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#1
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![]() For the people who think that breeding microscopic size foal crops, somehow makes for deeper and more competitive top class racing and more talented horses.....
* The 1933 Kentucky Derby was won by a horse named Broker's Tip. Not only did he win the race as a maiden---but, he never won another race the rest of his career. His lifetime record was 14-1-2-1. His Derby is known as "the fightin' Derby" because his rider, and the rider of the 2nd place finisher were literally fighting with each other during the stretch run. That same year, the legendary Seabiscuit was foaled. He lost five straight races at Rockingham Park, to run his lifetime record to 0-for-17, but heck, he sure did improve from there! As for our first triple crown winner Sir Barton---he was 0-for-6 as a 2-year-old, and made his 3yo debut in the Kentucky Derby off an 8 month layoff. He was only entered by his trainer to be a rabbit for stablemate Billy Kellly. Well, he was gunned to the lead, and never stopped. Billy Kelly finished 2nd. He won the Preakness 4 days later, the Withers 10 days after that, and than the Belmont Stakes. Not that Seabiscuit, Sir Barton, and Billy Kelly weren't fine horses---however, it is impossible to do stuff like today. The horses are simply much more talented overall....and there is a much greater volume of them in training. If a trainer even tried to run a maiden in the Kentucky Derby, off an 8 month layoff, simply to serve the purpose as a rabbit for his stablemate---not only would that horse not become a triple crown winner, but his trainer would be knocked pretty damn hard by the press. |
#2
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Following is the photograph taken of that "Fighting Finish", for those who haven't seen it: http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/brokerstip.jpg I believe this photograph was captured when a down and out drunken photographer woke up from passing out in the infield right next to the finish line and looked up just in time. This story was included with several other short stories in the book; Finished Lines. |
#3
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![]() There was a third maiden who won the Kentucky Derby, does anyone remember his name and what year he was from?
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#4
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#5
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#6
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#7
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![]() He won his 2nd career start by 10 lengths, in hand throughout.
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#8
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--Dunbar
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Curlin and Hard Spun finish 1,2 in the 2007 BC Classic, demonstrating how competing in all three Triple Crown races ruins a horse for the rest of the year...see avatar photo from REUTERS/Lucas Jackson |
#9
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#10
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![]() I'm pretty sure Giacomo had won one start prior to the derby.
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http://www.facebook.com/cajungator26 |
#11
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He only won one other race after the Derby. Or maybe this was just at 3??? NTRA has him at only 2 other starts before Derby. ??? |
#12
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Again, citing a couple isolated examples proves nothing! There have always been, and probably always will be horses that take awhile to "get it"....John Henry was bought for what? He turned his career around rather nicely didn't he? Then there was that horse who raced awhile and ran awful until they switched surfaces...he turned out ok...Cigar was his name I think! Recently there was a claimer who has done ok too...named Lava Man. Real Quiet and that horse of DWL's, had Antley given him a better ride in the Belmont...Also, when Sir Barton won the TC, there was no such thing...a decade later a NY writer coined the phrase, MOW's conections felt the Derby wasn't worth a trip "west". Maidens win stake races, it happens...with or without a buzzer!
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"Always be yourself...unless you suck!" |
#13
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And, If you assume that only the best horses were being bred to each other (they weren't) back when the foal crops were so small---than there is no way John Henry would have existed. Spectacular Bid's 2nd dam was a very mediocre horse, and his dam raced on the Northern California fair circuits. He's another that wouldn't have existed. Secretariat's dam never won a race, but she came from a very good family. Affirmed's dam wasn't much horse, and she had eight siblings, none of which earned black type. Cigar's dam ran 7 times and never won. Seattle Slew was sold for like 16K or something at auction. |
#14
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Ah, but those are modern examples you are using! And regarding breeding lines if you equate "best" to track performance, you are way off base...many Blue Hens did little on the track, breeding is a lot more complicated than simply looking at records of dam and sire.
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"Always be yourself...unless you suck!" |
#15
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Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all. Abraham Lincoln |
#16
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Now, lets say that half of the 1,680 were males. So, we'd have 840 male foals in his crop. Of those 840---I bet you a surprsing percentage never ran a single race in their career. However, I don't have the numbers to that, so I can't say how many did. A record 463,827 race horses were foaled in the 1980's. Just 18,857 were foaled in the 1910's. On the Blood Horse's List for top 100 of the century, ZERO horses foaled in the 1980's made the top thirty!! Man O' War made 11 starts as a 3-year-old. In those 11 starts he beat fields of 8, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 3, 1 He was simply just MUCH the best of a handful of horses--and his connections adoritly avoided a showdown with the best horse in the land outside of his crop. In Man O' War's entire racing career---he beat a GRAND TOTAL OF TWO horses that weren't from his foal crop...and both of them in match races, where he was able to use his superior early speed to his advantage...and get loose early leads. I guess I'm supposed to consider him the #1 horse of the century because he once ran a 1 1/4 in 2:01 4/5ths? Or 1 1/2 miles in 2:28 4/5ths? The fastest six furlongs he ran was when he was beaten a half length to upset in 1:11 1/5ths. Oh yeah, we also have to assume the tracks were 20 lengths slower back than. |
#17
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![]() While I'm not qualified to speak of Man O' War's race record, I'm sure glad he was around...
Without him, we wouldn't have gotten War Admiral, who in turn sired Busanda, dam of Buckpasser, who sired Relaxing, who was the dam of one of my favorite horses of all time... EASY GOER. ![]()
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http://www.facebook.com/cajungator26 |
#18
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![]() Easy Goer was my favorite horse when I first started watching racing.
He was from the largest foal crop (1986) of all-time. One of three no doubt about it all-time GREAT horses from that crop. The others being Sunday Silence and Kentucky-bred Nashwan. Nashwan is the only horse in history to win Britan's four most important races in the same season, they being the 2K Guineas, Derby, Eclipse, and King George. Off the top of my head, others from that crop include: King Glorious, Breeders Cup Classic winner, and BC Sprint 3rd Black Tie Affair, 12 furlong world record holder Hawkster, The great filly sprinter Safely Kept, Prized (who made his career debut on grass in the BC Turf and won it) There were some very good horses from obscure regions as well...like a Clever Trevor, who ran a solid 2nd to Easy Goer in the Travers after winning like 10-of-14. Western Playboy set a track record at Turfway in the Spiral and won the PA Derby by about 20 lengths. Flying Contentinal was an excellent horse. Is It True ran some big figures at age 2. |
#19
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"Change can be good, but constant change shows no direction" http://www.hickoryhillhoff.blogspot.com/ |
#20
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i suppose you can make man o wars stats fit your agenda of him being overrated. have at it.
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Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all. Abraham Lincoln |