Thurs NY Times Crossword Answer ... Riva Ridge :)

[BeatTheChalk]

First time I have seen that in long time. The clue was Ky derby winner
1972. And I actually knew it lol :jump:

[toetoe]

Named after a place in Vietnam, I think.

[rastajenk]

Good catch. I saw Funny Cide in a Times puzzle recently, and Arcaro shows up often (modest length and useful letters going the other way), but there's not many other racing references that get in. PatDay or Lukas would seem to be useful words, but they haven't made their way into puzzlemakers' consciousness.

[toetoe]

Affirmed is a good one I've seen at least once.

[Overlay]

There was a New York Times crossword not too long ago with a Triple Crown winners theme (Sir Barton, Whirlaway, Citation, and Affirmed, if I recall correctly). Edited by Will Shortz, of course, but I don't remember who the puzzle was actually composed by. Always great to see horse racing clues, particularly in the puzzles that Shortz edits. Gets my brain going in the morning (since I don't drink coffee).

To expand on toetoe's reference, the name "Riva Ridge" was associated with a war, but the mention I found of it was as a ridge in the Italian Apennines where veterans of the 10th Mountain Division fought a decisive battle during World War II. The name was subsequently applied by war veterans to one of the ski runs at Vail, Colorado, and Penny Tweedy (who skied at Vail) used it for her horse.

[toetoe]

Overlay,

Of course that makes more sense. Vietnam was still going on in 1972. :blush:

[falconridge]

To expand on toetoe's reference, the name "Riva Ridge" was associated with a war, but the mention I found of it was as a ridge in the Italian Apennines where veterans of the 10th Mountain Division fought a decisive battle during World War II. The name was subsequently applied by war veterans to one of the ski runs at Vail, Colorado, and Penny Tweedy (who skied at Vail) used it for her horse.I'd love to believe that the name of Riva Ridge's sire, First Landing, factored into the Meadow Stable colt's being dubbed "Riva Ridge." This would make sense, for any or all of the reasons Overlay mentions. In the winter of 1945, under cover of darkness, the 10th Mountain Division stunned German troops by scaling a sheer, 1500-foot cliff (Riva Ridge), and without cover of artillery fire, mounting a bayonet (!) attack on the Axis battalion occupying Monte Belvedere. The brave men of this elite Alpine division (formed in 1943 and trained in the Colorado Rockies) repelled seven counter-attacks on their way to breaching the stategically critical Nazi line in the Appenines.

Before the 10th captured the ridge and routed their Wehrmacht adversaries on February 18, 1945, at least three other Allied divisions had tried to oust the Nazis from Monte Belvedere. The 10th's success marked the "first landing" of U.S. troops at this promontory in northern Italy.

Then again, the name of the 1972 Derby and Belmont winner may simply refer to a ski landing at the Vail resort. Even so, it was the returning veterans of the northern Italian campaign who are in large part responsible for skiing's development as a popular recreational activity. The 10th had prepared for its assault on Monte Belvedere by training on skis and snowshoes and sleeping outdoors without tents. After the war, many G.I.'s returned to Vail and Aspen, where they opened ski schools, designed and built lifts and lodges, and layed out the very trails down which Penny Tweedy schussed.