What do Seabiscuit, Mioland, Noor and Triplicate all have in common?

If you said that each horse won the San Juan Capistrano Handicap sometime during their respective careers, you are correct.

True or false: they all won the race on turf.

If you went with true, you are wrong.

While the San Juan Capistrano has built a rich history in its many renewals over Santa Anita's El Camino Real turf course for more than half a century, it did not always reside on the grass. For much of its first twenty years, the San Juan Capistrano's home was the main track.

But that all changed in 1954.

In a year that saw the film On the Waterfront hit theatres, Ernest Hemingway be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the Minneapolis Lakers win their third straight national basketball title, the San Juan Capistrano moved from dirt to turf after Santa Anita completed installation of the new El Camino Real turf course a year earlier.

Set at various distances since it inception in 1935, the 1954 San Juan comprised a mile and one-half as it began its new era. A full field of sixteen horses were on hand for the festivities. Among them was By Zeus, who captured the 1954 San Fernando Stakes; Indian Hemp, a stakes winner in both Europe and Tanforan up in Northern California; Wandering Ways, who took the 1951 King's Plate in New Zealand and finished third in the 1954 Santa Margarita Handicap; Rejected, winner of the 1954 Santa Anita Handicap; and Thirteen of Diamonds, champion of the 1952 Irish Derby.

The public went with a coupled entry to take the San Juan Capistrano, with Indian Hemp, Thirteen of Diamonds and Wandering Ways all part of the group at 1.50-1. Not far behind was another coupled entry, this one comprising By Zeus and Rejected at nearly 5-2. The field was a mix of favorites, middle-priced choices, and longshots, so if any of the principals failed to reach the winner's circle, bettors that picked a horse at higher odds stood to have a celebratory walk to the betting windows (and likely dinner at the Derby restaurant not far from the track).

Of course, some big names were riding in the San Juan Capistrano. Bill Shoemaker, in the early years of both his career and dominance of the local racing scene, had the mount on Rejected. Eddie Arcaro, one of the all-time greatest riders, piloted Cyclotron after winning the race a year earlier with Intent. And Johnny Longden, himself a multiple winner of the San Juan Capistrano, was in the irons for Thirteen of Diamonds. All three men, whose careers intersected with each other's over time, were always meant to be linked in the timeline of Thoroughbred racing. That meant meeting up in races from time to time, especially significant ones. Whether any of the three realized it on that day, they all became part of a truly significant event in the history of California racing.

Two horses from the favored team took turns leading, with Wandering Ways and Indian Hemp spending time up front. Both were in contention for a while as the field made its way across the grass surface. But neither of them would finish first on March 6, 1954. That position went to By Zeus and his jockey, Ray York. Initally off the pace, the two made their way to the front as tens of thousands watched across Santa Anita. They also saw By Zeus set a new American record for the mile and one-half distance with a time of 2:26.00. In second came Rejected, who came from behind earlier on as well.

That marked the only time York won the San Juan Capistrano. Shoemaker, who had yet to win the marathon event, would have to wait another seven years before securing that first victory. But he would get that and then some, taking five wins overall in the grand race.

As for By Zeus, he picked up a truly historical win at Santa Anita. Part of the track's fabric from the very beginning, the San Juan Capistrano has formed a legacy of being a showcase for stamina and luring some of the best horses to ever compete at a racetrack. And though it may not have Grade I status these days, it is still an important and prestigious event in turf racing. And the connections of any horse will be proud to win it.

That was no doubt the case for Mrs. Edward Lasker, the owner of By Zeus, and W.J. Hirsch, his trainer.

And By Zeus is not only recognized as a winner of the San Juan Capistrano, he is also the horse that led the race into a new age in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond.

Sources:

El Camino Turf Course completed in 1953: Santa Anita 2020 Winter Meet Media Guide, p. 12.

new American record: Lowry, Paul. "Rejected Second Before 61,000 Fans." Los Angeles Times March 7, 1954.