Best Turn

Best Turn was a dark bay or brown stallion bred and owned by the famous Calumet Farm.^[1]

Best Turn's sire, Turn-to, was a high-class racehorse, despite an abbreviated career on the track in which he won the Garden State Stakes, Saratoga Special, and Flamingo Stakes. He became a noted sire.^[2]

Best Turn was the first of his dam Sweet Clementine's four foals, and the most successful on the racetrack.^[3] Sweet Clementine had won one of her six starts for Calumet.^[4] Her dam and Best Turn's second dam was Miz Clementine, who won multiple stakes races^[5] and was a full sister to champion racer Two Lea.^[6]

Best Turn was very large (up to 17.3 hands). He was sickle-hocked behind and pigeon-toed in front. Due to his large size, he had difficulty in close quarters and ran best when able to get an open track on the outside.^[1][6]

Best Turn was a decent racehorse, although he wasn't of the highest class. As a three-year-old, he won the Saranac Handicap at Belmont Park and ran second in the Patriot Stakes.^[1]

Best Turn's best year was a four-year-old, during which he turned in a campaign that included wins in the John B. Campbell Handicap, Vosburgh Handicap, Paumonok Handicap, and Queens County Handicap as well as a second-place finish in the Carter Handicap.^[1]

Best Turn's four-year-old season concluded with three consecutive wins, in which he won the Vosburgh Handicap on October 24 and Queens County Handicap on November 14, with an additional allowance race win in between. He came from behind in the Queens County Handicap, running in tenth place a half-mile into the race and moving up to third at the head of the stretch.^[6] In winning the Queens County Handicap, Best Turn injured a foot, leading to his retirement from racing.^[1]