Max Hirsch
| Max Hirsch | |
|---|---|
| (1968)
| |
| Honors | |
| U.S. Racing Hall of Fame (1959) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Assault, Bold Venture, Bridal Flower But Why Not, Dawn Play, High Gun, Gallant Bloom, Grey Lag, Middleground, Sarazen, Stymie, Tola Rose, Vito |
Maximilian Justice "Max" Hirsch (July 12, 1880 - April 3, 1969)[1] was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.
Born in
Thoroughbred horse racing history. He spent part of his formative years working as a groom and jockey at Morris Ranch in Gillespie County, Texas.[1] Hirsch conditioned horses for various owners including George W. Loft, Arthur B. Hancock, the infamous Black Sox Scandal gambler Arnold Rothstein, Morton L. Schwartz, Jane Greer, and Virginia Fair Vanderbilt, but is best known for his work with the King Ranch Stable
, which he joined in the 1930s and for whom he trained until his death in 1969.
Epinard in the third race of the 1924 International Specials was his greatest thrill in racing. A Hall of Fame inductee, Sarazen was the American Horse of the Year
in 1924 and 1925.
Max Hirsch won the first of his four
U.S. Triple Crown with Bold Venture's son Assault. In 1950, Hirsch won his third Kentucky Derby with another son of Bold Venture, Middleground
who also won the Belmont Stakes.
Max Hirsch was inducted into the
Long Island, New York and was buried next to his wife, Katherine Josephine Clare (1888–1941), in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, Long Island.[2]
His son, Buddy, followed in his footsteps and too was voted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame.
In popular culture
Hirsch was featured in the eighth episode of season 2 of the
HBO Television series Boardwalk Empire, where he was played by Robert Dorfman. There he was seen to be employed by Arnold Rothstein
for training his racehorse Sidereal.
References
- ^ a b "Max Hirsch". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ Max Hirsch Obituary - Spokane, Washington Spokesman-Review - April 3, 1969
Additional sources
- Texas Sports Hall of Fame article on Max Hirsch and the International Special No.3
- Max Hirsch at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
- ISBN 978-1581501490)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
