Fair Play: Colin’s Formidable Foe

Legends
Fair Play, above, was Colin's greatest adversary and a legendary sire. (BloodHorse Library)

Like the titanic battles of Affirmed and Alydar and Sunday Silence and Easy Goer, undefeated Colin owes much of his greatness to archrival Fair Play. Although he could never defeat Colin, Fair Play's game resilience provided Colin with a most formidable adversary.

In 1907, Colin was America's racing first superstar. Fans came out in droves to catch a glimpse of him. The shining star in James R. Keene's juggernaut stable, Colin was the last American champion to retire undefeated until Personal Ensign duplicated the accomplishment in 1988.

As for Fair Play, he was recognized as one of the best runners of his generation, the only horse to ever seriously challenge Colin.  

When the pair hit the breeding shed, the tables were turned. How could a horse sired by Colin ever compete with racing's greatest horse — the incomparable Man o' War?  The sire of eight multiple stakes winners, including Man o' War, Fair Play's subsequent dominance as a sire, and a sire of sires, stamped his blood as one of the premiere American strains of the 20th Century.

Royally bred at August Belmont II's Nursery Stud between Lexington and Paris, Ky. in 1905, Fair Play was a golden chestnut with a striking white blaze. His sire, Hastings, the hot-tempered Belmont winner of 1908, was the leading sire in 1902 and 1908. Fair Play's dam was Fairy Gold, winner of the 1898 Woodcote Stakes in England. She was sired by 1880 Epsom Derby winner Bend Or, who produced numerous quality horses, including unbeaten English Triple Crown winner Ormonde. In addition to Fair Play, Fairy Gold produced Friar Rock, Horse of the Year in 1916.

Trained by Andrew Joyner, Fair Play broke his maiden in an overnight handicap. After convincing victories in the Flash Stakes and the Montauk Stakes, Fair Play ran second in the Hopeful Stakes, then third in the U.S. Hotel Stakes.

Fair Play met Keene's young star Colin for the first time at Sheepshead Bay. The racing facility had a tall, iron picket fence with hedges, and a dedicated Long Island Railroad route served the racetrack on race days. Its purses were larger, and the house jockeys were well-known figures in racing.

More than 40,000 turned out on a brilliant late August afternoon for the 1907 Futurity Stakes. Colin broke like a shot with Fair Play hard on his heels. He snatched the lead for a moment, then swung outside of Fair Play and held off a late bid by Bar None to win by a length. Fair Play finished fourth, beaten by four lengths.

A month later, Colin beat Fair Play again in the Brighton Produce Stakes at Brighton Beach racetrack. On a rainy afternoon, he sailed home the easy winner. They met for a third time in the Matron Stakes on Oct. 7. Challenging in the stretch, Fair Play closed strongly but Colin pulled away and won again, this time by three lengths. The race chart read: "Fair Play came like a cyclone at the end into a decisively fast-going second."

The year belonged to Colin, scoring triumphs in all 12 of his starts, earning the colt the 1907 juvenile championship as well as Horse of the Year honors. As for Fair Play, he started 10 times, winning three races, including the Montauk Stakes and the Flash Stakes at Saratoga. He was also second three times in the Hopeful, Produce, and Matron Stakes.

Fair Play (BloodHorse Library)

As a 3-year-old, Colin continued his unbeaten streak in the Withers, Belmont Stakes, and Tidal Handicap. Gaining maturity, Fair Play upped his game. Running 16 times, he was never out of the money, and finished third only once. His stamina was evidenced by three victories at 1 ½ miles, a win at 1 5/8 miles, and a triumph at 1 ¾ miles. Fair Play also set track records at 1 ¼ miles and 1 5/16 miles.

It was in the 1908 Belmont that Fair Play came the closest to toppling Colin's undefeated record. Run in the fog and in a driving rainstorm at 1 3/8 miles, Colin took control early and had a five-length lead at the quarter-pole. Fair Play unleashed a furious rally in deep stretch, but Colin hung on to win by a desperate head. Reportedly, Colin suffered a bowed tendon in one or two legs in the effort. Fair Play proved more sound and resilient, bouncing back to run second in the Brooklyn Handicap (later renamed the Dwyer Stakes) just two days after the Belmont behind Celt, who set a new track record for the 1 ¼ miles in 2:04.20.

In his next start, Fair Play finished third behind the mighty handicapper Ballot in the Suburban Handicap at 1 ¼ miles. He returned to his winning ways in the Coney Island Jockey Club Stakes, the Lawrence Realization, and the Jerome Handicap, setting a new track record for 1 3/8 miles at Belmont. He closed out the year with victories in the Municipal Handicap, and First Special, where he set a new track record at Gravesend for 1 ¼ miles in 2:03.40. 

In its annual ranking of Thoroughbreds in 1908, the New York Times reported: "Fair Play ran 16 times, was never unplaced, but he was beaten by ill fortune on each occasion."

In the autumn of 1908, racing was dealing with its own ill fortune. New York had repealed the Percy-Grey law, which made the penalty for bookmaking only the forfeiture of amount wagered. That had kept horseplayers content. The repeal, however, essentially made it illegal to bet on racehorses.

The sport's popularity took a nose dive. Top stables sent their best runners to race in England, including those owned by Keene and Belmont. Colin and Fair Play were both shipped overseas but neither prospered. Colin broke down before he could start in England and was retired to stud there. Based at Balaton Lodge in Newmarket, Fair Play raced six times in England and was unplaced. He had taken an immediate dislike to training on grass and was forced to carry extremely high weights.

Fair Play's sire's notorious, fiery temper kicked in, and ultimately, Fair Play refused to run at all. He returned to America in the fall of 1909 with the intent to continue racing, but his attitude only worsened. Fair Play was retired with a record of 10 wins, 11 seconds, and three thirds in 26 American starts and $86,950 in earnings. He was in the money in 24 of 26 starts.

Fair Play (BloodHorse Library)

When Colin and Fair Play went to stud, it was Colin who found himself to be overshadowed by his old rival. Fair Play entered stud at his birthplace, Nursery Stud in Kentucky, for the 1910 breeding season.  He joined Hastings, Ethelbert, Henry of Navarre, and a recent Belmont acquisition, the English Triple Crown winner Rock Sand. At Nursery Stud, Fair Play was still kicking up a fuss. As with his English experience, Fair Play refused to gallop on the grass. In order to be exercised the horse had to be led to a nearby road.

Fair Play sired the majestic Man o' War on March 29, 1917. Among his other most accomplished runners were Display, Mad Play, Chance Shot, Chance Play, Mad Hatter, My Play, Ladkin, Chatterton, Stromboli, Masda, and Sands of Pleasure among others.

Fair Play's sons and daughters were renowned for their great soundness, stamina, and weight-carrying ability, qualities that made his bloodline one of the most coveted in America. Fair Play sired 260 foals, 18% of which were stakes winners. He led the American sires list in 1920, 1924, and 1927.

Fair Play died in 1929, four years after his breeder Belmont passed away. He was elected to Racing's Hall of Fame in 1956. Eleven members of the Hall of Fame trace to Fair Play in their male lines. Besides Man o' War, his grandsons include Discovery, Battleship, Crusader, and War Admiral as well as great-grandson Seabiscuit, and great-granddaughters Busher and Searching.

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