Assault: Four-Year-Old Season

 During the winter between his three-year-old and four-year-old season, Assault underwent some changes. He matured a lot, gaining good looks that he lacked as a three-year-old, and his personality made a positive change that would make him more vicious on the track. However, the change negatively affected the time he spent at his stable. He was constantly hungry, impatiently throwing tantrums and attacking handlers if he did not get his food on time.

 Assault, dubbed the Club-footed Comet because of his injury as a young horse, began the season 1947 by winning Grey Lag Handicap, with jockey Warren Mehrtens in the saddle. Eddie Arcaro rode him six days later in the Dixie Handicap. Assault then defeated Natchez and his old rival, Stymie, by two lengths in the Suburban Handicap.

 After that, he defeated Stymie in the Brooklyn Handicap with 133 pounds on his back. With that victory, he surpassed Whirlaway's earnings and became the world's leading money winner. He came close to winning America's unofficial Triple Crown, the Suburban Handicap, the Brooklyn Handicap, and the Metropolitan Mile, but Stymie ended up winning the Metropolitan Mile.

 Next, Assault entered the Butler Handicap, along with Stymie and the great mare Gallorette. On the homestretch, he was boxed in behind the two other champions. Incredibly, he managed to squeeze into an impossibly small opening, beating Stymie by a head.

 Assault's seven race winning streak was put to an end when he came third to Stymie in the International Gold Cup at Belmont. Even so, the third place prize was enough to keep his status as leading money winner.

 Then a match race with a purse of $100,000 was proposed between Assault and Calumet Farm's top gelding, Armed. When Assault was injured during a race, the match race was postponed from the original date of August 30 to September 27. Assault pulled up lame on the September 22.  Many people, including Eddie Arcaro, strongly believed that Assault shouldn't race. In spite of that, Robert Kleberg decided to race his horse since the race was for charity anyway. Assault was much too sore to come close to winning, and lost by eight lengths.

After that, Assault went to rest in South Carolina. With him out of the way, Armed earned 1947 Horse of the Year honors and Stymie became the new top money winner.

 A few months later, Assault was back on the track, but not in winning condition. After coming fifth in the Widener Handicap, he rested another few months. In August he tried once more to win. However, he came second by a nose in the Brooklyn Handicap. In the Massachusetts Mile, Assault's performance was even worse, and he came fourth as well as developing a bleeding problem.

 He won the Edgemere Handicap, yet it wasn't enough to compensate for his losses in the Manhattan and Grey Lag Handicaps after that, so he went into retirement in Texas.

 Tests showed Assault to be sterile, so he was turned out with eight Quarter Horse mares. Surprisingly, he had two sons and two daughters in the spring of 1951. Also, he raced three more times, coming first, second, and third, and earning $675,470 in his lifetime. Though they tried breeding him with thoroughbred mares, he got no more offspring. After passing away on September 2, 1971, he was buried on King Ranch, Texas, where he was born.

Assault: Three-Year-Old Season

 Assault began his three-year-old season with a victory at the Experimental Handicap, followed by the Wood Memorial Stakes. 

 In the the Derby Trial, he placed fourth, with Rippey, Spy Song, and With Pleasure in front of him. Fans began to doubt whether or not he had it in him to win the Derby. 

Assault in the winners circle(photo credit).

 The Kentucky Derby came not long afterward. Lord Boswell was the betting favorite, and Assault was the fourth favorite. When Spy Song took and early lead, Assault followed close behind, catching him and winning by eight lengths, a distance that equaled the Kentucky Derby's longest length victory. However, he missed Whirlaway's time by over five seconds, running only 2:06 3/5.

Assault was made the betting favorite when he ran against Lord Boswell and eight others in the Preakness on May 11. Assault was boxed in early in the race, and was forced wide in the backstretch as he passed Natchez. All the way down the homestretch, he held the lead, with Lord Boswell four lengths behind him. Despite fatigue, he crossed the finish line a neck ahead of his rival. 

 Lord Boswell was the favorite in the Belmont Stakes in spite of Assaults victories. Fans believed that he was more suited to longer distances because of his near victory in the Preakness, especially since Assault had been exhausted at the end of the race. Assault was the second favorite. 

 Assault stumbled at the start, so Hampden took the lead right away. Assault didn't make his move until he neared the first turn, when he gave all he could, passing Natchez and winning by three lengths. Even though the race had been exciting, fans still doubted the seventh Triple Crown winner.

 Two weeks later, Assault won the Dwyer Stakes, but his time was unimpressive, and fans just thought he was the best of that group of of three-year-olds. He next lost the Arlington Classic. When he returned to the barn, he was diagnosed with a kidney infection.

 A month later, he was back on the track. He finished third behind Mighty Story in the Discovery Handicap, then second behind Mahout in the Jersey Handicap. On September 25, he met Stymie for the first time. Stymie was famous for winning from-the-behind, and his career had begun with cheap races, until he became Champion Handicap Horse in 1945. A rivalry was born from the day they first met.

 Stymie won their first meeting, the Manhattan handicap, and Assault cam third. After losing by a neck to Bridal Flower in the Roamer Handicap, he once more challenged his new rival, this time in the Gallant Fox Handicap. Once again he came third.

 In the Pimlico Special, the two met again. Eddie Arcaro, who was riding Assault for the first time, was told not to make a move until Stymie did. Assault ended up winning his first race since the Dwyer Stakes, beating both Bridal Flower and Stymie. 

 Assault won by two lengths in his final start that season, the Westchester Handicap. Despite his losing streak, he earned Horse of the Year honors and was named leading money winning. He had earned $424,195, and had won eight out of fifteen races that year.