2022 Horse Racing

[bigmike]

I remember when Laurel had a big fall turf race I think called the Laurel Invitational. Knew a kid in high school who’s dad trained a horse named Johnny D who won it in the late 70’s. Not sure what goes on there now.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I don't know anything at all about horse racing but just moved into a new development built at Laurel Park. We can walk through our own pedestrian tunnel to the track. Haven't done it thus far as we just moved in a bit ago. Is this place anything special that I should be excited about in any way?

I think they just renovated it a couple years ago should be in good shape although Maryland racing is over at Pimlico in Baltimore the next couple weeks. Should be back by end of the month. At the end of the day it’s still a racetrack, bunch of degenerates and a few bars, which is great to me but not for everyone. Racing is solid over there though. Couple of bigger days in the summer that feature Maryland breds. Maryland millions. Horse of the year a couple years ago Go Knicks was a Maryland bred

 

[KaiserUEO]

I don't see them moving it anytime soon or cutting the distance of the Belmont. The track is 1.5 miles and it's one loop around the damn track. Just my 2 cents but the Travers has continued to increase in stature and trainers look at the Derby, Belmont, Haskell, Travers as more viable than running the gauntlet of the Triple Crown and praying you got something left later in the summer. The Haskell/ Travers timing can be tricky too. Horses aren't different than any other modern day athlete, "load management" can be very frustrating for fans. If I had a horse than ran decent in the derby but didn't win and I thought they could get the distance of the Belmont, I would run there, skip Preakness and then get ready for Saratoga. Or I would run in the preakness and then slow down skip Belmont and get ready for the Jim Dandy/ Travers run. The super trainers have horses for all of the races and just reload the mid size to smaller guy is going to protect the horse because they don't come around all that often.

the Belmont Day card is easily one of the top 3 best cards of the year with the Met Mile as well. NYRA has created a great weekend around it and then another great card right before they move to Saratoga, which I believe they call Stars and Stripes day around 4th of July. Breeder's Cup Saturday, KY Derby and then the card on Belmont Day which to me other than the Breeders Cup Saturday the best betting day of the year. You can throw in a few others but they are all up in Saratoga

Always a few phonies in the Belmont though, one pace horses that finish mid pack in the derby usually are one pace horses that finish mid pack in the Belmont as well. You still need some speed ( Palace Malice) or a hell of a closing kick. You need to make a move at some point

Fantastic post.

Well said.

 

[SWC75]

Gotta hand it to Big Red - he won at diverse tracks, all distances and both surfaces (not counting synthetic, of course).

Some of his times are mind blowing. Setting aside his Belmont which is the greatness standard, I think I recall him running a 1:45 and change 1 1/8 at Belmont.

I last updated this when Justify won in 2018:

I decided to take a look at horse racing’s triple crown. There have been 11 Triple Crown winners: Sir Barton in 1919, Gallant Fox in 1930, Omaha in 1935, War Admiral in 1937, Whirlaway in 1941, Count Fleet in 1943, Assault in 1946, Citation in 1948, Secretariat, (who they have made a movie about- it will be out in October), in 1973, Seattle Slew 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. What if they all had a race? (Seattle Slew twice raced Affirmed. Slew won the first race and finished ahead of Affirmed in the other one, which neither of them won: Seattle Slew - Wikipedia ). Since 11 horses is an odd number, I decided to throw in a 12th- Man O’ War, perhaps the most famous horse of all: Man o' War - Wikipedia

(I have now added in American Pharoah…. I have now added in Justify)

Man O’ War was not entered in the Kentucky Derby because the owner didn’t like they way they raced in Kentucky, (for some reason). He likely would have won it- he won 20 of 21 races and the one time he lost the name of the horse who beat him became a synonym for the victory of an underdog- “Upset”. Man O’ War easily beat Sir Barton in a match race and was universally regarded as the greatest thoroughbred ever until Secretariat.

So how do we “race” them all at once? First, I took note of the distance on the three triple crown races, reducing them to a single unit, feet. The Kentucky Derby has been run at a mile and a quarter since 1896. That’s 6600 feet. The Preakness was a mile and an eighth, or 5940 feet through 1924. After that it was a mile and 3/16th. That’s 6270 feet. The Belmont was a mile and 3/8, (7260 feet) until 1926, when it became a mile and a half. We need to figure out the rate at which all 12 horses traveled those distances.

Sir Barton ran the Derby in 2:09.80. That’s 129.8 seconds. 6600 feet divided by 129.8 seconds is 50.847457 feet per second. He ran the Preakness in 1:51.6 or 111.60 seconds. Divide that into 5940 feet and you get 53.225806 feet per second. He ran the Belmont in 2:17.40, or 137.40 seconds. Divide that into 7260 feet and you get. 52.838427 feet per second. Average those three rates and you get the combined speed with which Sir Barton ran the Triple Crown. I did that for each horse, using only the Preakness and Belmont for Man O’ War:

Sir Barton…………52.303893 feet per second
Man O’ War………52.828983 feet per second
Gallant Fox………..51.847443 feet per second
Omaha …………….52.641140 feet per second
War Admiral………53.134216 feet per second
Whirlaway…………53.057653 feet per second
Count Fleet………...53.216116 feet per second
Assault……………..51.962756 feet per second
Citation…………….52.296200 feet per second
Secretariat………….54.882336 feet per second
Seattle Slew………..53.773870 feet per second
Affirmed…………...54.259006 feet per second
American Pharoah…53.680023 feet per second
Justify……………53.550580 feet per second

I decided our fantasy race should be over the current Belmont distance, a mile and a half. That’s 7920 feet. At 54.882336 feet per second, Secretariat would run that in 144.31 seconds, (2 minutes 24.31 seconds). At 52.303893 feet per second, how far would Sir Barton have traveled in 144.31 seconds? He’d have traveled 7548 feet, finishing 372 feet behind Secretariat. A “length” is supposed to be about 8 feet, so that’s 47 lengths behind. Here is the final order of finish. I hit the “enter bar” to go to the next line for every length to give a graphic representation of the distances between the horses:

Secretariat 2:24.31









Affirmed 2:25.97 (11 lengths behind)








Seattle Slew 2:27.28 (20 lengths behind)

American Pharoah 2:27.54 (22 lengths behind)


Justify 2:27.90 (24 lengths behind)





Count Fleet 2:28.83 (30 lengths behind)

War Admiral 2:29.06 (32 lengths behind)
Whirlaway 2:29.27 (33 lengths behind)



Man O’War 2:29.92 (37 lengths behind)


Omaha 2:30.45 (40 lengths behind)






Sir Barton 2:31.42 (47 lengths behind) & Citation 2:31.45 (47 lengths + 1 foot behind)





Assault 2:32.42 (53 lengths behind)

Gallant Fox 2:32.76 (55 lengths behind)

So, what does this prove? Nothing. It’s just fun to imagine all these great horses in the same race and you have to base your imaginings on something. It’s interesting how dominant Secretariat is. I thought Citation was a lot better than that. His fame rested on the fact that there was no Triple Crown winner for a generation after that.

There is a general, but not absolute trend toward the more recent horse doing the best. Of course track conditions matter and jockeys matter. You could run the actual race, if there was one, multiple times and get multiple results. Some horses are “speed” horses that might do better over a lesser distance. Others are endurance horses that do better over a longer distance. Those things aren’t really accounted for here.

 

[br801]

Yes but it was on the grass! Thing of beauty though

Yes, the turf was very soft that day, but he still toyed with the field. Eddie Maple rode him that day, as Ron Turcotte was serving a suspension. I believe he also won the Man o'War on the grass at Belmont earlier that fall.

 

[bigmike]

I last updated this when Justify won in 2018:

I decided to take a look at horse racing’s triple crown. There have been 11 Triple Crown winners: Sir Barton in 1919, Gallant Fox in 1930, Omaha in 1935, War Admiral in 1937, Whirlaway in 1941, Count Fleet in 1943, Assault in 1946, Citation in 1948, Secretariat, (who they have made a movie about- it will be out in October), in 1973, Seattle Slew 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. What if they all had a race? (Seattle Slew twice raced Affirmed. Slew won the first race and finished ahead of Affirmed in the other one, which neither of them won: Seattle Slew - Wikipedia ). Since 11 horses is an odd number, I decided to throw in a 12th- Man O’ War, perhaps the most famous horse of all: Man o' War - Wikipedia

(I have now added in American Pharoah…. I have now added in Justify)

Man O’ War was not entered in the Kentucky Derby because the owner didn’t like they way they raced in Kentucky, (for some reason). He likely would have won it- he won 20 of 21 races and the one time he lost the name of the horse who beat him became a synonym for the victory of an underdog- “Upset”. Man O’ War easily beat Sir Barton in a match race and was universally regarded as the greatest thoroughbred ever until Secretariat.

So how do we “race” them all at once? First, I took note of the distance on the three triple crown races, reducing them to a single unit, feet. The Kentucky Derby has been run at a mile and a quarter since 1896. That’s 6600 feet. The Preakness was a mile and an eighth, or 5940 feet through 1924. After that it was a mile and 3/16th. That’s 6270 feet. The Belmont was a mile and 3/8, (7260 feet) until 1926, when it became a mile and a half. We need to figure out the rate at which all 12 horses traveled those distances.

Sir Barton ran the Derby in 2:09.80. That’s 129.8 seconds. 6600 feet divided by 129.8 seconds is 50.847457 feet per second. He ran the Preakness in 1:51.6 or 111.60 seconds. Divide that into 5940 feet and you get 53.225806 feet per second. He ran the Belmont in 2:17.40, or 137.40 seconds. Divide that into 7260 feet and you get. 52.838427 feet per second. Average those three rates and you get the combined speed with which Sir Barton ran the Triple Crown. I did that for each horse, using only the Preakness and Belmont for Man O’ War:

Sir Barton…………52.303893 feet per second
Man O’ War………52.828983 feet per second
Gallant Fox………..51.847443 feet per second
Omaha …………….52.641140 feet per second
War Admiral………53.134216 feet per second
Whirlaway…………53.057653 feet per second
Count Fleet………...53.216116 feet per second
Assault……………..51.962756 feet per second
Citation…………….52.296200 feet per second
Secretariat………….54.882336 feet per second
Seattle Slew………..53.773870 feet per second
Affirmed…………...54.259006 feet per second
American Pharoah…53.680023 feet per second
Justify……………53.550580 feet per second

I decided our fantasy race should be over the current Belmont distance, a mile and a half. That’s 7920 feet. At 54.882336 feet per second, Secretariat would run that in 144.31 seconds, (2 minutes 24.31 seconds). At 52.303893 feet per second, how far would Sir Barton have traveled in 144.31 seconds? He’d have traveled 7548 feet, finishing 372 feet behind Secretariat. A “length” is supposed to be about 8 feet, so that’s 47 lengths behind. Here is the final order of finish. I hit the “enter bar” to go to the next line for every length to give a graphic representation of the distances between the horses:

Secretariat 2:24.31









Affirmed 2:25.97 (11 lengths behind)








Seattle Slew 2:27.28 (20 lengths behind)

American Pharoah 2:27.54 (22 lengths behind)


Justify 2:27.90 (24 lengths behind)





Count Fleet 2:28.83 (30 lengths behind)

War Admiral 2:29.06 (32 lengths behind)
Whirlaway 2:29.27 (33 lengths behind)



Man O’War 2:29.92 (37 lengths behind)


Omaha 2:30.45 (40 lengths behind)






Sir Barton 2:31.42 (47 lengths behind) & Citation 2:31.45 (47 lengths + 1 foot behind)





Assault 2:32.42 (53 lengths behind)

Gallant Fox 2:32.76 (55 lengths behind)

So, what does this prove? Nothing. It’s just fun to imagine all these great horses in the same race and you have to base your imaginings on something. It’s interesting how dominant Secretariat is. I thought Citation was a lot better than that. His fame rested on the fact that there was no Triple Crown winner for a generation after that.

There is a general, but not absolute trend toward the more recent horse doing the best. Of course track conditions matter and jockeys matter. You could run the actual race, if there was one, multiple times and get multiple results. Some horses are “speed” horses that might do better over a lesser distance. Others are endurance horses that do better over a longer distance. Those things aren’t really accounted for here.

Real good stuff - comparisons like this are what makes horse racing so interesting.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I last updated this when Justify won in 2018:

I decided to take a look at horse racing’s triple crown. There have been 11 Triple Crown winners: Sir Barton in 1919, Gallant Fox in 1930, Omaha in 1935, War Admiral in 1937, Whirlaway in 1941, Count Fleet in 1943, Assault in 1946, Citation in 1948, Secretariat, (who they have made a movie about- it will be out in October), in 1973, Seattle Slew 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. What if they all had a race? (Seattle Slew twice raced Affirmed. Slew won the first race and finished ahead of Affirmed in the other one, which neither of them won: Seattle Slew - Wikipedia ). Since 11 horses is an odd number, I decided to throw in a 12th- Man O’ War, perhaps the most famous horse of all: Man o' War - Wikipedia

(I have now added in American Pharoah…. I have now added in Justify)

Man O’ War was not entered in the Kentucky Derby because the owner didn’t like they way they raced in Kentucky, (for some reason). He likely would have won it- he won 20 of 21 races and the one time he lost the name of the horse who beat him became a synonym for the victory of an underdog- “Upset”. Man O’ War easily beat Sir Barton in a match race and was universally regarded as the greatest thoroughbred ever until Secretariat.

So how do we “race” them all at once? First, I took note of the distance on the three triple crown races, reducing them to a single unit, feet. The Kentucky Derby has been run at a mile and a quarter since 1896. That’s 6600 feet. The Preakness was a mile and an eighth, or 5940 feet through 1924. After that it was a mile and 3/16th. That’s 6270 feet. The Belmont was a mile and 3/8, (7260 feet) until 1926, when it became a mile and a half. We need to figure out the rate at which all 12 horses traveled those distances.

Sir Barton ran the Derby in 2:09.80. That’s 129.8 seconds. 6600 feet divided by 129.8 seconds is 50.847457 feet per second. He ran the Preakness in 1:51.6 or 111.60 seconds. Divide that into 5940 feet and you get 53.225806 feet per second. He ran the Belmont in 2:17.40, or 137.40 seconds. Divide that into 7260 feet and you get. 52.838427 feet per second. Average those three rates and you get the combined speed with which Sir Barton ran the Triple Crown. I did that for each horse, using only the Preakness and Belmont for Man O’ War:

Sir Barton…………52.303893 feet per second
Man O’ War………52.828983 feet per second
Gallant Fox………..51.847443 feet per second
Omaha …………….52.641140 feet per second
War Admiral………53.134216 feet per second
Whirlaway…………53.057653 feet per second
Count Fleet………...53.216116 feet per second
Assault……………..51.962756 feet per second
Citation…………….52.296200 feet per second
Secretariat………….54.882336 feet per second
Seattle Slew………..53.773870 feet per second
Affirmed…………...54.259006 feet per second
American Pharoah…53.680023 feet per second
Justify……………53.550580 feet per second

I decided our fantasy race should be over the current Belmont distance, a mile and a half. That’s 7920 feet. At 54.882336 feet per second, Secretariat would run that in 144.31 seconds, (2 minutes 24.31 seconds). At 52.303893 feet per second, how far would Sir Barton have traveled in 144.31 seconds? He’d have traveled 7548 feet, finishing 372 feet behind Secretariat. A “length” is supposed to be about 8 feet, so that’s 47 lengths behind. Here is the final order of finish. I hit the “enter bar” to go to the next line for every length to give a graphic representation of the distances between the horses:

Secretariat 2:24.31









Affirmed 2:25.97 (11 lengths behind)








Seattle Slew 2:27.28 (20 lengths behind)

American Pharoah 2:27.54 (22 lengths behind)


Justify 2:27.90 (24 lengths behind)





Count Fleet 2:28.83 (30 lengths behind)

War Admiral 2:29.06 (32 lengths behind)
Whirlaway 2:29.27 (33 lengths behind)



Man O’War 2:29.92 (37 lengths behind)


Omaha 2:30.45 (40 lengths behind)






Sir Barton 2:31.42 (47 lengths behind) & Citation 2:31.45 (47 lengths + 1 foot behind)





Assault 2:32.42 (53 lengths behind)

Gallant Fox 2:32.76 (55 lengths behind)

So, what does this prove? Nothing. It’s just fun to imagine all these great horses in the same race and you have to base your imaginings on something. It’s interesting how dominant Secretariat is. I thought Citation was a lot better than that. His fame rested on the fact that there was no Triple Crown winner for a generation after that.

There is a general, but not absolute trend toward the more recent horse doing the best. Of course track conditions matter and jockeys matter. You could run the actual race, if there was one, multiple times and get multiple results. Some horses are “speed” horses that might do better over a lesser distance. Others are endurance horses that do better over a longer distance. Those things aren’t really accounted for here.

Amazing how Secretariat ran 21 times in a two year career and lost five times due to some supposed illnesses and once, I believe, due to bumping. Of course, now if he wasn't feeling well then he would sit. Still the greatest horse of our lifetime but who could ever forget his lost at the Graveyard of Favorites to Onion vs older horses in the Whitney.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I last updated this when Justify won in 2018:

I decided to take a look at horse racing’s triple crown. There have been 11 Triple Crown winners: Sir Barton in 1919, Gallant Fox in 1930, Omaha in 1935, War Admiral in 1937, Whirlaway in 1941, Count Fleet in 1943, Assault in 1946, Citation in 1948, Secretariat, (who they have made a movie about- it will be out in October), in 1973, Seattle Slew 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. What if they all had a race? (Seattle Slew twice raced Affirmed. Slew won the first race and finished ahead of Affirmed in the other one, which neither of them won: Seattle Slew - Wikipedia ). Since 11 horses is an odd number, I decided to throw in a 12th- Man O’ War, perhaps the most famous horse of all: Man o' War - Wikipedia

(I have now added in American Pharoah…. I have now added in Justify)

Man O’ War was not entered in the Kentucky Derby because the owner didn’t like they way they raced in Kentucky, (for some reason). He likely would have won it- he won 20 of 21 races and the one time he lost the name of the horse who beat him became a synonym for the victory of an underdog- “Upset”. Man O’ War easily beat Sir Barton in a match race and was universally regarded as the greatest thoroughbred ever until Secretariat.

So how do we “race” them all at once? First, I took note of the distance on the three triple crown races, reducing them to a single unit, feet. The Kentucky Derby has been run at a mile and a quarter since 1896. That’s 6600 feet. The Preakness was a mile and an eighth, or 5940 feet through 1924. After that it was a mile and 3/16th. That’s 6270 feet. The Belmont was a mile and 3/8, (7260 feet) until 1926, when it became a mile and a half. We need to figure out the rate at which all 12 horses traveled those distances.

Sir Barton ran the Derby in 2:09.80. That’s 129.8 seconds. 6600 feet divided by 129.8 seconds is 50.847457 feet per second. He ran the Preakness in 1:51.6 or 111.60 seconds. Divide that into 5940 feet and you get 53.225806 feet per second. He ran the Belmont in 2:17.40, or 137.40 seconds. Divide that into 7260 feet and you get. 52.838427 feet per second. Average those three rates and you get the combined speed with which Sir Barton ran the Triple Crown. I did that for each horse, using only the Preakness and Belmont for Man O’ War:

Sir Barton…………52.303893 feet per second
Man O’ War………52.828983 feet per second
Gallant Fox………..51.847443 feet per second
Omaha …………….52.641140 feet per second
War Admiral………53.134216 feet per second
Whirlaway…………53.057653 feet per second
Count Fleet………...53.216116 feet per second
Assault……………..51.962756 feet per second
Citation…………….52.296200 feet per second
Secretariat………….54.882336 feet per second
Seattle Slew………..53.773870 feet per second
Affirmed…………...54.259006 feet per second
American Pharoah…53.680023 feet per second
Justify……………53.550580 feet per second

I decided our fantasy race should be over the current Belmont distance, a mile and a half. That’s 7920 feet. At 54.882336 feet per second, Secretariat would run that in 144.31 seconds, (2 minutes 24.31 seconds). At 52.303893 feet per second, how far would Sir Barton have traveled in 144.31 seconds? He’d have traveled 7548 feet, finishing 372 feet behind Secretariat. A “length” is supposed to be about 8 feet, so that’s 47 lengths behind. Here is the final order of finish. I hit the “enter bar” to go to the next line for every length to give a graphic representation of the distances between the horses:

Secretariat 2:24.31









Affirmed 2:25.97 (11 lengths behind)








Seattle Slew 2:27.28 (20 lengths behind)

American Pharoah 2:27.54 (22 lengths behind)


Justify 2:27.90 (24 lengths behind)





Count Fleet 2:28.83 (30 lengths behind)

War Admiral 2:29.06 (32 lengths behind)
Whirlaway 2:29.27 (33 lengths behind)



Man O’War 2:29.92 (37 lengths behind)


Omaha 2:30.45 (40 lengths behind)






Sir Barton 2:31.42 (47 lengths behind) & Citation 2:31.45 (47 lengths + 1 foot behind)





Assault 2:32.42 (53 lengths behind)

Gallant Fox 2:32.76 (55 lengths behind)

So, what does this prove? Nothing. It’s just fun to imagine all these great horses in the same race and you have to base your imaginings on something. It’s interesting how dominant Secretariat is. I thought Citation was a lot better than that. His fame rested on the fact that there was no Triple Crown winner for a generation after that.

There is a general, but not absolute trend toward the more recent horse doing the best. Of course track conditions matter and jockeys matter. You could run the actual race, if there was one, mu

Amazing how Secretariat ran 21 times in a two year career and lost five times due to some supposed illnesses and once, I believe, due to bumping. Of course, now if he wasn't feeling well then he would sit. Still the greatest horse of our lifetime but who could ever forget his lost at the Graveyard of Favorites to Onion vs older horses in the Whitney.

how about secretariat ran 3 weeks after winning the triple crown at a stake in Arlington / Chicago. What a different era. Racing was so much different then and obviously wildly more popular, the fans wanted to see him run for sure. Unbelievable.

I was actually surprised to see that secretariat did lose a couple races at Belmont just figured that track suited him so well that nobody would ever beat him there.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

how about secretariat ran 3 weeks after winning the triple crown at a stake in Arlington / Chicago. What a different era. Racing was so much different then and obviously wildly more popular, the fans wanted to see him run for sure. Unbelievable.

I was actually surprised to see that secretariat did lose a couple races at Belmont just figured that track suited him so well that nobody would ever beat him there.

He was definitely a New York based horse. Fifteen of his 21 races were at the three NYRA tracks including three within a 28 day stretch as a two-year old at the Spa. Doesn't get much better than that.

 

[upperdeck]

He was definitely a New York based horse. Fifteen of his 21 races were at the three NYRA tracks including three within a 28 day stretch as a two-year old at the Spa. Doesn't get much better than that.

still pissed at my dad for not taking me to the SPA to watch him that day vs Onion..

 

[cliftonparksufan]

still pissed at my dad for not taking me to the SPA to watch him that day vs Onion..

Yup. That's why I got up at 4 am to get a prime picnic table to see American Pharoah up close and personal walk to the paddock to run and eventually lose to Keen Ice.

 

[Newhouser]

Yup. That's why I got up at 4 am to get a prime picnic table to see American Pharoah up close and personal walk to the paddock to run and eventually lose to Keen Ice.

Do they still have the mad picnic table dash on Travers Day? I didn't compete that hard in any sport I ever played.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Do they still have the mad picnic table dash on Travers Day? I didn't compete that hard in any sport I ever played.

It's pretty much every Saturday but Travers is definitely the midsummer Derby.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

It's pretty much every Saturday but Travers is definitely the midsummer Derby.

I just love watching it go down. Bunch of dad's sprinting to get their table and praying they don't pull a hamstring at the same time. I use to love going Saturday/ Sunday/ Monday at Saratoga. Weekends were so much fun and then Monday's were just so much more laid back, fewer people etc. Head home Monday night after the races

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I just love watching it go down. Bunch of dad's sprinting to get their table and praying they don't pull a hamstring at the same time. I use to love going Saturday/ Sunday/ Monday at Saratoga. Weekends were so much fun and then Monday's were just so much more laid back, fewer people etc. Head home Monday night after the races

Weekends are still the best. Lots of people watching and great races. My favorite was when they did twilight Friday cards but the restaurant owners in town complained so that ended quickly.

 

[KaiserUEO]

this was my 1st Travers...

me, my dad and my uncle went.

they had a camp on Saratoga Lake from the 60s-80s.

Affirmed and Alydar's Travers showdown still rouses emotions

Thirty-five years later, Affirmed and Alydar's 10th and final meeting in the 1978 Travers stirs disappointment, bitterness, and never-ending questions. This is the story of that race, as told through recent interviews with those who played major roles in this classic drama.

www.drf.com

 

[IthacaBarrel]

this was my 1st Travers...

me, my dad and my uncle went.

they had a camp on Saratoga Lake from the 60s-80s.

Affirmed and Alydar's Travers showdown still rouses emotions

Thirty-five years later, Affirmed and Alydar's 10th and final meeting in the 1978 Travers stirs disappointment, bitterness, and never-ending questions. This is the story of that race, as told through recent interviews with those who played major roles in this classic drama.

www.drf.com

WOW, that is crazy. 10 x at 3 years old as well

 

[cliftonparksufan]

this was my 1st Travers...

me, my dad and my uncle went.

they had a camp on Saratoga Lake from the 60s-80s.

Affirmed and Alydar's Travers showdown still rouses emotions

Thirty-five years later, Affirmed and Alydar's 10th and final meeting in the 1978 Travers stirs disappointment, bitterness, and never-ending questions. This is the story of that race, as told through recent interviews with those who played major roles in this classic drama.

www.drf.com

Great article. Hopefully you were old enough to remember the details of the day.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Great article. Hopefully you were old enough to remember the details of the day.

a true rivalry between two horses is nice too, like I said owners use to thrive on racing their horses versus the best. Now they would both be trained by Chad Brown, Brad Cox or Steve Asmussen or owned by the same people and they would run at different tracks all year until the Breeders Cup or retired to be stallions too early.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

As far as the Preakness, I will say this much. I have a tough time thinking it's not a 2 horse race between Epicenter and Early Voting. I think Lukas will send the filly to the lead because that's what he does, I think she's really good but won't win, IMO. Lukas will refresh and she will be ready for Saratoga's big 3 yo filly races which are great. D wayne not going to keep her in the barn until Saratoga, no way and he loves this move, fillies versus the Colts

Only price horse that interests me is creative minister because of the trainer/ jock combo. I think Brian Hernandez the jockey is one of the more underrated jockeys out there. he is damn good and is extremely tactical and patient. Not sure the horse is good enough nor has he run in a stake yet but I hate chalk

 

[KaiserUEO]

Great article. Hopefully you were old enough to remember the details of the day.

3rd grade, so yeah.

Some things vividly, my mom dropping us off at the gate that morning with a styrofoam cooler that had a lot more Genny’s than Pepsi’s in it. It was hot, we didn’t have seats and I didn’t get it…”you mean we are just staying at this picnic table with my other uncle's and not watching from the stands?”. We did get a spot on the fence, right after the 6th race and didnt move other than in shifts to place a bet...I had $2 on Affirmed to WIN.

it was not my 1st time there, but 1st Travers. my dad back then avoided Travers although we did go again in 85, 87 & 89. from 95-2015 he had weekend season tix and would sometimes give me the Travers if he didnt like the race, the weather was iffy or he had shlit to do, that was cool.

i should have the program in a box somewhere.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[bigmike]

a true rivalry between two horses is nice too, like I said owners use to thrive on racing their horses versus the best. Now they would both be trained by Chad Brown, Brad Cox or Steve Asmussen or owned by the same people and they would run at different tracks all year until the Breeders Cup or retired to be stallions too early.

Spot on. One aspect of the game I enjoy that hasn’t changed much over the years is waiting for the current 3 year olds to step up and face older horses later in the year. The crop of older horses is smaller due to your stallion point, but it’s still fun.

 

[Newhouser]

3rd grade, so yeah.

Some things vividly, my mom dropping us off at the gate that morning with a styrofoam cooler that had a lot more Genny’s than Pepsi’s in it. It was hot, we didn’t have seats and I didn’t get it…”you mean we are just staying at this picnic table with my other uncle's and not watching from the stands?”. We did get a spot on the fence, right after the 6th race and didnt move other than in shifts to place a bet...I had $2 on Affirmed to WIN.

it was not my 1st time there, but 1st Travers. my dad back then avoided Travers although we did go again in 85, 87 & 89. from 95-2015 he had weekend season tix and would sometimes give me the Travers if he didnt like the race, the weather was iffy or he had shlit to do, that was cool.

i should have the program in a box somewhere.

Wonder how many times Toga has opened the infield for viewing?

 

[upperdeck]

Wonder how many times Toga has opened the infield for viewing?

I really miss the infield.. I would think it could be even better now with all the tech and the screens they have.. Build a couple nice pavilions. the trees and tables are fun but it would be another experience and also help spread out some of the picnic crowd.