Flashback: 1967 Kentucky Derby won by Proud Clarion

When the 'Run for the Roses' is held this year on May 6th, it will mark, to the exact date, the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Kentucky Derby. 

Whether or not you believe in luck, there’s something to be said for being in the right place at the right time. But that's only half of it, the other half is knowing what to do when you find yourself there. Such was the setting created five decades ago at Churchill Downs, for a 31-year old jockey named Bobby Ussery.

A few months following the Green Bay Packers victory in the first Super Bowl ever played, the city of Louisville, Kentucky, was experiencing unseasonably cool spring weather and was living in the bullseye of numerous civil rights protests, marches, boycotts, threats of riots and racial tension, if the city did not pass a fair housing ordinance allowing African Americans to live in non-segregated communities and to have equal housing rights. Amidst this menacing backdrop of full unrest that forced the cancellation of the annual "Derby Week" festivities, and threatened to disrupt the 93rd Kentucky Derby, a horse named Proud Clarion had arrived from nearby Lexington to prepare for the race.

The bay colt had fancy breeding with plenty of promise. His sire, Hail To Reason, won numerous stakes races as a juvenile in 1960, including the Hopeful Stakes in which he set a then track record, and was voted the year's Champion 2-year old colt. The dam of Hail To Reason, Nothirdchance, was sired by Blue Swords, who was runner-up in both the 1943 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

However, up to this point in his racing career, with the Derby approaching, Proud Clarion's record was uninspiring. Out of three starts as a juvenile, his best showing was a third-place finish. As a three-year old, he had won a few sprint races--none of which were stakes races. As a matter-of-fact, the only stakes experience Proud Clarion could claim after eight lifetime races was a surprising runner-up showing nine days earlier in the Blue Grass Stakes.

The jockey aboard Proud Clarion that day was Braulio Baeza, the contract rider for owner Darby Dan Farms. Baeza, who won the 1963 Derby with Chateaugay for the same owner, was instrumental in getting John Galbreath, the breeder of Proud Clarion and owner of Darby Dan Farms, to run the horse in the Derby. Following the Blue Grass Stakes, Baeza indicated to Galbreath that Proud Clarion was much improved from the last time he rode the colt in February when the horse romped by eight lengths at Hialeah, and that Proud Clarion was just a bit 'short' on conditioning, and urged the owner to send the horse on to the Derby.

Galbreath heeded the advice given and asked Baeza to ride the horse. However, Baeza's contract with the owner was about to expire in the next few days and the rider had already agreed to pilot Successor, the 2-year old champion of 1966, in the upcoming Derby. When the contract was not renewed by mutual consent, all Galbreath could do was play ‘wait and see’ and hope that Successor wouldn't run in the Derby.

Enter Bobby Ussery. The Oklahoma-born horseman had a great deal of riding experience having begun his career in 1951. He was regarded as one of the premier jockeys in the country and was also acquainted with the Kentucky Derby, having ridden in the event four previous times. Prior to riding in his first Derby assignment in 1960, when he guided Bally Ache to second-place finish, Ussery had amassed 13 major stakes wins in North America, including winning the prestigious Queen's Plate in Canada in 1959 with New Providence. By the time Derby ‘67 rolled around, the young rider had pocketed 35 major stakes victories. Following the success of his initial Derby try, the best finish that Ussery and his mounts could muster in three subsequent Derby attempts was a fifth-place showing. However, things were starting to look rosy in 1967 for Ussery as he was all set to ride Reflected Glory, one of the top favorites for the 93rd Derby, but a sore shin knocked the horse out of the big race. However, Ussery remained confident that one year he would win America’s biggest horse race.

With two days remaining before the Kentucky Derby, it was apparent that Successor was going to run and that Baeza was unavailable for Proud Clarion. Suddenly, owner Galbreath was in desperate search of a rider. Quickly and unexpectedly, he recalled an event, and was off to see a man about a horse. That man was Ussery.

What the owner had remembered was the terrific job Ussery had done riding the Galbreath filly, Bramalea, five years earlier to score victory in the Coaching Club American Oaks. Galbreath’s thinking was, if Ussery rides Proud Clarion like he rode Bramalea, then Ussery would have a chance to win this Derby. Now, there was no waiting until next year for Ussery. Here was another chance with new hopes. The young rider had a hunch this was going to be his year, and he willingly accepted the offer.

Meanwhile, as the race drew closer, the marches and the constant threats of trouble throughout the city intensified. Fearing that advocates of an open housing law would spoil America’s “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports”, state, city and Churchill Downs officials decided not to take any chances. The Governor of Kentucky sent in 2,500 marshalled law enforcement officers, including 1,500 members of the Kentucky National Guard, plus extra state-city police and racetrack guards to help provide tight security. Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King fearing that a protest at the Kentucky Derby would bring too much violence and do more harm than good, made a speech in Louisville hours before the Derby declaring the race will be left alone and called off any organized demonstrations at Churchill Downs.

On Derby morning, residents and guests awoke to grey skies, light rain and high humidity. The wet weather posed a deep concern for Proud Clarion’s trainer, Loyd Gentry, who 4 days earlier had sent his Derby hopeful out for a morning workout over a sloppy Churchill Downs surface. The work was so awful, that Gentry planned to scratch his horse if water was on the track. Despite rain most of the day leading up to the race, the track was fast, just what Gentry wanted for Proud Clarion.

The fourteen-horse field looking for Derby glory, included Diplomat Way, the winner of the Blue Grass Stakes over Proud Clarion at Keeneland, Santa Anita Derby winner, Ruken, who shared co-second betting choice of the crowd with Successor, plus the overwhelming favorite, Wood Memorial winner, Damascus, who was highly irritated by the oppressive humidity, crowd noise, and was uncharacteristically stirred-up. Ussery’s mount was given little consideration by the bettors and was sent off at 30-1 odds.

When the starting gates sprung open, a horse named Barbs Delight, a sprinter, shot straight to the lead. As the horses roared past the grandstand the first time, he was followed in close attendance by Diplomat Way, with John Sellers aboard, and Dawn Glory guided by Earlie Fires. Damascus, with Bill Shoemaker riding, raced in fourth after breaking well, but did not settle into stride in the early stages, as he fought with his jockey, not allowing Shoemaker to rate him. Proud Clarion, starting from post seven, was well back in ninth position and didn’t look like he was going to be any trouble.

After a first quarter clocked in :22 1/5, which set a then new Derby record, Dawn Glory had moved alongside Barbs Delight around the first turn. Diplomat Way was just in behind racing third, while Damascus in fourth, had finally settled into stride and was now under control, just waiting to pounce. Going down the backstretch, Barbs Delight, still in the lead under jockey Kenny Knapp, clicked off a half-mile in :46 3/5 and enjoyed a good advantage after six furlongs in a rapid 1:10 4/5, as positions had remained basically unchanged, with Damascus still waiting to explode. Proud Clarion who had saved ground in eighth near the back of the pack, was now beginning to get untracked.

Rounding the far turn, Barbs Delight’s was still in command, but his lead had lessened as Diplomat Way charged up and Damascus launched his big challenge on the outside. At the same time, Proud Clarion, who had worked his way up to fifth with a quarter-mile remaining, was given his cue by Ussery and accelerated through an opening and was charging hard on the far outside. As the field straightened into the Churchill Downs stretch, the race was up for grabs.

Barbs Delight repelled away the challenge of Diplomatic Way and still was in front with an eighth of a mile left to run, but Proud Clarion and Damascus had dead aim on the leader. However, Shoemaker’s horse found the pace too hectic and dropped back, while Proud Clarion found a higher gear and rocketed past the favorite. With every stride, Proud Clarion narrowed the gap and caught the very game front-runner Barbs Delight to win by a length. It was three-lengths back to Damascus in third. Successor and Ruken, finished sixth and eighth respectively.

It was one of the most exciting Derbys ever, and also one of the fastest – 2:00 3/5, the third fastest in Derby history at that time.

Whether or not you believe luck provided all the right circumstances for Bobby Ussery, there's something to be said for him being in the right place at the right time. But that's only half of it. The other half was, he had the skill and knowledge to capitalize on a sudden opportunity. And he also had the horse.

Proud Clarion finished third in the Preakness and fourth in the Belmont, both times vanquished by his foe Damascus. But Proud Clarion was at his best when it mattered most, on the first Saturday in May.