By Adam Corndorf
There was always something very New York about Dinny Phipps. He died in April of last year and tonight at the Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration in New York City, his lofty achievements as an owner and breeder and his lifelong dedication to the Thoroughbred industry will be become a part of New York racing's biggest week when the inaugural Dinny Phipps Award is presented to his family. It is a fitting tribute to a man everyone in racing could identify by his five-letter first name.
The award was created by Earle Mack to honor the legacy of his longtime friend of over 50 years and one who shared a passion for Thoroughbred racing and breeding. Mack commissioned a beautiful bronze sculpture from the Odon Wagner Gallery and artist Gary Weisman, and the new award will be presented every year during the week of the Belmont Stakes.
“Dinny was more than a friend to all of us in the racing and breeding industry, he was a man who led by example and purpose,” said Mack. “This award was created to recognize Dinny's enormous contributions, his unwavering integrity, dedication to excellence and his great support of horse welfare and safety through his association with the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.”
All proceeds from the Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration benefit Grayson, a foundation that Dinny was a member from inception. The Stronach Group, upon learning of the Dinny Phipps Award, pledged $25,000 to Grayson in support of tonight's event.
Dinny became Chairman and chief executive of the New York Racing Association at the age of 42 and eventually gave up that position in 1983 to become the three-decade chairman of the Manhattan-based Jockey Club. But there was nothing more visible than his imposing presence and that of his family's traditional black and cherry-red colors, which seemingly represented the home team to many New York racing fans in hundreds of Grade 1 races at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga.
Marshall Cassidy's NYRA race call in the 1989 Belmont Stakes emphasized the hometown connection when he closed with “it's New York's Easy Goer in front.” Sunday Silence finished a well-beaten second in his failed attempt at at Triple Crown and though he was clearly the better horse, the 1989 Belmont Stakes belonged to the Phipps family and New York. The Phipps family bond was on full display as Dinny joined his father Ogden Phipps to enjoy the thrill of winning New York's biggest horse race. Thoroughbred racing and breeding were part of the family fabric.
In formal settings such as the annual Round Table Conference in Saratoga, Phipps was a powerful voice for the industry and he was never more passionate than his recent quest to eliminate race-day medication from the sport. His voice traveled and industry leaders around the world thought of Dinny Phipps as a shining light in American racing and breeding.
He was honored at the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities at its annual conference in Paris in October, 2014, for his lifetime commitment to improving all facets of the industry. When receiving the award, he said, “Quite simply, I see it as a way of giving back to a sport that has provided me with so much enjoyment. That was probably passed on to me from my dad, and I try to instill that sense of responsibility and commitment in my kids.”
His wife Ande, daughter Daisy Phipps Pulito and son Ogden Phipps II will be on hand to accept the inaugural presentation of the award tonight at the Bryant Park Grill, adjacent to the New York Public Library.
“Dinny was not satisfied with being one of the world's leading owners and breeders,” said Mack. “He believed it was his personal responsibility to serve the industry and make a difference. I was a longtime member of the New York Racing Association Board of Trustees and worked alongside Dinny, admiring his leadership and commitment.”
Dinny did not like the limelight, which concealed a dry sense of humor that was lightning quick and generally with a cigar in hand. He once agreed to a lengthy interview with that caused havoc with the publication's printing operations. When informed the next day in his Saratoga box what had happened, he said simply, “well that breaks my heart.”
The great horses and the Grade I victories of horses owned and bred by Dinny are many, but his 2013 Kentucky Derby victory with Orb in partnership with his cousin Stuart Janney III was a highlight. The fourth generation of his family to race Thoroughbreds, Dinny had his Derby. He was awarded the Eclipse Award of Merit, horse racing's highest honor, in 1978, the New York Turf Writers Award as the man who did the most for racing in 1978, the Industry Service Award from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association in 2002 and The Jockey Club Medal in 2015.
If ever a man was deserving of an award in his name, it was Dinny Phipps. He deserves the respect of an industry for which he did so much for so many years.
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