The Ugly Black One
by Lisa Harkema
He was talented but a contagious virus ruined his three-year-old season. Being sold to Europe got Bulwark’s career back on track but it was as a stallion he became truly legendary. Despite a relatively limited number of foals, the colt completely dominated the stallion ranks in his new home country.
Bred by Walnut Hall Farm, Bulwark was bought by Walter Cox at the Old Glory yearling auction in late November 1934 for $1,225. According to newpaper reports he did so on behaf of William Cane’s Good Time Stable. It’s lost to history whether that was incorrect or if Cane changed his mind, but two months later Bulwark was listed as owned by New York industrialist Israel O Blake. It’s most likely the reporting was incorrect because Blake also used Cox as his trainer. Regardless, the colt showed talent early. On May 6, 1935 it was reported that “Walter Cox has the highly regarded Volomite two-year-old Bulwark at the 2:35 (1.36,3) stage.” Three weeks later, “Walter Cox has his two-year-old trotters at the 2:20 (1.27) stage. The Volomite colt, Bulwark, is still the choice of a majority of the Goshen colony.” In The O’Brian Trot at North Randall in mid-July, Bulwark finished fifth overall after placing 3-5 in the two first heats. This wasn’t a surprise: Cox stayed “up north” in Goshen during the winter and at the beginning of each season, his two-year-olds were almost always lagging a little behind the many that had their winter training in the south. Many of the leading two-year-olds were trained by Ben White. Best of White’s 1933 crop was the mare Rosalind, who easily beat won Bulwark’s next race, at the Thorncliffe track in Toronto, in two straight heats ahead of stablemate Ed Lasater.