 short of Stymie's all time record. But he did not run at all during his four year old year due to an osselet on his left front ankle and tendon injuries.

In January, 1950, he was back, winning his first race by 1 1/2 lengths. This extended his winning streak to a record 16 races. The five year old made eight more starts, winning once and finishing second the other seven times.

After Warren Wright died, the Jones's kept Citation in training long enough to break the $1,000,000 mark. The first three starts ended up in third place finishes. He placed fifth in the Hollywood Premier Handicap and second in the Argonaut Handicap. But he would never lose again. He won the Century and American Handicaps and the Hollywood Gold Cup. When he retired in 1951, he was racings first, and only, millionaire.

Citation retired to stud at Calumet farm. He produced several notable runners, but never any that accomplished what he did. He died on August 8, 1970, at the age of 25. Citation is number 3 on the list of the 100 greatest racehorses of the 20th Century.