Maximilian Justice "Max" Hirsch (July 12, 1880 - April 3, 1969) was an American Hall of Fame

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic ...

trainer. Born in

Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg (german: Friedrichsberg) is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, this city had a population of 10,530. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. ...

, and raised

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, Hirsch became one of the most successful trainers in

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

history. He spent part of his formative years working as a groom and jockey at Morris Ranch in

Gillespie County, Texas Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 26,725. The county seat is Fredericksburg. It is located in the heart of the rural Texas Hill Country in Central ...

. Hirsch conditioned horses for various owners including

George W. Loft George William Loft (February 6, 1865 – November 6, 1943) was an American businessman, politician, real estate developer, and owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. Biography He was born in New York City on February 6, 1865 to English imm ...

Arthur B. Hancock Arthur Boyd Hancock (June 26, 1875 - April 1, 1957) was a breeder of thoroughbred racehorses who established Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, United States. Born at Ellerslie Estate in Albemarle County, Virginia, near Charlottesville, Arth ...

, the infamous

Black Sox Scandal The Black Sox Scandal was a Major League Baseball game-fixing scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate le ...

gambler

Arnold Rothstein Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 4, 1928), nicknamed "The Brain", was an American racketeer, crime boss, businessman, and gambler in New York City. Rothstein was widely reputed to have organized corruption in professional athleti ...

Morton L. Schwartz Morton L. Schwartz (August, 1883 - January 11, 1953) was an American banker and financier who was a member of the New York Stock Exchange and a major owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. Horse racing Morton Schwartz owned Elsmeade ...

, Jane Greer, and Virginia Fair Vanderbilt, but is best known for his work with the King Ranch Stable, which he joined in the 1930s and for whom he trained until his death in 1969. Sarazen was the first Champion Max Hirsch trained and said his win over the

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Champion Epinard in the third race of the 1924

International Special The International Specials of 1924 were a series of three Thoroughbred horse races held in September and October at three different race tracks in the United States. They were called "International" because the race included the champion from Fr ...

s was his greatest thrill in racing. A Hall of Fame inductee, Sarazen was the American Horse of the Year in 1924 and 1925. Max Hirsch won the first of his four Belmont Stakes in 1928 with Vito. In 1936, he won the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...

and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs ...

with Bold Venture and in 1946 captured the U.S. Triple Crown with Bold Venture's son

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. In 1950, Hirsch won his third Kentucky Derby with another son of Bold Venture, Middleground who also won the Belmont Stakes. Max Hirsch was inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

in 1959. He died on April 3, 1969, at the Jewish General Hospital on

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...

and was buried next to his wife, Katherine Josephine Clare (1888-1941), in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, Long Island.Max Hirsch Obituary - Spokane, Washington ''Spokesman-Review'' - April 3, 1969
/ref> His son, Buddy, followed in his footsteps and too was voted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame.

In popular culture

Hirsch was featured in the eighth episode of season 2 of the HBO Television series

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s ...

, where he was played by Robert Dorfman. There he was seen to be employed by

for training his racehorse Sidereal.

References

Additional sources

Texas Sports Hall of Fame article on Max Hirsch and the International Special No.3

Max Hirsch at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
* Bowen, Edward L. '' Masters of the Turf: Ten Trainers Who Dominated Horse Racing's Golden Age'' (2007) Eclipse Press () {{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, Max 1880 births 1969 deaths American racehorse trainers Burials at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood People from Fredericksburg, Texas United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees