Noble Threewitt

Who was Noble Threewitt?

Noble Threewitt was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who conditioned horses for seventy-five years before retiring on his ninety-sixth birthday. The city of Arcadia, California, home to Santa Anita Racetrack, declared February 24, 2007 to be "Noble Threewitt Day." He was

Born in Benton, Illinois, Threewitt grew up in a small town where his father worked as an bookkeeper for a coal company. Introduced to horse racing at county fairgrounds, in his teens he rode in a few races in Kansas City but soon weight gain ended his days as a jockey. In 1932 he embarked on a career as a professional trainer at Agua Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico. At age twenty-one, he was the youngest licensed American trainer at that time. At Agua Caliente Racetrack, Threewitt saddled his first winner in 1932 and was on hand when the great Australian champion Phar Lap came that year to win the Agua Caliente Handicap.

A year after Noble Threewitt became a trainer, he met and married Beryl Buck, the daughter of fellow trainer, William D. Buck. When Santa Anita Park was built in Arcadia, California, Threewitt was there for the opening day in 1934. He would also be on hand to witness the opening of four other major California racetracks: Hollywood Park, Del Mar Racetrack, Bay Meadows Racetrack, and Golden Gate Fields as well as for the opening of Longacres Racetrack and Emerald Downs in the state of Washington.