Emily's Pride - 1958
The three-heat victory of Emily’s Pride was the beginning of a new Hambletonian era — that of the domination of Victory Lane at DuQuoin by sons and daughters of Star’s Pride. Bred by the noted Connecticut breeder Charles W. Phellis, Emily’s Pride was owned by Castleton Farm and Walnut Hall Farm of Lexington, Kentucky and was driven by “Flick” Nipe for trainer Fred Egan. Emily’s Pride won her first heat in 2:00 1 , beating Mr. Saunders and Gene Riegle, and Sharpshooter, driven by Harry Pownall. She was 12th in the second heat after going offstride on the backstretch. Fred Egan recaptured her form in the third heat, trotting past second dash winner Little Rocky and Joe O’Brien in a beautiful 1:59 4 mile, which at the time was the fastest mile trotting in this stake. The new stake mark did not come easily as Emily’s Pride had to circle the field from the 12th post position and was still parked on the outside past the half in :59 3 . Nearing the three-quarters, trotted in 1:29 3 , Nipe asked the filly to trot again and she zoomed into command and held off the close of Sandalwood and Ralph Baldwin.
First Hambletonian faster than 2:00; the mile in 1:59.4 was a world record for a three-year-old filly trotter. Fred Egan, 79, was the oldest trainer ever to win the hambletonian; it was his third. Egan referred to his driver, 62-year-old Flave "Flick" Nipe, as "that boy!" The previous year Egan had driven Cassin Hanover to a 3-3 finish. At 70 years of age, he won the Hambletonian driving Miss Tilly (1949). Egan was certain he had the 1958 Hambletonian winner in his barn all along, but he was focusing on Gang Awa, another trotter he had initially trained for C.W. Phellis, the breeder and original owner of Emily's Pride. Gang Awa was the offspring of two Hambletonian winners, Hoot Mon (1947) and Miss Tilly (1949), but only finished 6-13-8 that day. Both Gang Awa and Emily's Pride had been initially trained by Egan for Phellis and remained in his stable when they were sold to Walnut Hall Farm and Castleton Farm privately after Phellis' death. Emily's Pride was the dame of Noble Victory, the favorite for the 1965 Hambletonian. Emily's Pride was voted Horse of the Year.
