Triple Crown Winner Assault has Family ties

Not to be outdone, Joan's side of the family has its own horse racing lore. Joan's Mother, Mathilde Rode Lindig , had a cousin who trained a true Triple Crown winner - Assault! Assault came out of the King Ranch stable to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont in 1946, thus becoming the 7th Triple Crown Winner.

Max Hirsch was the trainer for the great horse who also won the prestigious Wood Memorial as well as several other stakes races before retiring in 1950. Assault is ranked as the 33rd greatest racehorse by Blood-Horse's Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century. Max was from Fredricksburg, Texas, and his mother was a Neffendorf who was the 1st cousin to Joan's grandmother, Selma Neffendorf. Joan's mother recently showed her several historic Fredricksburg Radio Post articles about Max Hirsch and Assault that make for some interesting reading. Other Assault links: Road to the Triple Crown Unofficial Thoroughbred Hall of Fame CBS Sportline Preakness.com Sports Illustrated (includes video footage) Back to Horse Stories.