In 1941 renowned horsemen Fred H. Post and his son William, came to Aiken to play polo. Aiken was considered at the time (and still is today!) a National polo capital and Aiken's lure as a 'Winter Colony' for wealthy Northerners was well established by that time. The comfortable climate of mild winters and early springs combined with the sandy soil was ideal for the pursuit of a variety of equestrian activities. Post, impressed by the area, decided to construct the Aiken Training Track to condition his flat racers. He found the perfect location along Two Notch Road where his track would be surrounded by established polo fields, quiet dirt roads and within hacking distance of the Hitchcock Woods, which at over 2,000 acres is one of America's largest urban forests.

It didn't take long for the Aiken Training Track to be considered one of the finest training centers in the country when horses trained here started earning their Championship laurels in 1942, starting with Elkridge, a Champion Steeplechaser. Famous horse owners with names like, Greentree, Vanderbilt, Rokeby and Claiborne Farm started sending their horses to Winter in the South under the care of future Hall of Fame trainers Mackenzie (Mack) Miller, John Gaver, William Burch, Woody Stephens and many others.

Since that time 39 Champion Thoroughbreds have been crowned. They are pictured below by the year their title was earned. Thanks to the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing and Hall of Fame Museum for providing all the images and information on this page!

Clicking on an image below will download their race statistics. (Files are in PDF format requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader. Don't have it? Click here to download it for free.)

Elkridge 1942 , 1946 Champion Steeplechase Horse	Devil Diver 1943 , 1944 Champion Handicap Horse	Gallorette 1946 Champion Handicap Mare	Conniver 1948 Champion Handicap Horse	Blue Peter 1948 Champion 2 Year Old Male
Capot 1949 Champion 3 year old Male and Horse of the Year	Oedipus 1950, 1951, 1952 Champion Steeplechaser	Tom Fool 1951 Champion 2 Year Old Male and 1953 Horse of the Year	Tea Maker 1952 Champion 2 Year Old Male	Neji 1955, 1957, 1958 Champion Steeplechaser
Kelso 1960 Champion 3 Year Old Male and 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 Champion Handicap Horse and Horse of the Year	Barnaby's Bluff 1962 Champion Steeplechaser	Lamb Chop 1963 Champion 3 Year Old Female	Assagai 1966 Champion Turf Horse	Open Fire 1966 Champion Handicap Female
Hawaii 1966 Champion 2 Year Old 1967 Champion 3 Year Old and 1968 Champion Turf Horse	Gamely 1967 Champion 3 Year Old Filly 1968, 1969 Champion Handicap Mare	Quick Pitch 1967 Champion Steeplechaser	Stage Door Johnny 1968 Champion 3 Year Old Male	Politely 1968 Champion Handicap Female
Shuvee 1970, 1971 Champion Handicap Horse	Snow Knight 1975 Champion Turf Horse	Sensational 1976 Champion 2 Year Old Female	Candy Éclair 1978 Champion 2 Year Old Female	Late Bloomer 1978 Champion Handicap Female
Bowl Game 1979 Champion Male Turf Horse	Smart Angle 1979 Champion 2 Year Old Female	Heavenly Cause 1980 Champion 2 Year Old Female	De La Rose 1981 Champion Turf Female	Relaxing 1981 Champion Handicap Female
Pleasant Colony 1981 Champion 3 Year Old Male	Conquistador Cielo 1982 Champion 3 Year Old Male and Horse of the Year	Christmas Past 1982 Champion 3 Year Old Female	Swale 1984 Champion 3 Year Old Male	Forty Niner 1987 Champion 2 Year Old Male
Pleasant Stage 1991 Champion 2 Year Old Female	Pleasant Tap 1992 Champion Handicap Male	Storm Song 1996 Champion 2 Year old Female	Midshipman 2008 Champion 2 Year Old Male