309:"With 600 meters to go, Camarero was already ahead and I could hear the people screaming," Matos recalled in Col-n-Delgado's book. "Coming down the stretch, I knew I had the race. Camarero started to pull away easily. The closer that we would get to the finish line, the louder the people would get in the stands. It was incredible. When I passed the finish line, I remember telling myself, 'We did it. We finally did it.' "
312:"When Camarero established the world record, I was at the track that day," Cordero said. "I was too young to fully understand what was going on. All I knew was that Camarero was our champion and that every time he raced, he would win." Camarero was scheduled to rest following his world-record victory but instead returned ten days later and scored his 56th consecutive victory.
295:"Some people would say that he was allowed to win, but that wasn't true," Cordero recalled. "He used to win because he was the best. The only thing was he never raced against horses in Puerto Rico. But in my opinion, he could have competed against any horse at the time. ... But since he was chasing the world record, they kept racing him against Puerto Rican-bred horses."
298:
At four in 1955, Camarero won nine more races from
January 6 to April 22 and was nine wins away from the record. During the first 32 racing days of the year, total handle increased 64% compared with the previous year. Many in Puerto Rico were talking about Camarero and chanting "Camarero en punta,"
281:
The next two legs were the 1 1/16-mile Jose de Diego Stakes and the 1 1/8-mile
Primavera Stakes. Camarero could carry high weight, but it was unknown if he could race successfully at longer distances. On January 11, 1954, he won his 20th race by ten lengths while going 1 1/16 miles, eliminating any
277:
Camarero recorded five more victories to finish his two-year-old campaign in 1953 with 18 wins. On New Year's Day in 1954, he won the 6 1/2-furlong
Governor's Cup while carrying 120 pounds, eight more than the second-highest-weighted horse in the race. The Governor's Cup was the first leg of Puerto
273:
In 1952, Matos exercised horses at
Aqueduct for Horatio Luro but returned to Puerto Rico. When he was first asked to ride the undefeated Camarero, Matos declined. "He wanted to sleep in peace," wrote Jorge Colón-Delgado in his book about Camarero. Assured that Coll-Vidal would not replace him if he
265:
Camarero made his first start on April 14, 1953, at two furlongs at
Quintana racetrack and won by three lengths. On May 17, he won his second race; seven days later, he won his first stakes race in front-running fashion by four lengths. On July 17, he won his fifth race when he took the six-furlong
285:
On April 17, Camarero won the Jose de Diego Stakes for his 28th win. On May 9, carrying 15 pounds more than any other rival, he won the
Primavera Stakes to become Puerto Rico's first Triple Crown winner. On his actual third birthday, Camarero won his 32nd race and set a 6 1/2-furlong track record.
269:
Coll-Vidal had come close to
Kincsem's record with two other horses, Cofresi and Condado, who won 49 and 43 consecutive races, respectively. He believed that for Camarero to break the record, he would have to replace the colt's jockey with leading rider Mateo Matos.
222:
Cameraro was sired by
Thirteen who was a son of 1938 Travers Stakes winner Thanksgiving. His name translates to "waiter" in Spanish. Camarero was a small bay colt described as "pony sized" weighing 750 pounds and standing only 14 hands high. His male line traced to
258:
A year later, Coll-Vidal and trainer Pablo Suarez first saw
Sabrosito, whom Coll-Vidal said looked like a small donkey. However, Suarez insisted that Coll-Vidal take the well-bred yearling. He did and renamed the colt Camarero in honor of his dam.
254:
On July 19, 1951, Camarera foaled a black colt with four white pasterns who was named
Sabrosito. Through Coll-Vidal's foal-sharing agreement with breeder Luis Rechani-Agrait, the colt was bred in Rechani-Agrait's name and foaled on his farm.
302:
On July 18, 1955, Camarero won his 54th race to tie Kincsem's record. Interest in him was covered in the New York Times. Finally, it was announced that Camarero would go for the world record on August 7 in the fourth race at Quintana.
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323:
Camarero would run his final race on August 26, 1956. He died only a day later of an intestinal obstruction. His gravesite at Hipodromo Quintana was visited by 10,000 fans during the funeral ceremony.
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Nine days later, he lost for the first time in his career. He raced 20 more times, winning 17 times. By the end of his career, he had won 73 out of 77 starts with two seconds and zero thirds.
306:
At the start of the 6 1/2-furlong race, the eight horses broke alertly. Matos initially held Camarero back but let him go by the half-mile pole, and the colt responded to win by six lengths.
266:
Luis Mu-oz Rivera Stakes by seven lengths. From August 23 to October 23, Camarero won eight more races, including another stakes. His jockey in his first 13 victories was Juan Diaz-Andino.
238:
favorites are not allowed to be wagered on, which meant that for most of Camarero's winning streak no on-track bets were taken. Camarero was the first winner of Puerto Rico's
29:
262:
At the beginning of the 1950s, Puerto Rico's economy had declined, and many lived in poverty. By 1953, when Camarero began his career, only two tracks were operating.
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On October 24, he won his next start. He finished his three-year-old campaign with his 37th victory on December 19 and was selected Horse of the Year.
339:, was changed to Hipódromo Camarero, in honor of the racehorse, as well the Camarero Awards are given annually to Puerto Rico's champion racehorses.
691:
242:, winning the Governor's Cup, Jose de Diego Stakes and Primavera Stakes in 1954, undefeated. As well, according to Hall of Fame Jockey
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Racing's popularity in Puerto Rico increased with each of Camarero's victories. By the end of 1954, track attendance had jumped 25%.
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or "Camarero up front," a phrase used by track announcer Pito Rivera-Monge when the colt headed to victory.
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in Puerto Rico. Camarero is notable for setting the current world record of the most
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Rico's Triple Crown, which was established in 1951 and had not yet been won.
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After winning another race ten days later, he was rested for a few months.
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racehorse at 56 in a series of races between April 1953 and August 1955.
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New York Times. "Camarero, Star racer, dies." Aug. 28, 1956
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335:. In 2006, the name of El Nuevo Comandante racetrack in
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lost aboard Camarero, Matos agreed to ride the colt.
580:"Camarero's record of 56 consecutive wins turns 50"
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331:In 1958 Camarero was the first inductee in the
202:. He was the winner of 73 races, including the
348:Pedigree of Camarero (PR), bay stallion, 1951
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185:Puerto Rico Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1958)
687:Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winners
234:As per Puerto Rican racetrack regulation,
175:Puerto Rico Horse of the Year (1954, 1955)
618:"Camarero, campeón del hipismo boricua"
509:List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses
227:and he was bred and owned by prominent
198:racehorse that was raised and raced in
649:
616:Melvin Rivera Velázquez (2008-06-01).
526:
524:
194:(June 16, 1951–August 27, 1956) was a
333:Puerto Rico Horse Racing Hall of Fame
578:Pe-a-Rivera Owens, Carlos and Amy.
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240:Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
204:Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
16:Puerto Rican Thoroughbred racehorse
13:
541:"Thoroughbred Times. Aug. 5, 2005"
27:
14:
708:
692:Racehorses trained in Puerto Rico
231:newspaper man Jose Coll-Vidal.
157:Luis Muñoz Rivera Stakes (1953)
697:Racehorses bred in Puerto Rico
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609:
598:
571:
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1:
514:
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161:Jose de Diego Stakes (1954)
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677:Godolphin Arabian sire line
530:New York Times. Aug 9, 1955
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496:Bettie O'Day (Family: 4-m)
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246:"he means horse racing."
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163:Primavera Stakes (1954)
672:Thoroughbred family 4-m
667:Puerto Rican racehorses
282:doubts of his ability.
682:Individual male horses
428:Flint Maid (Camarera)
337:Canóvanas, Puerto Rico
32:
662:1956 racehorse deaths
657:1951 racehorse births
564:Jorge Colón Delgado.
159:Governor's Cup (1954)
31:
640:Retrieved 2010-11-9
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153:El Imparcial (1953)
111:Luis Rechani Agrait
566:Camarero en punta.
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33:
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244:Angel Cordero Jr.
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582:. Archived from
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543:. Archived from
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528:
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208:consecutive wins
165:Labor Day (1955)
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380:Inchcape Belle
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119:Jose Coll-Vidal
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586:on 31 May 2010
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450:Quelle Chance
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355:Thirteen (USA)
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155:Corazón (1953)
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547:on 2010-05-31
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468:Elktonia Maid
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455:La Bayonette
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622:. Retrieved
620:(in Spanish)
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588:. Retrieved
584:the original
573:
565:
560:
549:. Retrieved
545:the original
535:
491:Marta Santa
488:Marta O'Day
473:Vandergrift
421:French Doll
416:General Lee
403:St. Germans
399:Bold Venture
360:Thanksgiving
330:
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212:Thoroughbred
196:Thoroughbred
191:
190:
127:Pablo Suarez
49:Thanksgiving
439:Chance Shot
365:Bud Lerner
236:prohibitive
200:Puerto Rico
92:Puerto Rico
651:Categories
624:2009-12-04
551:2009-08-28
515:References
433:Flint Shot
388:Swan Song
375:Dreamsome
218:Background
148:Major wins
135:77: 73-2-0
65:Flint Shot
57:Flint Maid
590:27 August
477:Ben Brush
444:Fair Play
413:Illusive
408:Possible
383:Inchcape
46:Grandsire
638:Camarero
503:See also
483:Noonday
463:Rondeau
458:Verwood
369:The Finn
343:Pedigree
229:San Juan
225:The Finn
192:Camarero
143:$ 43,553
140:Earnings
74:Stallion
41:Thirteen
22:Camarero
393:Go Seek
327:Honours
250:History
124:Trainer
108:Breeder
88:Country
62:Damsire
210:for a
180:Honors
170:Awards
132:Record
98:Colour
80:Foaled
568:1998.
470:1935
435:1931
430:1942
395:1938
362:1935
357:1942
319:Death
116:Owner
592:2010
353:Sire
83:1951
38:Sire
426:Dam
102:Bay
70:Sex
54:Dam
653::
523:^
627:.
594:.
554:.
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