The Race That Changed the World
In the world of thoroughbred racing, certain cities have become synonymous with their famous races. Churchill Downs has the Kentucky Derby. Baltimore’s Pimlico Racecourse has the Preakness. The Belmont Stakes is run at Belmont Park in New York. And, for many years, “The International” was run at Laurel Park. Formally called “the Washington DC International” but commonly known as “the Laurel International,” the annual race was founded in 1952 by Laurel Park President John D. Schapiro.
The race was the first of its kind in the U.S., created specifically to pit the best horses from around the globe against each other to vie for the title of world’s best thoroughbred. Drawing famous horses, jockeys, celebrities, and even world leaders to what was then the small town of Laurel, the International was wildly popular for decades. The race’s notoriety put Laurel on the map as a horse racing town. It went through many changes over the years, was discontinued and then resurrected, and ultimately moved to Pimlico under a different name. However, the stories from those golden days of Laurel thoroughbred racing live on.
Schapiro’s Risky Venture
When Schapiro announced his plans to host an international horse race, skeptics predicted he would fail. The concept was not a new one, as international races were already being run in Europe. But the expense and logistics of holding one in the U.S. were thought to be insurmountable. Transporting a horse between countries by rail was one thing; taking them across the Atlantic by boat or by plane was quite another. Schapiro pressed on, noting that he would pay all travel expenses, as well as room and board, for all horses and handlers; he also announced a $50,000 purse—pretty significant for that time. In a nod to European racing, Schapiro established a 1.5-mile race on turf with a walking start rather than a gated one, since gated starts were not yet being used in Europe. His approach worked, drawing seven entries: two horses from the UK, one from Germany, one from Canada, and three from the U.S. Two of the horses traveled by ship, while two others took a 28-hour flight that required two refueling stops.
After such a long journey, the horses and jockeys had several days to recover and train. On race day in October 1952, excitement was high at the groundbreaking event. While local attendees likely were rooting for one of the U.S.-bred horses, Schapiro knew that he needed a foreign winner in order to maintain international interest and participation. Two and a half minutes after the start, he got his wish: Wilwyn, from the UK, lived up to his name and won the race. According to ThroughbredRacing.com, “Schapiro [had] done more to promote good relations between the U.S. and the rest of the world than all the politicians in Washington.”
Having quickly gained prestige, the International’s field of entries expanded, drawing more horses from more and more countries. In the early years of its running, winners hailed from France, Venezuela, Ireland, and the United States. England would not gain a repeat victory until 50 years after Wilwyn’s victory, in 1992, despite almost always entering the stakes. However, British participation helped gain early acclaim for Laurel Park owing to the notoriety of one of the 1955 entrants: a horse named Landau, owned by Queen Elizabeth II.
Royal Presence or Urban Legend?
A noted horse racing enthusiast, the Queen is said to have owned more than 2,000 thoroughbreds in her lifetime. She made appearances at horse races all over the globe, including the Kentucky Derby, the English Derby, and ... the International at Laurel Park ... or did she? The Palace announced in August 1954 that her 3-year-old colt Landau would enter the race, wearing the Queen’s purple, gold, and scarlet racing silks, which were also used by her father, George VI, and her great-grandfather, King Edward VII. Her race entry at Laurel Park was historically significant—it marked the first time the Royal Family’s silks had raced anywhere outside the British Isles.
But did the Queen herself actually come to Laurel to present her thoroughbred and cheer him on? The answer is no, although local lore often places her there. Even the Baltimore Sun, in a 2021 article, described an underground passage at Laurel Park as having seen many celebrities, including Queen Elizabeth. But a deep dive into newspaper archives found no evidence that she was actually trackside to cheer on Landau. Additionally, a listing of all the Queen’s foreign visits in 1955 listed only a trip to Norway. Of note, she and Prince Philip did visit the D.C. area in 1957 on an official state visit and managed to take in a University of Maryland football game as the guest of Maryland Governor Theodore McKeldin. But as for a visit to Laurel Park, she was merely represented by her horse Landau and his handlers. And they did not have an easy time of it.
A 1954 New York Times article describes some difficulties with Landau. After being restless on the long transatlantic flight, he reportedly balked at being unloaded from the plane, requiring several handlers to coax him slowly down the ramp and into a transport trailer. (His two equine traveling companions were said to have “clomped quietly down the ramp” without incident.) Then, while the horses were being unloaded in Laurel, the sound of bagpipes and loud drums agitated Landau again. It was a welcoming “kilted band” from the Second Army at Fort Meade.
All that angst must have affected Landau’s performance because, despite his winning record in the British Isles, he finished last in Laurel on November 3. The Daily Racing Forum reported in 1956 that Schapiro extended an invitation to the Queen to enter the International again that year, but she lamented that none of her horses had been deemed good enough to compete. The Queen also apologized at that time for Landau’s poor showing, which may or may not have been a factor in the 35-year gap that followed before the Queen entered another U.S. race. That happened in 1989 at the Arlington Handicap in Illinois. She fared better that time; her horse Unknown Quantity won in an upset.
Another British dignitary did enter a horse in the 1956 International though: Prime Minister Winston Churchill. His 3-year-old Le Pretendant arrived at Friendship Airport (now BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport), but Le Pretendant did not live up to expectations, following in the hoofprints of Landau by finishing last.
The Glory Days of The International: 1952–early 1980s
What had started out as a calculated risk by Schapiro turned into a huge success. In the three decades that followed the International’s debut, crowds from around the world flocked to Laurel to watch the race. By 1958 the grandstand and the grassy areas surrounding the track were packed with over 48,000 spectators, a crowd size that was the norm for many of the early years. Thoroughbred circles and horseracing magazines lauded the race and what it was doing to further “the sport of kings.” Calling the International “a major step in the right direction,” a 1956 Sports Illustrated article was full of praise for Schapiro and his brainchild:
The Washington, D.C. International ... represents the closest thing to open world competition that has ever been seen in this country. Schapiro and the Laurel track are setting a true course toward the popularization of international racing ... [T]hey are bound to attract a good deal more than just a lot of worldwide publicity. They are going to invite the discerning attention of a good many Americans who are just developing an interest in racing. And when ... foreign ambassadors [are found] discussing various turf matters with U.S. Supreme Court Justices and Cabinet members, it has to be set down as a great advance for racing ... From it could come the long overdue recognition that racing deserves on the American scene.
The famous Laurel race also saw the Cold War between the U.S. and the (then) USSR play out on its track between 1958 and 1960. For three years in a row, the Soviets entered the race and had poor showings. And for three years in a row, a U.S. thoroughbred won.
While many famous horses ran the International, two stand out because of their dominating performances. In 1964, American-bred Kelso won the race in his fourth attempt. He had finished second by less than a length in each of his three previous tries. His performances in Laurel helped garner him the prestigious title of Horse of the Year—and not just once. Kelso is the only horse to have earned that honor five times and is widely considered the best horse to have ever run the International.
The other standout was 1983 champion All Along. A storied French-bred filly who had gained world-wide acclaim, her spectacular win at the International marked her fourth major stakes victory in the span of just 6 weeks. She netted a million-dollar bonus for the series sweep and was named Horse of the Year.
Celebrities were often seen in the crowd over the years, including actor Cary Grant, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill. In 1976, actress Elizabeth Taylor and former Navy Secretary John Warner presented the Winner’s Circle trophy; the two married later that year. And in 1980, the winning horse (Argument) perhaps received less attention than his owner: Motown Records President Berry Gordy. Gordy and a business partner had purchased the horse three weeks earlier for over $1 million. By that time, the purse was up to $250,000.
“Race-Adjacent” Events Also Make Headlines
The International wasn’t just about the horse race itself. “[Laurel Park] became the ‘high society’ track,” said Ross Peddicord, current Executive Director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board, in a 2021 Baltimore Sun article. “The International made Laurel the place to see and be seen. It was the social event of the fall season, and it brought everyone out from Washington. The track was bathed in glory.”
Indeed, once a date was announced for the next year’s running, social circles began planning events around that weekend. Twinspires Racing noted in 2015 that the International “spawned such preliminary festivities as the International Ball (once described as ‘the most gala and glittering charity event of the Washington social season’), the International Press Dinner, and various foreign embassy receptions.”
The International Ball probably was the most renowned of those events. Held on the eve of the race, it was attended by diplomats, politicians, movie stars, and other icons of society. In 1964, the ball was held at the Sheraton-Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Admission was $60 and 900 people attended, dancing and hobnobbing until 3 a.m. That year’s theme was “a salute to Ireland,” with the ballroom transformed into an 18th-century Irish garden; many raffle prizes were given out as the night wore on, including a trip to Ireland, a baby grand piano, and a sable stole. According to the New York Times, attendees included ambassadors from several countries; former President Eisenhower’s protocol chief, Wiley T. Buchanan; Peace Corps Director Sargent Shriver and his wife, Eunice Kennedy Shriver; and Marjorie Merriweather Post (the wealthiest woman in America at the time and fresh off her fourth divorce), accompanied by her son-in-law, Leon Barzin, founder and conductor of the Paris Philharmonic Orchestra. With the event occurring just a week after President Lyndon B. Johnson’s landslide win, politics inevitably entered the ballroom. Mrs. Samuel Jackson Lanahan, also known as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s daughter Scottie, was fresh off the Democrat campaign trail and ecstatic over election results. Meanwhile, the widow of Chicago Tribune publisher Robert McCormick reportedly mourned Barry Goldwater’s loss and wore red in protest.
The International’s fame helped draw businesses and tourists to Laurel, and not just on race weekend. Schapiro opened the track at times to other events, including jazz festivals in the 1960s; the famous Laurel Pop Festival of 1969, featuring several rock acts that played at Woodstock a month later; and a 1983 Simon and Garfunkel reunion-tour concert. Laurel Park also hosted carnivals, circuses, and conventions over the years, often advertising the venue in Schapiro’s preferred terms, “the home of the world-famous Washington, D.C. International.”
Of note, the Maryland Jaycees chose Laurel Park as the 1966 venue for their annual statewide convention. The Laurel News Leader devoted its entire front page to the story, beginning with an above-the-headline special greeting from Schapiro himself to the hundreds of “delegates, members, and wives” who were about to converge on what he called “our progressive community.” Other articles outlined the history and winners of the International, talked about why it was “the costliest race in the world,” and gave much background on “Mr. International.” The biographical piece told how Schapiro, a Baltimore-born man, had become a successful business owner and “the best-known race track head in the world through the Laurel International.” It went on to list many of the awards from around the world that had been bestowed on Schapiro because of his success with the ground-breaking race.
Victim of its Own Success
However, success can be fleeting. After three decades of leading his track to worldwide fame, Schapiro sold Laurel Park in 1984 to prominent D.C. lawyer Frank J. DeFrancis and his partners. The thoroughbred racing industry had gone through many changes by then. Several other tracks had gained prestige, international travel for racehorses had become common, attendance was on the downslide, off-track betting was on the rise, and other tracks emerged as fierce competitors by offering more prestige and higher winnings. The Arlington Million, founded in 1981, was the first thoroughbred race to offer a purse of $1 million. The U.S. Breeders’ Cup emerged as the new late-Fall classic, drawing horses from the U.S. and other countries and thus supplanting the International. As time went on, the allure of the International faded, and the race was discontinued in 1994—deemed by many industry writers as a victim of its own success.
That wasn’t quite the end of the story, though. In 2005 the race was resurrected as the “Colonial Turf Cup” in Colonial Downs, Virginia, as the first leg of the “Grand Slam of Grass,” which culminated—somewhat ironically—at the Breeders’ Cup. This new version of the race had some success but drew no international runners. In 2015, the race returned to Laurel, this time called “Commonwealth Turf Cup” and as a lengthened 1⅛-mile length. Meeting limited success, the track was shortened to 1 mile in 2017, and the name was changed yet again, to the “Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup.” However, only four to seven horses ran in each iteration and the crowds just weren’t showing up. Finally, the race was moved to Pimlico in 2021, where it is now run as a September race with a $200,000 purse. Its future, just like that of Laurel Park itself, remains unknown in light of the multi-year, State of Maryland-run revamp of Pimlico Racecourse and Maryland’s horse racing industry in general.
Over the course of its history, the International has seen 43 champions take the Winner’s Circle. Of those winners, 22 were U.S.-bred and 21 hailed from foreign countries. There is no doubt that the race, thanks to the efforts of John Schapiro, changed the face of thoroughbred racing forever. A fitting tribute, a eulogy of sorts, was published in Thoroughbred Racing Commentary in 2022:
The Washington D.C. International has had its name, distance, location, prestige and position in the calendar altered and its importance stripped away, and among the bones of what remains is a horse race you would not cross the Atlantic for.
Yet once upon a time it changed the world.
Diane Mezzanotte is a staff writer and member of the Board of Directors for The Laurel History Boys. In addition to covering Laurel city municipal news, she also reports on all things from South Laurel.
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