Within the Pantheon of California Race’s influential title, Clement L. Hirsch is ranked there with Bing Crosby, Dr. Charles Strab, Elias “Fortunate” Baldwin, a breeder whose ardour for the game has been translated into lifelong work. Hirsch got here from profitable enterprise households and translated these abilities into efforts like a nonprofit that centered on charities that based the stellar, perennial fall competitors at Santa Anita Park.
Efficiently on the monitor, Clement Hirsch stands as a pillar of the grass due to tireless efforts as a breeder, proprietor, businessman and philanthropist.
City Hirsch, a thriving retailer in St. Louis, Missouri, determined to take his spouse, Florence, son, City Jr., Clement, daughter Ellen, and a younger household in California to the west. Clement Hirsch, who was educated at Beverly Hills Excessive College after which Menlo Faculty, inherited enterprise insights and curiosity in sports activities, helped him and a number of other buddies rescued the Greyhounds from the tracks they incessantly went to. The group rehabilitated the canine, fed him a high-quality meat weight-reduction plan, then returned the pet to the racetrack as soon as he recovered. That have gave Hirsch the concept to begin a pet food firm on the age of twenty-two.
The younger businessman was filmed promoting door-to-doors and even consuming his merchandise at a neighborhood grocery retailer to boost a canine city packing firm (later Cal Kan Meals). World Conflict II then intervened, and Hirsch joined the Marines and noticed the actions on the Pacific Theatre, together with Guadalcanal. When he returned to the postwar residence, he picked up the place he left off with Kalkan and finally Mars, Inc. I bought it to. Hirsch additionally maintained his curiosity within the Meals-Processing Firm, Rocking Ok Meals, which later turned referred to as Stagg.
Hirsch’s sons Greg and Clement L. (Bo) Hirsch Jr. adopted their father, spinning Palisades Meals whereas Bo took over KK and Greg additionally took over Rocking Ok. Bo in his father’s enterprise.
Hirsch was profitable in rehabilitation with Greyhounds within the Thirties, and expanded that pleasure into thoroughbreds within the late Nineteen Forties. In 1945 he purchased Domild for $3,000 and competed for the colt till he was charged. Coach Robert H. “Crimson” McDaniel then insisted on Blue Studying in 1949, son of Hirsch’s Australian Beef Studying II. Hirsch labored with McDaniel till he put into follow the concept of building a racetrack in Las Vegas within the late Nineteen Forties. The household moved to a fledgling playing vacation spot, however Hirsch ran into many obstacles that hindered his efforts. The truck was briefly open in 1953, however was offended after simply 13 race days. This effort gave Hirsch the dear expertise he would apply in 10 and a half years.
All through the Nineteen Fifties and Sixties, Hirsch was considered one of California’s main breeders and homeowners. Together with coach Warren State, who took over the businessman’s string, horses like June darling, Figonero and magical maidens frequently carried the colors of Hirsch to the winner’s circle. The California-born June Darling was a two-year-old winner of a number of stakes. This included his first victory on the Norfolk Stakes, which later turned the American Faro Stakes. He additionally imported a collection of horses from South America, together with the Argentinian product Figonero, which gained the Hollywood Gold Cup and handicap for San Diego and Del Mar. The Magical Maiden has introduced a number of Grade 1 victories in Hirsch’s black and gold colors, together with the Russville Genes Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
In 1968, his foray into racetrack improvement in Las Vegas helped a lifelong businessman notice what he wanted when he was with a number of companions, together with Robert Strab, the proprietor of Santa Anita Park. Proprietor/Breeder Louwan. Veterinarian Jack Robbins. And a number of other others determined to search out the Oak Tree Race Affiliation. Their concept was to carry a non-profit competitors on a darkish day between the summer season at Del Mar and the winter conference at Santa Anita. The primary Oak Tree competitors passed off in October 1969 on a 20-day race day, when a median crowd of slightly below 15,000 folks wagered over $29 million. From 1969 to 2010, Oak Tree Meat at Santa Anita Park held 5 Breeders’ Cups. I noticed horses like John Henry, Cougar II, ACK ACK, and Ferdinand. He has donated greater than $27 million to quite a lot of causes, together with analysis into horses on the College of California’s Veterinary Medication.
The Oak Tree Convention has turn into the best of Hirsch’s many contributions to the game of horse racing. The nonprofit group mannequin additionally labored for Del Mar. When the truck lease appeared for a bid, Clement brings collectively one other nonprofit group to run the Del Mar Thoroughbred Membership, a San Diego racetrack. Each the Oaktree and Del Mar Thoroughbred Membership make up a big a part of Hirsch’s legacy in horse racing.st century.
After Clement L. Hirsch handed away on March 15, 2000, Del Mar modified his title to the visionary sportsman Chula Vista Handicap. Competing in a yr and a half, Grade 1 stakes are open to mares and mares over three years outdated, with Corridor of Fame Azeri, viewers and Zenyatta adorned the winner’s circle. Moreover, his son, Beau Hirsch, follows in his father’s footsteps, is the granddaughter of the ce of breeding and racing, the magical maiden of the elders. CE CE rated stakes victories embrace the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Philly and Marless Print, Viewer Miles and Apple Flower Handicap.
The Nationwide Racing Museum and Corridor of Fame celebrated Hirsch as a turf pillar in 2024, saying, “The turf pillars have to make a distinction. They award a enough definition for a really small variety of honors. His enterprise enterprise could have allowed Hirsch to put money into racing – his tireless work of buying and breeding and racing left a mark on the game by each the oak tree and the Del Mar on behalf of the horse and the folks behind it.
