What were the best horse races of the 1970's?

[smartbid09]

What were the best horse races of the 1970's?
This era had some of the greatest horses of all time!! It also had some of the greatest races of all time. Races that are now the stuff of legends...

Including....

1978 Belmont Stakes (Affirmed and Alydar at their heated best!)

1978 Marlbo Cup (First Meeting Between 2 Triple Crown Winners)

1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup (Seattle Slews best performance IMO)

1973 Triple Crown Series (Just 3 solid performances)

1977 Kentucky Derby (Slew stumbles and wins - perhaps his greatest 3-yold race)

1976 Marlboro Cup (Forego's Greatest Race IMO)

1973 Marlboro CUp (Secretariat vs. Stable mate Riva ridge in world record time)

1979 JCGC (Race between the bid and affirmed for HOY)

1978 Travers Stakes (Affirmed and Alydars final meeting and Alydars imfamous win by DQ)

1973 Whitney Handicap (Secretariat's biggest upset defeat - Secretariat loses to Onion)

1975 Ruffian Foolish Pleasure Match Race (The race that ended match races in America... though not a great race you can't say this wasn't a major race in our sports history...)

What else...

[blackthroatedwind]

Alydar won the 1978 Whitney by ten lengths ( it was an amazing performance ). You mean the 1978 Travers.

The 1975 Marlboro ( stretch duel between Wajima and Forego...plus Ancient Title and Foolish Pleasure among others ).

[smartbid09]

Thanks for pointing that out to me wind

I fixed my error.

[Merlinsky]

It was the '78 JCGC where Affirmed's saddle slipped right?

[Cannon Shell]

1973 Woodward - Prove Out beats Secretariat and Cougar II

1979 Travers - General Assembly dusts a pretty good field setting a still standing track record

1971 Big Cap - Ack Ack beats Cougar II carrying 130

1974 match race where Chris Evert beat Miss Musket by 50

1977 Swaps - JO Tobin crushes Seattle Slew

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

It was the '78 JCGC where Affirmed's saddle slipped right?

that was the race that Seattle Slew set insane fractions (22.3, 45.1 109.2) going 1 1/2 and still fights on in the lane to get edged by Exceller

and yes that was the saddle slip race

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

1973 Woodward - Prove Out beats Secretariat and Cougar II

1979 Travers - General Assembly dusts a pretty good field setting a still standing track record

1971 Big Cap - Ack Ack beats Cougar II carrying 130

1974 match race where Chris Evert beat Miss Musket by 50

1977 Swaps - JO Tobin crushes Seattle Slew

How cool a horse was Ack Ack? That horse could do anything.

[Cannon Shell]

1970 Interborough hdcp - Ta Wee carries an incredible 142 winning wire to wire

1974 Man o War- Dahlia whips the boys

[smartbid09]

An often forgotten race is the 1972 Stymie Handicap. It was a race between two derby winners - Riva Ridge and Canonero II. It would come to be known as the last great race of Canonero's career. I have never seen footage of this race but would love too. Canonero beat the great Riva Ridge and set a new track record...

[smartbid09]

Don't know if these Races would count as great races of the 70's - but certainly notable races ---

1971 Preakness [Canonero set a new Preakness record of 1:54]

*little known race track triva *********************************
Q: WHO HOLDS THE CURRENT PREAKNESS STAKES RECORD AND WHO HOLDS THE CURRENT PIMLICO TRACK RECORD???

A: Canonero's Preakness Stakes 1971 Stakes Record of 1:54 would last until 1985 when Tank's Prospect ran the Preakness in 1:53 2/5.

Tank's Prospect's Preakness Stakes record has yet to be broken - but it has been equaled. Both Louis Quatorze (1996) and Curlin (2007) ran the Preakness in 1:53 2/5. (Secretariat also ran the Preakness Stakes in 1:53 2/5 according to the DRF. However, Secretariat's 1:53 2/5 Preakness time is not official due to a malfunctioning timer. Officially Secretariat's time is recorded as 1:54 2/5).

Farma Way won the 1991 Pimlico Special in 1:52 2/5, setting the current track record.
************************************************** **************










1972 Kentucky Derby [Riva Ridge becomes the first 2 y-o champion since needles to win the Kentucky Derby]

1972 Preakness [Bee Bee Bee upsets Riva Ridge - Also notable is the fact that if not for a sloppy track most believe Riva Ridge would have won the triple crown]

1974 Kentucky Derby [Centennial Kentucky Derby - biggest field ever to run in the Kentucky Derby - after this race the Derby was limited to a 20 Horse Field]

[smartbid09]

1977 Laurel Futurity - Affirmed and Alydar battle it out for the 2 year old title

[johnny pinwheel]

i still have the photo finish of the affirmed/alydar belmont....got it signed by steve cauthen that august when he rented the house next door to me. of course, i voted for affirmed.

[Port Conway Lane]

Sometime in the Bowie winter meeting of 1979, Perfect Daddy,with Lynn Cline up, blows by Double Zeus and Danny Wright, who never looked back until it was too late.

[richard burch]

onion wins!

[CSC]

I was very young, but Nijinsky II is right there with those on the list.

[Revidere]

1978 Turf Classic & Man O' War: Waya beats the boys
1976 Belmont: Bold Forbes goes wire to wire