Clement L. Hirsch

Clement L. Hirsch
Clement L. Hirsch
	Edith Mack Hirsch; 3) Claudia H. Mirken; 4) Lynn Booth
Children	6
Honors	NTRA Commissioners Cup (1988); Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship Stakes at Santa Anita Park; Del Mar Racetrack;

Clement Lang Hirsch (April 26, 1914 – March 15, 2000) was an American businessman and a prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner who co-founded Oak Tree Racing Association.

Born in

Guadalcanal Campaign

.

In 1936, Clement Hirsch founded the Dog Town Packing Company in

Hormel Foods

.

In 1963 Clement Hirsch and his second wife

Edith Mack Hirsch were divorced. She remarried to actor Desi Arnaz.^[1]

Married four times, Clement Hirsch had six children from his marriages.

Thoroughbred horse racing

Clement Hirsch purchased his first Thoroughbred racehorse in 1947. A rarity in the racing industry, during his more than fifty years racing horses, Hirsch employed only two

Las Vegas

, he hired Warren Stute who remained with him for more than forty years.

A member of

Clement L. Hirsch Handicap in his honor. Hirsch retired Magical Maiden to broodmare duty. She is the granddam of 2009 Kentucky Derby entrant Papa Clem

and the 2021 Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Sprinter winner Ce Ce through her GI-winning daughter Miss Houdini. Papa Clem and Ce Ce are both owned by Hirsch's son Bo Hirsch. The name "Papa Clem" stems from the name Clement Hirsch's grandchildren called him, and that horse was trained by Gary Stute, Warren Stute's nephew.

While successful racing horses, Clement Hirsch is best remembered in the sport as a co-founder and President of the

Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California decided to cancel their fall racing program and to host only a summer meet. Clement Hirsch, along with businessman/racehorse owner Louis R. Rowan, veterinarian Dr. Jack Robbins, and other racing enthusiasts, formed the Oak Tree Racing Association to annually host a fall meet at Santa Anita Park

. It would prove to be highly successful and Clement Hirsch would serve as its president from its inception until his death in 2000.

In 1998, Clement Hirsch was awarded the Commissioners Cup by the

Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship

for the 2000 renewal.

Hirsch was selected for induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2024 as a "Pillar of the Turf."^[2]

References

^ Time magazine
^ Grening, David (23 April 2024). "Rosario, Gun Runner, Justify top 2024 Racing Hall of Fame inductees". Daily Racing Form. Retrieved 23 April 2024.

Nolan, Laurence C. Fundamental Principles of Family Law (Hirsch vs Mirken) (2005) William S. Hein & Co.
ISBN 978-0-8377-3832-1

Los Angeles Times obituary for Clement L. Hirsch
Chapman University Board of Trustees
Profile of Clement L. Hirsch at the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association

[1] Time magazine

[2] Grening, David (23 April 2024). "Rosario, Gun Runner, Justify top 2024 Racing Hall of Fame inductees". Daily Racing Form. Retrieved 23 April 2024.

[1]

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