Great: Racing’s Most Abused Word
This column is about one simple word that in the world of horse racing isn’t that simple, but is used way too often. This is my take on it, which may wind up making it even more complicated than it already is. But it is something we’ll open for conversation and debate.~ Steve Haskin
“Great:” Racing’s Most Abused Word
By Steve Haskin
As Flightline prepares to add another chapter to his already freaky resume when he stretches out in distance in the mile and a quarter Pacific Classic we should be prepared to hear the word “great” tossed around once again. But will a victory make Flightline a great horse after only five lifetime starts or, more reasonably, will it enable him to be considered a potentially great horse? Potentially great becomes great only after you prove you can sustain that high quality over a prolonged period of time.
Today’s generation has a tendency to let the word “great” roll off the tongue way too easily, and all that does is cheapen it until it eventually becomes meaningless and irrelevant.
This is not meant to knock, demean, or downplay the horses of today and their accomplishments, as we have seen some extraordinarily talented horses over the past three decades. But we do have a tendency to deal strongly in semantics and are quick to put the label of great on a horse based on just a handful of races. We put Arrogate on a throne and placed the crown of greatness on his head, and then following arguably his most jaw-dropping performance he fell off his pedestal, leaving him with only four sensational races to combat the passage of time.
The word great can have different meanings to different people. You can’t even find a good definition for it. Checking the list of synonyms for great, it goes from tremendous, wonderful, exceptional, and perfect down to fine, good, able, and admirable and even farther down, as odd as it may sound, to bad, brutal, and cold. So we use the word because it sounds good and we have no other word to use as a replacement.
Nowadays, people in racing use the word as a knee-jerk reaction to every “great” performance they see, as if that one race defines a horse and his or her status. The only way I can explain it, and this opinion could be way off base, is to look at how Broadway theater audiences have evolved. In the past at the end of a Broadway show a standing ovation was not a common occurrence and meant something when it happened. It was a special moment to recognize greatness. But ticket prices for a show have skyrocketed and audiences who are willing and able to spend such outrageous prices need to convince themselves that the money was worth it. So they now give standing ovations at the end of just about every show as if to make them feel as if they were part of something special, or dare I say great. When people stand and applaud, suddenly the price of the ticket no longer matters. They, in their mind, have witnessed greatness. They block out the reality of an entire theater standing and applauding mediocrity.
Using that philosophy in racing, fans and horsemen who never witnessed the heroics of the greats of the past are quick to say following an exceptional, breathtaking performance, “What a great horse!” Trainers are always quick to say “He’s a great horse.” We all want to witness greatness and if we say a horse is great then he or she must be great and we are privileged to have been there to see it.
As a member of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, I found it interesting that of the 10 horses and people we put on the ballot, only two – Beholder and Tepin – received enough votes to get into the Hall of Fame. Should that serve as a reminder that there is indeed a difference between truly great, near great, and very good, and that perhaps we are diluting racing’s greatest honor?
Many people are unable or unwilling to differentiate between an all-time great horse, a great horse, and a horse who on occasion does great things. We pretty much know the all-time greats – Secretariat, Man o’ War, Citation, Dr. Fager, Kelso, Forego, Native Dancer, Damascus, Count Fleet, Exterminator, Round Table, John Henry, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, Buckpasser, Tom Fool, War Admiral, Swaps, Seabiscuit, Whirlaway etc – horses and their feats that have survived the test of time. But the most recent of these horses, John Henry, raced 38 years ago.
Some people would put Cigar on that list and it would be hard to argue, but I am not sure if many people would rank him above any of the aforementioned horses. The question you have to ask yourself is, can you name a horse since Cigar in 1996 that you would honestly even consider putting in that category. You can call American Pharoah a great horse, but you wouldn’t call him an all-time great. Same with Sunday Silence, Easy Goer, Holy Bull, Skip Away, Alysheba, Curlin, Point Given, California Chrome, Arrogate, Invasor, Ghostzapper, and perhaps even Justify despite his abbreviated career.
And even on that list less than half the horses raced in the last 15 years. How many of the 13 horses mentioned will be considered legends of the Turf?
With the exception of Secretariat and Count Fleet the tag of all-time great comes with a degree of longevity, consistent dominance in top-class races against top-class horses, and basically running and accomplishing great things past the age of 3. Carrying heavy weights (130 pounds or more) and conceding a lot of weight also helped define all-time greatness. Today, champions carry virtually the same weight as horses far inferior to them.
To demonstrate the importance of excelling at 4, the careers of Affirmed and Seattle Slew both declined dramatically following their Triple Crown sweeps, but both accomplished great things at 4 and that is what established them as all-time greats; something even a Triple Crown sweep cannot guarantee. But even with Secretariat and Count Fleet, they both still ran over 20 times, were champions at 2 and 3, and had a signature Triple Crown race so spectacular it elevated them to heights never seen before or since.
I have no idea if American Pharoah could beat Count Fleet, just as I have no idea if I would enjoy a $550,000 Romanee-Conti, vintage 1947, more than a $15 bottle of Vinho Verde from my neighborhood liquor store. Is all-time greatness like with wine, a product of time and perception? With a world that changes dramatically with every decade and keeps producing better athletes why do names like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, and Joe DiMaggio still resound so loudly through the corridors of history?
I am well aware that with the passage of time fact can begin to take on mythical qualities and become fable. Lore becomes folklore. Heroes become superheroes. Stories of Man o’ War and Seabiscuit and Secretariat become tales told in front of the fireplace on a snowy winter night, just as the Black Stallion and Misty of Chincoteague became living breathing legends to millions of children.
But that may never happen again. Because of the lure of the megabucks thrown out there by major breeding operations that have become stallion collectors, trainers and owners are now afraid to lose for fear of decreasing their horse’s value, so they race them sparingly and rake in the big bucks from inflated purses and early offers from breeders while avoiding exorbitant insurance premiums. As a result, as popular as today’s equine heroes become, and as talented as they may be, their names soon begin to fade, replaced by other whirlwind talents with abbreviated careers.
So instead of proving their greatness on the track over a period of time they are simply called great as if that makes them great. But the true greats were put in a position to get beat, whether by racing often, facing the best competition, racing under any kind of conditions, or carrying high weights. Owners and trainers were not afraid of their horses losing, and as a result defeat was not held against them. What mattered was what great feats they accomplished and how many. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best: “A great man is always willing to be little.”
It must be mentioned that in racing we are talking strictly about males. Because our “great” colts are retired way too early at age 3 due mainly to financial reasons and are not given a chance as older horses they can never be elevated to the next plateau. Now it is the female that dominates the sport in the history books and is able to elevate themselves into the realm of all-time greats because they are given the chance to prove their greatness over a period of time. We are talking about legends like Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, and Beholder, who have followed the likes of Ruffian, Lady’s Secret, and Personal Ensign into racing’s pantheon.
This all may sound condescending to some, especially younger fans who embrace their heroes with the same fervor the older generation did to theirs. That is not what this column is about. This is about the word “great” and, yes, “all-time great,” and how they are thrown around haphazardly without really knowing or appreciating the incredible achievements that enabled the horses of the past to receive such recognition.
Even the majority of recent “great” fillies like Azeri, Royal Delta, Havre de Grace, Blind Luck, Princess Rooney, Monomoy Girl, Sky Beauty, Bayakoa, and Paseana excelled at 4 and/or 5. Imagine if Songbird and Rags to Riches had gone on to have championship campaigns at 4.
This was a long way to go to make a point. But in short, don’t become a prisoner of the moment every time a horse runs an outstanding race and don’t use the word great ad nauseam and strip it of the power we have always placed on it. If we continue to run it into the ground until it has lost its meaning we will have nothing with which to replace it.
If we continue to diminish the impact of the word, one day a horse will come along and leave jaws dropping like Flightline has, but over a substantial period of time, and we will say, “Now that horse truly is a great horse.” But it will no longer mean anything.
Illustration courtesy of Pierre “Peb” Bellocq – Riva Ridge & Secretariat ’73 Folio
Following Frontline’s socks-off, mind-blown victory in the Pacific Classic, I had to re-visit this column. I think he represents the ultimate conundrum in the application of the word “great.” He has not had, nor will he have, a lengthy career. He can only carry the weight assigned him in these less robust times. Following the guidelines prescribed for greatness, it appears that he will fall short of the mark. But for one day, I believe that he truly was great. My hope is that he will turn in another impressive win in the BC Classic, which I know will still not be enough to label him “great.” But, who knows? If he races at 5 and stacks up enough great performances, however few, in time that “great” label just might begin to stick. In case you haven’t guessed—yes, I am besotted with this horse. He is GREAT for racing, and for this beleaguered long-time fan’s soul.
Thank you! The word “great” is overused in other sports as well, but nowhere near as in horse racing. To my mind, there have been many really, really good colts in recent history. There are several who have had truly great races. Are these great racehorses? I just don’t think so. They have been retired after too few races to know.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Steve for putting into words what I have felt for years. Thoroughly enjoy your work.
I heard recently that the owners of flightline haven’t excluded racing him at 5. I for one hope he does.
Saw the same article and let’s hope for the the best on that one. My plans are to go to Del Mar for the Pacific Classic but only if he is in the race. Let’s hope all the horses aiming for that race stay healthy !!! … should be quiet a race.
Typical for Kosta Hronis. He isi a sportsman a loves to see hiis horses run. Most of his best horses have been 4 and 5 year olds
Other sports have this problem too. Gale Sayers is in the HOF not because of his numbers over time but for a brief but brilliant career cut short by injuries, But if you saw him play, you knew.
Sandy Koufax has only 165 career wins. He was a sub .500 pitcher for the first half of his career but was dominant for the last 6 years he played. If you saw him play, you knew.
Dwight Gooden a career that was the reverse of Koufax. He was brilliant the first half of his career but fizzled out due to drugs and hung around too long. He has 192 wins and is not in the HOF but if you saw him play, you knew.
Never saw Sayers and Koufax play, though being from Chicago I have seen plenty of Sayers’ highlights. But I did see Gooden live in 1985. Sat 5th row behind home plate at Wrigley field. If you drew a line from the rubber through home plate and extended it into the stands, it would have hit my armrest. He was something to see.
I saw both in person and they were the greatest I’ve seen in the short time they were around. Much like Steve Cauthen.
I think fans outside of NY remember Gooden more for his personal issues rather than the greatness of the first part of his career. He won 17 games when he was only 19. AT 20, he went 24-4. Through the ’91 season when he turned 26 he was 132-53. That’s a career 99% of pitchers would take(along with the $$ it would bring).
If only he had stayed clean he was bound for the HOF. Unfortunately, in sports how you finish is weighed more heavily than how you started.
Any racehorse who makes the top 50 of all time is tremendous now. Exterminator, Round Table, Tom Fool,Kelso,Forego, Frankel, Damascus, Dr. Fager, Citation,etc.
Steve how would you assess the racehorse, Ack Ack, who was trained by Woody Stephens and then Charlie Whittingham? He did carry the weight (134 lbs) and out of 27 races he won 19 times and 2nd 6 times.
I wrote a column on Ack Ack last year. He was a good 3yo and a great older horse
Thanks Steve… anyway to view the archive of that column? My dad met and became friends with Mr Fogelson , the owner of Ack Ack, and was even offered a job to go work for him at one time. He also invited my dad to the winner’s circle after one of Ack Ack wins.
I have to admit the archivess on here are difficult to access. It will take time for me to find it, but I will go look, so come back in a bit.
Thanks Steve
I posted the link but. its in moderation Hpeefully it will be visible soon
https://www.secretariat.com/askin-haskin/10/13/2020/great-racing-stories-a-new-high-for-ack-ack/
Steve, Thank you so much for the article. You are so great on finding the tale behind the tale. Ack Ack was quiet a racehorse and I didn’t did not know he was so versatile. I remember my dad telling me what a “Great” ( there we go with that word again ) race horse he was. To me he is very close to being an “All Time Great” and if he had gone to any other trainer than Charlie Whittingham I am not sure if they would have gotten the “BEST” out him or getting the services of the “GREAT” Bill Shoemaker.
He was great or sure, and might have been an all-time great had he had another year of greatness
Cave Rock, by Arrogate—1:15 4/5, 101 Beyer, over a track where speed wasn’t holding on down the stretch, as it usually does…..well, Cave Rock held on!
Some of these Saratoga/Del Mar maiden races are like stakes races, Cave Rock ran two seconds faster that the 6 1/2 fur stakes race yesterday, at Saratoga….
Thanks for the Beyer info Matthew, yes he was very impressive! I always like to see how they do 2nd time out though…..we’ll see.
Good to hear when the Arrogates do well.
Lost him way, way too early.
Just curious…which Thoroughbreds (horse, gelding, mare), foreign or domestic are on your great list or if you prefer greatest all time?
I listed all the American horses I believe are all-time greats in the column. Many foeign to name with so many countries. Europe in my time are Ribot, Sea-Bird, Mill Reef, Nijnsky and you can lump together Shergar, Frankel, Sea the Stars, Hyperion, Sir Ivor and others
Thank you Steve.
I was giving some thought today on the horses I would consider to be great.
Several of the names you mentioned came to mind including Frankel, Sir Ivor, Mill Reef and Nijinsky.
Going back in time I would add Phar Lap and the mare Kincsem (I think she was Hungarian bred). Also the geldings Kelso and Wise Dan.
So many possibilities going back through the decades makes it difficult, at least for me, to come up with a short list.
I think of one and then another name pops into my head.
In Europe, I’d follow the great Lester Piggott’s opinion: Top three in any order Brigadier Gerard, Ribot, Sea-Bird with Frankel fourth. Most still have Sea-Bird as top. I loved Nijinsky so number 5 for him.
In US, Dr. Fager, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid. I never saw Secretariat live, Damascus I loathed for beating Dr. Fager and I loved Buckpasser but was too young to judge. Nonetheless, those 6 would be my top six. It’s painful not to mention some you favor more but there you go.
Mill Reef for the half dozen in Europe, the heart won’t allow him to miss out.
Great horses is a much longer list. I was just referring to all-time great,
“Great” column, Steve. !!! My husband and I often discuss how words lose their meaning. One example is how young people today will say ‘perfect’ as an automatic response. Really? Now there is nothing better if everything is perfect! I so agree with you on overuse of the word great in regards to horse racing. I cannot regard Justify as great based on his record. There is nothing to judge his races against. I really like your use of Emerson’s words..”A great man is always willing to be little.”
Thanks Judi. My favorite word in the English language is “Funny.” For a word that signifies something humorous and happy, we say things like, “I dont like that guy he was looking at me funny.” Or “I dont like this fish, it tastes funny.” Or “I feel funny about dropping in unannounced.” How come the bone we hit that hurts so much is called the funny bone?
Why do we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway? Why do the words dough, cough, rough, and bough all sound different?
Judi, I have to disagree about your assessment of Justify especially when you said: “based on his record”. He was undefeated and beat the best of his peers and was one of only 13 to win the grueling Triple Crown. Is he an all-time great? Maybe as a sire (and we will only know that some time down ) the road but I do consider him ” great ” as a racehorse. I have always felt through the “gene pool’ that he was a re-incarnation of Secretariat. It was unfortunate for us racing enthusiasts that he was retired early but if he had a catastrophic breakdown it would have been a great loss to the breed, especially with the untimely death of his super sire, Scat Daddy. I think we would have been treated to some remarkable racing feats that would have possibly put him with the “all-time racing greats”.
Steve, I recently read an interview with Peter Brant who gave the opinion that in the near future that half the cards in US racing will be turf racing. With this assumption, there is a good chance that ‘the good old days,’ when horses raced to six years or so, may return. Moreover, there could be a return of standing European champions at Kentucky Studs thus infusing more vigor back into US bloodlines. Ironically, turf racing may be the savior of US horse racing.
Sounds very positive and in the future ‘greatness’ may return through turf runners.
I’m fine wth that although I dont think our tracks are deigned for turf. Too small and too sharp. You need big sweeping tuns and long staightaways. The only true North Amrican turf couse is Woodbine and perhaps Belmont’s main course. But we can adapt to what we have. It seems there are more 2yo maiden racess on turf now than dirt, and longer ones.
Yes Steve, that’s the problem there isn’t a ‘true’ turf track except Woodbine but Kentucky Downs could be modified to become a turf dominant racetrack with an inner dirt track but then there is the squabble for dates in Kentucky with CDI getting whatever they desire.
Davids, I for one would love to see more turf racing in the United States. And of course the infusion of some European blood.
Lynda, I’ve always felt that the promotors of US racing would have an easier time attracting new fans to the sport if turf racing was the dominant surface; it’s more aesthetically pleasing and joins the rest of the world instead of being isolated. Seeing horse and jockey returning to the scales splattered in mud or dust unfortunately is not that appealing. Lol.
Couldn’t agree more, being an oldster who appreciated, well, not Man o’ War, Exterminator or Count Fleet, but the likes of most of the other greats you’ve mentioned. I know he retired way too soon, but what do you make of Frankel? I’ve never seen anything like him in recent years.
In Europe he was a true freak. He was an American-type horse with brilliance you rarely see in European distance races. They will nver see another like him again. So well named.
Oh, did he snap at people ..too?…(hehe)..
Steve you are so right on point. Fortunately in my lifetime I’ve got to witness a few of the all time greats I’ve seen lots of great races, rivalries and extraordinary efforts but still Secretariat’s Belmont still raises the hair on the back of my neck. In fact with a little chemical inducement at the time Secretariat crossed the finish line 3 times before anybody else got there!
Steve, your analogy of Broadway audiences and modern racing fans with reference to observing greatness couldn’t be more apposite. Having been to numerous live performances: ballet, opera, live theatre around the world you are correct in your appraisal. These days, audiences will stand and applause anything no matter how mediocre the show/performance. Mind you, the older crowd are fairly astute when it comes to discerning greatness and run of the mill performances. As you say, tickets are expensive so the punter wants to think he/she is getting they’re money’s worth.
You’re right again with horse racing, the modern era doesn’t allow for exciting colts to arise to their full potential because the lure of stud fee bonanzas and insurance prevent this to happen. Not that this particularly worries me as the breeding side of racing is possibly more entertaining/interesting to me than the actual racing. It’s safer, kinder and you are enable to really engage with horses that have emotionally aroused your innermost feelings.
Flightline is probably the best US racehorse this century but defining him as a great is problematical, a handful of race wins, no matter how spectacular, doesn’t really define greatness. That’s years of service beating generation after generation. Not sure I’m expressing myself that well here but having had three trips to emergency over the past week has been quite shocking, especially for an exercise fanatic all their life. All is well, now though.
Really enjoyed your column, Steve.
Thank you David. I hope your’e doing OK. Get better soon.
Thank you, Steve, much appreciated. All the signs are good and a full recovery is expected.
Great. Happy to hear it. Speedy recovery.
Davids, agree! FL is super, however w/ a few races how is he compared w/ Slew, Cigar and so on?
Yes Mike, if we are lucky enough. If Flightline wins his next 2 races what is there left to prove?
Steve, I heartily agree with the basic premise…that the word “great” is overused. To me, it is sad that current and presumably future generations will never have the chance to see horses that are truly “great,” because it is now impossible for them to prove that they are indeed worthy of that status. They aren’t given a chance to compete as older horses, or carry higher weights like the true “greats” of the past. But what does that mean for HOF nominations going forward? That there will eventually come a time when not one of the nominees is truly “great” as you (and I) define it? And that in a sense, this is already happening. And if we are going to , either by force or by choice, open up the HOF to horses that are far more lightly raced and not as rigorously tested on the track, does that mean we redefine what is “great?” For example, if it’s impossible to say what American Pharoah or Justify might have been at four, is a horse like Landaluce, undefeated in five starts at 2 in 1982, less deserving of the benefit of the doubt of what she “might have been” ? She never got a chance to prove “greatness” because she died at the end of her 2yo campaign. She set two world records in her first two races, carried higher weight in the Anoakia at 2 than Ruffian did in her entire career, had a margin of victory in a 6-furlong race at Hollywood Park that was never equaled there in any race at any distance, won three races at two at longer distances than Ruffian ever attempted at the same age. In fact, her shortest race at two was Ruffian’s longest. Would Ruffian be in the HOF today if she had only had a two year old career, for whatever reason? I say this not to make the case that Landaluce should be in the HOF, but only to use it as an example of what may or may not define greatness as it has come to be commonly understood. Justify raced only 6 times, and didn’t race at all at two. The fact that he won the Triple Crown trumps the other considerations in today’s world. Should that be so? If Landaluce was unraced at two, compiled the same record at three (hypothetically) that she really did at two, would that mean more? I do think there is an intangible element of “greatness” that hardcore fans and horsemen recognize when they see it. I believe Landaluce had it, and Arrogate had it—an ability to do what 99% of horses cannot do, whether briefly or for a longer time.
Secretariat raced only at two and three—but is there any doubt in anyone’s mind that he or Man O’War is the greatest of all time? What if Secretariat’s career, like those of many classic colts today, had ended after the Belmont? Would it have changed our opinion of him? And part of the reason horses in the past raced longer was that there were no division defining races that we have today in the Breeders Cup. Forgive my rant, but I think if we are going to admit horses to the HOF with such brief careers, it opens up legitimate comparisons with runners from the past who meet or exceed what might be called a “reduced” standard today. Thanks for this article…it’s a “great” discussion!
Your book: “Landaluce: The Story of Seattle Slew’s First Champion” (July 12, 2022) is a wonderful and enlightening medium to get fully familiarized with one of the most exciting 2-year-old in racing history. I recommend that every true racing fan buy it to enrich their knowledge of American racing history…
I share the believe that the new normal of Grade 1 horses running one or two years at most will be changing Hall of Fame standards. People will then come to appreciate some exceptional horses of the past who weren’t able to extend their careers but proved to be specially memorable.
Thank you Nelson!
Thanks, Mary. As I said it’s all a matter of semantics, how we want to use the word. If Landaluce had stayed sound and raced at 3 I have no doubt she would have had a career similar to Ruffian. Back then it didnt matter if a geat horse traveled because NY was the center of the racing universe, so Landaluce would have had to travel. How would Native Diver have been perceived had he lefft California?
Sadly, he would have been perceived a lot differently than Kelso, who went out to SoCal, twice, and was off the board, twice….obviously he didn’t handle the track, back then the surfaces were very different, but when a SoCal horse floundered at Big Sandy, they did not get that excuse, they were just lessor animals.
I was among the 68,000 in the heat, 1977 Swaps Stakes…Seattle Slew did not saddle with the others, and he also did not parade— they were allowed to break off to the backstretch…..and then after the race, having been beaten 16 lengths—that grandstand rocked a standing ovation for Slew, something I did not expect, a beautiful tribute to a defeated horse…
I agree. Look up Western based filly June Darling who did NOT win a championship in 1970, when Forward Gal did. It was assumed that any horse who wanted to earn a championship had to travel East to get it, as Steve points out. That was the definition of “greatness” at that time. Now it’s virtually irrelevant. There were other factors that contributed to the perception that CA horses were “lesser animals.” They didn’t race in slop or snow, bute was legal in CA for a long time after it banned in the East, and once the Graded Stakes system was introduced, there were fewer Grade One races in the West for horses to compete in, whereas many races in the East were given Grade One status right away. How disadvantaged was a Western runner who had to ship cross-country in the days when it was more stressful to the horse than it is now? And how disadvantaged was the same runner who had to confront horses who were stabled and training over the same surfaces in the East without the need to leave? Just sayin’.
One of the first big horses who came east looking for a Horse of the Year title was Hillsdale, who nearly pulled it off. Swaps left Caliornia but mainly to Chicago. In the 60s Quicken Tree came east and won the Jockeyb Gold Cup when Damascus bowed a tendon and was eased. In the 70s, Ancient Title came to Saratoga and won the Whitney. Eastern horses rarely went to California for one race. Horses like Buckpasser and Damascus came for the Strub Series. Dr. Fager was an exception going to Caliifornia for the Californian Stakes and Fort Marcy went out there a number of times for big grass races.
In 1971 my dad took us to Hollywood Park to see Cougar, in the Californian, and Never Bow was brought west–Cougar dusted them….I saw J O Tobin beat Cox’s Ridge handily, it may have also been the Californian, in 1978….Cox’s Ridge easily beat Crystal Water, later that year in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, when it was still 12 furlongs….Ancient Title beat Group Plan in the Whitney, and I recall he paid pretty Ok, maybe 4-1…he then finished a length in front of the mighty Forego, in the Governor’s Cup, as two three year olds finished one/two, Foolish Pleasure and Wajima—then in the Marlboro ‘Title was a distant third, to Wajima and Forego—then Ancient Title came home a tired horse, for the “National Championship” race—$250,000 purse which was huge, back then….His tiring Marlboro should have clued them in about his condition, but they ran him anyway, and he was up the track….but Ancient Title had three more years of racing, including a track record in the Del Mar Invitational, as a 7yo—and a track record in the San Pasqual, as an 8yo….
Oops, I forgot about Cougar’s bogus DQ in the Woodward. That was a disgrace. And running well in the Marlboro Cup.
That was Fall, ’71….I saw Cougar several times, early ’72, he was six….he lost every time I saw him but after Santa Anita Cougar ran some of his best races, I thought The Big Cat lost half a step, as a 7yo but he did rally well, in that legendary Marlboro Cup….
Horses shipped from one eastern track to another and then over to Kentucky, in hot and dusty trailers, or train cars, on a weekly basis in the old days and even now. The eastern racing circuit was one of the eastern tracks’ greatest attributes. Nobody ever mentions shorter shipping, which was never done in the comfort of a climate controlled plane. To this day trainers ship into Long Island from Parx, an unfun drive in major traffic. I’ve never heard any complaining by connections of eastern horses when they ship out west, which they do periodically. They don’t claim they’re at a disadvantage. Alot of times you read that horses from the west like the cooler weather (not this July though) in Kentucky or even Saratoga, as a change perhaps, and like the track surfaces better. Mostly, you hear that all concerned made a smooth transition to the shipping track.
California horse, especially Baffery, have done well at Saratoga. And the few that have shipped to GP in the winter have done well. A lot of Eastern horses have done pooly in Cslifornis, especially Del Mar.
Looking at the 70’s horses, on here Kelso was called out for losing in California at the age of 7! And Seattle Slew, having just won the Triple crown a month earlier, for losing to the locals in a 10f. race. Maybe they didn’t take it as seriously as shippers take the Met Mile and Whitney.
Looking at the Breeders’ Cup, eastern horses did okay the last few times, but that event isn’t supposed to be labelled by its location.
True…but Landaluce earned a place in history by becoming the first juvenile filly to win a championship while racing exclusively in California. Especially noteworthy in light of the accomplishments of Eastern based Princess Rooney, who won the traditional championship determiners in the Gardenia and Frizette the same season. And look what she went on to be. Up till then, Princess Rooney would have been a lock for the juvenile title , so to my mind it was a measure of Landaluce’s “brilliance” or “greatness” that she impressed enough Eclipse voters across the country to secure the championship given the traditions and biases of the times.
You made me recall that an early unanimous favorite for Juvenile champion that year was another Eastern based in Copelan.
But the title was awarded to Roving Boy who defeated Copelan (5th) in the Hollywood Futurity.
If Copelan had not ventured West to try proving his superiority he would have been easily been named Champion 2-year-old …
So, two California based 2-year-old horses were champions Juveniles of 1982.
The flow of champions and Stakes horses from California has been way better thanks to gifted Trainers like D. W. Lukas, Bob Baffert and Doug O’Neil among other first-rate Trainers who dare to challenge other Stakes horses in their own turf.
Great Trainers make great horses or it is the other way around? it is another hot topic…
Copelan had won the four most prestigious 2-year-old Stakes in NY (The Sanford, Hopeful, Futurity and Champagne)… more than enough to clinch the title but deciding to go West derailed that.
Yes, you are right, and this is all covered in my book. Marje Everett created the year-ending Hollywood Futurity for juvenile colts and made it the richest race in the country for that division. She hoped to lure top runners West by doing so, effectively creating the equivalent of a Breeders Cup divisional championship in her own back yard. Copelan went west for a couple reasons, but the fact he lost the Young America to Slewpy at the Meadowlands in early November might have been the decider. He may have been afraid that if Landaluce (who was being pointed to that race as Wayne Lukas was unafraid to face colts and believed she could win) won the Futurity, she would almost certainly have been named Horse of the Year.
There’s no way Landaluce was ever going to win Horse of the Year! Landaluce won her one turn sprints with consumate brilliance—her lone two turn race she was all pout to hold on—she was a two year old filly!
Matthew, you’re a fount of knowledge. So often books/magazine articles are slanted toward a specific purpose that certain evidence is overlooked or hidden because it doesn’t fit the premise or angle the writer wishes to implant in the readers mind. I’d certainly forgotten Landaluce’s attempt at two-turns.
Landaluce finished in a three-way tie for Horse of the Year with Conquistador Cielo and Lemhi Gold. A tiebreak system had to be employed for the first time since the unified award began to name CC the eventual winner. Landaluce was Andrew Beyer’s pick for the award. Landaluce won the Del Mar Debutante at a distance of one mile, around two turns, in her third start at two, by six lengths, three-fifths off the stakes record, without being pressed or urged. She won the G1 Oak Leaf at 1 1/16 around two turns at Santa Anita in 1:41 4/5, the same time Roving Boy later posted at Hollywood when he won the Futurity and secured the championship.
Mary, you don’t have to convince me on the quality of Landaluce. I followed every good runner that Seattle Slew sired. Matthew had simply posted something about Landaluce that I had forgotten. It is tragic that two of Seattle Slew’s best progeny, Swale and Landaluce, should die so young.
An order for “Landaluce: The Story of Seattle Slew’s First Champion” has already been made. Best wishes.
Conquistador Cielo achieved a tremendous 3-y-old campaign for HoY honors… He had defeated the other two HoF contenders Gato del Sol in the Belmont and demolished the (older) Silver Buck (in the Metropolitan).
Roving Boy died on the track, having won a stretch battle….what a beautiful horse! Bigtime potential….
Great potential indeed to even be a TC champion… if the brilliant Desert Wine was never able to match strides with the son of Olden times it is not far fetched to imagine Roving Boy leading his class in 1983…
Anyone who is fully aware of the feats of the Iron Horses of the past is not prone to use the word greatness lightly. They ran long enough to compete and defeat the best of other generations including other hall of famers and champions. This yardstick is very difficult to meet given the current dynamics of the Horse Racing industry.
I agree with the view that commercial forces are limiting the chances of the best young horses to prove themselves with a sustained an extended campaign.
It is a fact that the mega-breeding Corporations are swift to buy the breeding rights of the most promising horses as early as possible. These hasty moves are understandable from a commercial standpoint as the competition for promising Stallions is very fierce.
The latest example is Coolmore acquiring the undefeated 2-year-old Gulfport to stand at Ashford Stud after his retirement… a 2-year-old with only 2 stars…! The irony is that the more brilliantly he would perform as a 3-year-old the greater is the likelihood of “retiring” him prematurely. As soon as Gulfport wins the first or second Grade 1 race it will be inevitable to start weighing the risks of racing against the promise of immediate substantial cash flow from Stud fees.
Ashford’s sire Justify has justified his premature retirement with more than $55 million already collected in stud fees since 2019. On top of this there was more than $61 million moved around his progeny at public auctions.
It is also commercial ends what prompt trainers and breeders to call their horses great. After all hyperbole and superlatives are key elements of marketing… and of obituaries.
For some reason I find easier to label generations as great ones instead of individuals. For instance, I am convinced that the generation of Bold Ruler, Gallant Man and Round Table is the best of all time. Is any of them an all-time-great? I do not know, but their collective accomplishments are not easy to match for any other 3-year-old crop.
Another great generation is the 3-year-old horses of 1987 (Alysheba et al.) as related by Steve in so many articles about them. Endurance is again crucial in assessing the prominence of even a group of horses.
If the main criterion for greatness is donning long sustained first-rate performances, then the only horses eligible for true greatness are the geldings. The last gelding close to being considered a great one was two-time HoY Wise Dan. No other gelding was able to be a headliner in a more than a decade now. After all, the least promising horses are the ones most likely to be gelded…
I see a paradigm shift in that greatness is nowadays being measured (or substituted) by the amount of money a horse can bring as fast as possible. It is the dance of the megabucks mentioned by Steve in this thought-provoking article. Irresistible revenue is expected when there are 200 mares served by big Sires any given year… it is a reality that even regulatory actions cannot change.
As fans, we are yearning for the long-lasting suns of the Golden Age but must just be content with the shooting stars of the modern times.
Justify was retired because of an injury, the source of which was never disclosed. I personally would want to know the nature of the injury befire I took a mare to him.. Was it possibly genetic?
Several of the colts sired by Arrogate developed neurological problems. To the best of my knowledge the autopsy results on Arrogate were never disclosed either. Did he have sort of genetic abnormality? Arrogate clearly had something on his hindquarters after Dubai.
Even experienced horsemen and horse women in other disciplines noticed that something was off in both horses before they retired.
Yes Justify progeny are selling for high dollars in the auctions but the questions are will they be sound to race or will they be winners?
These owners have only 4 years to get a return on their investment ( price paid they pay for the stallions).
If the progeny do not perform at the top level on the track or they are both sound, the value of that stallion will drop as will the fees and worst case scenario, our champions will be sold to some obscure foreign country.
Bloodstock is high risk gamble on what is essentially a futures market.
American Phatoah’s first crops sold well and showed promise on the track. I do not keep up with his progeny in Australia but his last crop have not been especially noteworthy on the track.
Very rarely is there a Tapit or Candy Ride. Time will tell if Gun Runner progeny will c0ntinue to be successful on the track.
It is all about the money now, not the sport for most breeders. Not all of course.
Thanks for your reply Lynda. You triggered the topic of greatness applied to Sires in my mind.
It happens that longevity and consistency are also critical to characterize a Stallion as a great one. Being not only a great sire but a “sire of sires” has also been the mark of few notable Stallions.
I believe no one can deny that Bull Lea, Bold Ruler, Northern Dancer, Mr. Prospector and Seattle Slew were great sires. Their statistics can back that notion. So greatness in the breeding domain is not as debatable as for individual runners.
As for breeders’ business drivers it is understandable that they need to make money to survive. The difference now w.r.t. the Golden Age is that the magnates then bred to run as opposed to breeding to sell… they could afford it just like anyone can afford his or her hobby.
Nelson, I am in agreement with you about Bold Ruler and the other stallions you mentioned.
Being a pedigree nut I am always interested in go8ng back more than 5 generations in a pedigree.
Personal opinion of course but I think the reason that those stallions and the broodmares as well were so good is that they were not ss deeply inbred as the horses today are.
I also like to look at the photos of the horses and their dams and sires to see if they take after their grandams or grandsires in conformation.
Lynda, you may want to revise your thoughts on Tapit’s sons at stud. Constitution is, arguably, the most exciting young sire at stud; Tapizar sired Monomoy Girl, Tonalist has sired Country Grammer the Dubai World Cup winner of 2022; Race Day sired this year’s Florida Derby winner; Concord Point sired Grade 1 winner American Gal.
Meanwhile, we are awaiting the progeny of dual Champion Essential Quality, Tapwrit, and superstar Flightline to come among others. Tapit’s standing as a sire of sires looks extremely promising and better than any of his contemporaries.
Hi Davids, good to hear you are feeling better.
Please let me clarify, It was not my intention to suggest that Tapit was not a sire of sires. I actually think that Tapit is a sire that will continue to influence the breed for decades. Sort of in the manner that an Arabian named Bask continues to be a powerful influence decades after his death.
Breeding Pure Arabians seems to be pretty different from Thoroughbred’s. The inbreeding to Bask in Arabian Show Horses is really astounding.
And I don’t think we will ever see a Tapit son out of a Tapit mare like Arabian horse named Wisdom who is by BASK out of Wizteria by BASK. I have seen even full brothers being mated to produce some Arabian race horses (i.e. Shabab in Sarha and Lahoom in Rahifa).
Anyway, seems like Thoroughbreds are less inbreed than Pure Arabians…. I guess.
*inbred
Has intense inbreeding impacted negatively Pure Arabians? Specially when it comes to Race Arabian Horses…
Yes Nelson I am fully aware that some Arabian breeders have gone the extreme of breeding siblings. I do not condone that. It is ruining the breed. But it is not just rhe Pure Polish, it is also happening in the Egyptian lines. The end result is a number of foals being born with heart defects, serious conformation faults and the dumbing down of the superior intelligence of the Arabian.
Right now the in thing is the extreme head (seahorse) that results in a dish so extreme that there are breathing problems.
My Arabians are not show horses, they were bred for performance such as endurance, dressage, cross country, reining etc. They all go back to Serafix and Witez ll with some Crabbet.
I cannot speak with any authority on the Arabian racing lines other than most of the Arabians in the US go back to the Polish racing lines.
I find most Arabians today, especially the Egyptians to look like cartoon characters. They are flat, one dimensional, very tall (over 16H); very light bone. Mine have great bone, awesome hips, muscular, intelligent and average from 14 to 15.2.
Granted Thoroughbred breeders are not breeding as close as Arabians but they are deeply line in breeding. Rare is the horse today that is not deeply line bred on both stallion and dam side to Native Dancer. There are very few lines that go back to the Godolphin and I think the Byerly Turk has disappeared.
Thanks for the explanation… it confirms my suspicions.
Native Dancer produced around 300 foals ‘only’ but his legacy is solid through the genetic giants Raise a Native (Mr. Prospector) and Northern Dancer (his most recognized maternal grandson).
As you know, the majority of the Derby hopefuls shows linebreeding or inbreeding to Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer. Tapit is an example of this…
I believe Seattle Slew is free from Native Dancer though…
Champion sires like Storm Cat, Unbridled’s Song, Smart Strike, Giant’s Causeway and Into Mischief do not show much inbreeding.
Nelson, you are correct about SS not having Native Dancer. Also have to go back 7 generations to find linebreeding in his pedigree other than Nasrullah who does appear twice in the 3rd generation I believe.
Sadly this is happening in all horse breeds.
Very few Lippit Morgans, Appaloosa (to the Nez Perce) around. Even the Fresian has been ” modernized” and no longer the baroque style.
But there is hope. There are breeders who are trying to preserve these original bloodlines and types.
Maybe someday (not in my lifetime though), the bloodlines rhat resulted in the Iron Horses will make a comeback.
Lynda, I just had a look at Egyptian Arabians they are the antithesis of what Arabians were when I was fascinated by them as a teenager. Like many dog and cat breeds the extreme, angular ‘beauty’ has been given it’s head. Many US line English Mastiffs are Great Danes with squared heads while Siamese (Orientals) breeds are resembling Praying-mantis with huge bat ears and as frail as fine crystal.
Davids, and they are the antithesis of the original desert breds. The Bedouins arrived to keep the blood lines and the strains pure for hundreds of years and many modern day breeders have managed to undo all that is less than 50 years.
And the Siamese…very disheartening. The Siamese cats today look nothing like the Siamese cats I had as a child.
All this diacusson brings to mind something that read in a post from an old school equestrian who bred, raised, trained and rode Morgans in a variety of disciplines.
The state of the modern day American Thoroughbred comes up quite often in several horse breed groups that I follow.
The point to his comment was that the “utility” that was bred into horses when the breeds were developed has all but disappeared.
The Thoroughbred for example was developed for galloping across grassy fields.
The Arabian; efficient, intelligent, fast and the heart of a warrior.
The Appaloosa that was original to the Asian steppes; durable, hardy, intelligent.
In comparing the modern day breeding of Thoroughbreds to the original Thoroughbreds I think we can easily see that the “utility” of the Thoroughbred has been sacrificed for speed, being precouscious and lacking in stamina.
I am sure you are familiar with the fanous Lippizan Stallions. Did you know that the fillies are trained up to perform the same moves as the stallions and that only files that demonstrate the ability are kept as broodmare?
That is another failure I think in the American breeding program for Thoroughbreds. Rhe mares are almost left put of the equation because stamina is no longer a desired quality.
Well I guess I have vented enough for one day.
One more thing, regarding Justify. I hope for Coolmore’s sake considering what they paid for him that he lives up to their expectations. Only time will tell of course.I personally think American Pharoah was a better racehorse, has better conformation snd he did retire sound. Justify had issues and even in his conformation photos something is amiss with the one foreleg. And Justify just foes not ring a bell for me as a replacement for Scat Daddy.
I will try to find the article about Tapit you suggested. I think Tapit turned 21 this year and his bookings have been limited for the past 3 or 4 years. He is at the end of his career snd hopefully one or more of his progeny will achieve thd same results he has. The one thing about Tapit is that improves (old saying) most every mate that is bred to him regardless of bloodline.
Yes Lynda, the 1963 Disney film “Miracle of the White Stallion” was a favorite and we imitated the Spanish Riding School on our piebald Shetland ponies as kids. I always dreamed of having a Lipizzaner or Andalusian of my own but we travelled too often. I’d pine every time we went past a pony club. Just had to enjoy riding my best friend Woody’s horses, it was great though. From shetlands to thoroughbreds(docile geldings) ha ha.
With Justify, one of the major investors was against the purchase but he worked out, financially. Yes American Pharoah is a much better racehorse and faced much greater opposition. With both Justify and Mendelssohn for that matter I’d be concerned that Scat Daddy and Hennessy were so short lived stallions but it could skip a generation.
The A. P. Indy line is keeping some stamina in the US herd and it’s not surprising how successful his sons and grandsons are as broodmare sires. Flightline has a lot of turf in his pedigree so he should find 10f no obstacle. I’ve always hoped for an Seattle Slew/A.P. Indy line colt to succeed in Europe and one day stand at one of the prestigious studs. Dreams.
Don’t forget the Arqana August Yearling Sales start on August 13, 2022. Sottsass’ full-brother could be the highlight – lot 154.
Davids, I have the same concern for California Chrome. His sire Lucky Pulpit died at 16 from a “heart attack” snd His grandsire, Pulpit, died suddenly at age 18.
For some reason Thoroughbred stallions have a short life span. If it is not a colic, it is a heart attack or laminitis. I have read that Thorougbreds have smaller hearts than other horse breeds.
Others think that rhe large number of mares these stallions cover is a factor. The book today for American stallions is almost 3 times the book for stallions 50 years ago.
Others feel that shuttling is detrimental to their health. I did read that American Pharoah ix not shuttl8ng this year, that he is getting a break.
Technically horses do not have heart attacks like humans have, it is actually sudden death with no explanation.
Even young horses can die suddenly, example Medina Spirit.
It is more like an irregular heartbeat or fibrillation similar to a hat happens to young human athletes (usually males).
The only consolation is that they do not suffer. They feel no pain.
I have often wondered if a sudden death is a reason a horse breaks down in a race sometimes. They break bones when they fall.
Not all die right away though. A famous race horse, cannot recall the name, had a heart attack and lived 5 more years.
Dynaformer (Barbaro’s) sire had a heart attack and lived for several weeks before he died as I recall.
Scat Daddy was a stunning horse. I think Mendy looks more like him than Justify. My opini9n is that Justify looks like his damsire.
One of my horses died from a heart attack, a mare in her mid 20’s. It happened right in front of me.
I certainly hope that neither Justify or Mendy or Chrome suffer the same fates as their sires, but it would be kinder than what Secretariat suffered.
Lynda, all good points especially about shuttling. Although Galileo was never bothered with shuttling, he just wasn’t that successful in Australia. Not that he was terrible either. I agree with you, Justify follows the mare than Scat Daddy. Scat Daddy was a stunning horse.
Davids, I saw the Royal Lippizan Stallions many years ago when they toured America. I was taking a photography class in college at the time and took a lot of photos that I made into slides for presentation in my class.
The movie, Miracle of the White Stallions”, was one of the first movies I watched as a small child.
My Dad was a wonderful father. He humored my love of horses and all animals.
I can remember when Gene Autry came to Roanoke, Virginia when I was 4 years old. He had his horse Champion with him. My Dad pproached Mr Autry and asked him I could pet Champion. He said of course and walked down the steps off the Stage, took my hand and led me onto the stage so I could meet Champion. Talk about an excited little girl, I was in heaven!
Lynda, how magical for you. You were very lucky having such a devoted father. I seldom saw my father, growing up or afterwards, his work was his life. At his funeral, there were hundreds of mourners telling me what a wonderful person he had been to them.
Marnier (Coolmore) bought a gorgeous Gun Runner at Fasig Tipton for 2.3 million.
Could it be that Coolmore has now come to appreciate Gun Runner?
C9lt is beautifully bred and he is a looker for.
Gun Runner Curlin and Into Mischief were the 3 leading sires in sales with Curlin being the top.
Read something today about the less than stellar achievements of the American Pharoah foals that are hitting the track. They are not hitting on much. This has to be disappointing to Coolmore.
Always high expectations that these stallions and mares will produce winners. Often this just does not happen.
Lynda, Gun Runner’s lack of Graded black type wins as a 2 year old would have concerned Coolmore. So caution would have been there. Obviously, Gun Runner’s ability to sire stakes winning early precocious offspring is the magic recipe for them to buy, at any cost.
Justify is by Scat Daddy, arguably the hottest US sire when he died, plus a Triple Crown winner so they wanted Justify no matter what. It’ll be interesting to see where Coolmore goes in obtaining a leading representative from the A. P. Indy line. Cupid’s days at Coolmore will depend on this year’s crop.
If Essential Quality sires precocious, stakes winning 2 year olds, classic distance types they’ll snap hard. Should Flightline replicate the above we could be back to the ‘feeding frenzy’ of the 80s. It was fun!!
Thanks Linda, rainbows and sunshine now. I thought your comment on Tapit seemed out of character and moreover, Tapit’s broodmare sire influence looks dominant as well.
Lynda, in The OwnerBreeder (website) you may want to read Andrew Caulfield’s column 5 May, 2020 “ Future looking bright for Tapit sons” for further evidence.
It’s more than that, though….breeding industry has become so big—Justify’s insurance premiums were so high that it didn’t make economic sense to keep racing him.
Nelson, it is interesting to follow the parallel rise of Into Mischief due to the death of Scat Daddy in 2015. Noting that Scat Daddy went to stud only one year earlier than Into Mischief. Scat Daddy went to stud in 2008, Into Mischief went to to stud in 2009.
In 2015, Scat Daddy was 9 on the all sires list with 21 black type winners while Into Mischief was on 77th with 5 black type winners. In 2017, Scat Daddy was 6th with 27 black type winners while Into Mischief was 11th with 18 black type winners. By 2019, Into Mischief was No. 1 on the sires list with 23 black type winners while Scat Daddy was 13th with 20 black type winners. You don’t have to be a genius to speculate that the better broodmares that worked with Scat Daddy had been heading after 2015.
Coolmore were snapping up every successful colt by Scat Daddy as a replacement for their great loss. Justify, although not the precarious type, from Scat Daddy in this case, which Coolmore ‘collects’ Justify had the title of Triple Crown winner and best son of Scat Daddy to promote him. Justify’s early success must have Coolmore, over the moon. The success of Uncle Mo as a sire and particularly Gulfport’s precocity is an obvious lure for the big fish of the stud farms.
As for greatness, I agree with your assessment – great crops is a better measure than one large fish in the pond that year.
Well said, Nelson. I met the owner of Gulfport at the art exhibit last Friday and visited the horse, and I am happy he made money selling the brreedingn rights, but I was also disappoiunted to hear that because I can never truly root for the horse knowing we wont see him at 4, and hes not even 3 yet.
He will be beautiful to watch in tomorrow’s Saratoga Special… Joel Rosario and Asmussen will very likely be fetching their 9th and 6th Stakes win at Saratoga… they just won the Evan Shipman H. with Bankit…! Hot combo indeed…!
I wonder what Coolmore America thought of their investment, Gulfport, in the Saratoga Special? Unlucky or not good enough?
Damon’s Mound is a very fast and precocious 2-year-old but Gulfport lost decisive momentum just when starting to rally along the Floridian. I believe Gulfport lost more than 4 lengths after being checked sharply on the turn by Super Chow and also going wider in the down the stretch… Let’s see how they both do in their next showdown but I suspect that the speed figures will confirm that Gulfport was greatly impeded in the Saratoga Special …
What impressed me most with Gulfport was that he was not discouraged by the adversity and in fact was gaining on the leader even though the gap was insurmountable. Most young horses tend to sulk when things don’t go their way.
Steve, forgot to mention that is cute cartoon. Never saw it until your post.
I’m sure Leeonard will be glad to read that. He is very creative and diligent in choosing artwork for the columns and people never comment or recognize that. So thank you for mentioning it.
Fab post….I learned my racing at the feet of Abigail Anderson….so for me and her this is right on the nail and YAHOO!!!!
You always keep learning in this game so stay curled up at Abigail’s feet. I’m sure she will take you in and feed you.
You nailed it,Steve! I can’t disagree with anything you said. I wish I could. I would love to see a great racehorse again. And maybe I have but the way things are going , I’ll never get a chance to know.
Thanks, Lynn. Keep the faith. We still have geldings and maybe one day we’ll have an owner who would rather see his horse run and give him a chance at all-time greatness.
I agree with you Steve. It’s very hard to call a horse great when they are retired to stud so early. It seems that few owners will take the risks to campaign a four year old when they can make more money from stud fees. Secretariat is on top of my list and I would have really liked to see him in more races.
Didn’t expect to find a posting on this sultry summer afternoon here. Another welcomed read. I’ve always been a fan of horses who ran fast on turf and dirt. A couple that fit the bill for me is Cutlass Reality, Candy Ride and Barbaro.
I’m looking at Saturday’s Form for Saratoga and it makes me sad to see Nick Zito sitting at 0 for 50 for the year. He has a first-time starter in the 9th race named Gimme Love. Nick Zito was never very good with first-timers. The good news is that the race looks pretty wide open. Maybe the 5-pound apprentice can do some good on the horse. I wish him luck, but, I can’t use his horse in this spot.
Same pet peeve with the term “champion”. Now all you have to do is win a race and they call you a champion.
By the way, would you consider Armed as one of the all time greats and why or why not?
How about “last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic champion instead of winner,
A truly great column by a truly great writer IMO. Steve Haskin comments below in response to a comment from James Nelson: “I was happy with the column but it wasn’t great by any means”. I respectfully disagree. Mr. Haskin’s column is thought-provoking and so very interesting. It started me racking my brain for the “greats” that I’ve seen in my lifetime. I didn’t start watching horseracing until 1973 when Secretariat started showing up on Wide World of Sports on ABC. The greatest horse that I ever saw in person was Spectacular Bid during the Winter of 1980 at Santa Anita when “The Bid” put on a show winning the Malibu(it was run in January in those days), the San Fernando, the Strub, and “The Big Cap”. Basically, unchallenged in all 4 races. One of the best Cal-Breds of all-time, Flying Paster, ran 2nd to “The Bid” in all 4 races. “Paster” ran his heart out, but, couldn’t get to Spectacular Bid. I felt privileged to be in attendance for 3 of those 4 wins. “Bid” retired after his 4-year-old season. But, he had raced 30 times over his 3 year career winning 26 times. His 26th and final race was a “walkover” at Belmont in the Woodward on 9-20-80. Career earnings of over $2.7million. What would a horse like “The Bid” earn these days with 26 wins?
BTW, Spectacular Bid raced all over the country from coast to coast. I do consider Zenyatta a “great horse” even though the farthest East she ever ran was at Churchill Downs when she lost to Blame. I don’t care. I can only go by what I saw with my own eyes. When she got it going, she really ate up the ground.
Tommy Mc, sam has been said about Winx…that because she did not leave Australia she was not a great horse. Both mares had long careers. Winx raced until she was 7 I believe, Zenyatta until she was 5. They both retired sound.
This is when I think defining “great” is often subjective.
Another horse, Stradivaious, will he be given honor in the halls of greatness? Or will his losses his last year of racing deny him ?
There is a person who heads a FB group. He does not consider Secretariat to be a great horse because he lost races.
Is Justify a greater horse than American Pharoah because he did not race at two and only raced twice before he won the TC. Not in my estimation. AP won the Grand Slam, won more races than Justify and retired sound.
If great is defined by how much a horse is loved by the fans, then one works be hard pressed to find a horse that is lived as much as California Chrome. To this day he has thousands of followers all over the world. But in the truest sense of the meaning of great, then even I have to admit Chrome is not a great race horse, but was a very, very, very good one.
Winx was no good, 23 Group 1 wins. In Europe and US they call them champions when they win one or two Grade 1 races. There’s been quite a few Australian racehorses, in recent times, that have traveled to England and won Group 1 races. Conversely, there have been quite a few European racehorses travel to Australia recently attempting to win the massive prize money Australian races offer, they have been unplaced most of the time. End of story.
Steve Haskin mentions some of the greatest baseball players ever. The greatest pitcher that I ever saw was the great Sandy Koufax. He retired after the 1966 season at only 31 years old because of Arthritis in his pitching elbow. He might not pass the longevity test, but, I can only go by what I saw with my own eyeballs. Koufax won 20 games only 3 times: 25-5 in 1963, 26-8 in 1965, and 27-9 in 1966. In those 3 seasons he pitched 311, 335, and 323 innings. How many pitchers today throw over 300 innings in a season?
Koufax was the greateat pitcher I ever saw, much like Gale Sayers was the greatest running back I ever saw, and Bobby Orr was the greatest hockey player I ever saw or Steve Cauthen was the greatest jockey I ever saw. All had careers cut short. Some old timers willl say Graustark was the greatest horse they ever saw. Baeza said he was thee best horse he ever rode.
Koufax was indeed the greatest pitcher I ever saw as well. I went to Dodger Stadium & witnessed first hand many of his great performances. I remember on one of 4 no-hitters he pitched, Don Drysdale was asked by a sports reporter, “did you hear that Koufax pitched a no hitter tonight. Drysdale responded, “did he win”. I always thought that was one of the funniest lines I ever heard. Everyone knew that both Sandy & Don pitched their guts out & the Dodgers didn’t score many runs.
Steve, can’t disagree about Gale Sayers, the Kansas Comet. Although I do believe Barry Sanders is right there with him. I saw Sayers torture the Rams at the L.A. Coliseum way back in the day. My uncle took me to the game.
I remember the budding rivalry between Graustark & Buckpasser. Obviously they never met in a race but I as well heard Baeza say that. Maybe I am bias but it is hard for me to imagine any 2 greater race horses then Spectacular Bid & Dr. Fager.
I wish more folks would chime in on a blog like this. It is always so cool to get other folks perspective on horses.
Deacon, I agree about Spectacular Bid. He is right up there on my list as one of the greatest in my lifetime. Citation was before my time but he is on list as is Man O War. Just hooked I guess and always will be on Secretariat as rhe best. Will always wonder what might have been had he raced at 4 and went to the Royal Ascot as Penny had thought about. I read somewhere one time that she regretted that he did not have that opportunity. Ron Turcotte has said that Secretariat was just arriving at being able to figure it all out when he was retired.
I too wish more people commented on posts such as this one. Always interested in hearing the thoughts and opinions of others.
Thank you for responding Lynda. My issue with Citation is that he never won a race carrying 130 lbs & he could never beat Noor. I think he lost to him 4 or 5 times. I think Secretariat is an all time great, I would argue though that because he never carried more then 126 lbs disqualifies him in my eyes as being the greatest ever.
Spectacular Bid, Dr. Fager, Kelso, Damascus, Swaps among others all carried 130 lbs & more and usually won.
Dr. Fager was only beaten by 3 horses in his entire 22 race career. He was disqualified in the Jersey Derby for ticky-tac interference going into the club house turn. I remember watching the race live in 1967. To this day it is my opinion that was the worst disqualification I ever saw. Plus he never competed at age 4, I guess Penny thought he was too valuable to risk running him. Same argument as today, 3 year olds shuffled off to the breeding shed after age three.
Justify won the Triple Crown & finished his 6 for 6. Is he an all time great? Heavens no, potentially he could have been but he to was a victim of the breeding shed.
Penny didn’t have a choice – the syndication agreement required Secretariat be retired no later than Nov. 15, 1973.
It’s hard to get people to comment on here, assuming people are reading it.
I can’t blame younger people for going crazy over the latest sensations. People go by what they see. But, the greats of “yesteryear” should never be forgotten. Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Wayne Gretzky, Mohamed Ali, and Secretariat will always be remembered by those that saw them and anybody that bothers to punch them up on the Internet. I still get chills watching replays of Secretariat’s Belmont win even though I’ve seen it dozens of times.
TommyMc, I get chills, thrills and sometimes tears when I watch replays of all 3 of Secretariat’s TC races, especially that move he made in Ths Preakness and I will include his last race on turf in Canada. Hard to believe that next year is the 50th anniversary of his phenomenal 3 year old career. Makes me feel really old.
Mohammed Ali, Koufax, Steve Cauthen…watched them all and agree. Was never into boxing growing up but Mohaamed Ali changed my mind about that. I will mention too, Joe Namath. I loved football back in those days (I was a teenager).
Never was one much into basketball but I certainly knew who Wilt Chamberlain was.
Sometimes it all most feels like an honor that I was alive during the time of all these “greats” and that I got to see them?
With respect to Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain, he claimed to have bedded over 20,000 women. Is that a “great” achievement?
I guess it would depend on who was asked the question. 🙂
LOL
Hey Lynda
RE: Del Mar, Saturday, 7-13, Race #7
Check out BB’s 2yr. old colt, Cave Rock (by Arrogate, out of a Bellamy Road mare) entered in referenced race.
His last 5 works have been bullets. With leading Del Mar jockey (Juan Hernandez) in the irons, he appears to be the one to beat in this maiden race. His main competition should be Abeliefinthislivin, also sird by Arrogate.
Look for the two going head to head down the lane.
Edit to above commet,
Ultimate Gamble, who sold for $1.750 million at auction, could give Cave Rock and Abeliefinthislivin all they can handle. Key Cave Rock on top with the other two underneath in a fairly large trifecta p/w.
That is: 2/ 6,7/ 6,7
Will do Bill. I have seen some of the Arrogate’s go through the dales ring and they were very nice.
Thanks Tommy. We also have to differentiate between great horses and all-time greats. The latter list has not had an addition in almost 40 years.
The “Bid’s” 4 year campaign has to go down as one of the greatest in racing laurels. Bud Delp training of him was SUPERB !!! He never set him up to fail. I was there at Santa Anita for the Strub Stakes when he set the World Record for a 1 1/4 that still stands today. He truly was one of the all time GREATS !!!
I too, was there! I also got to talk with Mr Delp! I helped mybrother clock, Bid worked in the dark, Bud did a masterful job with the leggy colt, who had somewhat of a “hot spot”, in one of his forelegs….best of seven I don’t think any horse had the measure of Bid, he fired every time.
From 6 1/2 to 10 furlongs Spectacular Bid was 26 for 26..
Steve, I have been waiting for a truly great horse since Spectacular Bid. At level weights in their prime, i believe most of those on your list from the 60s and 70s would be odds on against Cigar at ten furlongs, and i appreciated Cigar.
Some years ago.. perhaps in the early 1990s, some students of physics, also having connections in horse racing , took on a study comparing human beings and race horses from 1900 to the time of study to try and ascertain if the species had indeed become faster or improved in that respect. Their scholarly findings came up with the following answers..
1. Human beings , taking into account track surfaces, weather, etc, have indeed become faster as a species.
2.Thoroughbreds on the other hand have not, taking into account racing surface technology, training, weather, etc.
They felt that the overwhelming reason for this lack of change in racehorses was the lack of a gene pool that wasn’t so small and getting smaller. Owing first to the few animals where the breed originated, but mostly exacerbated dramatically by the inbreeding since the 1970s, where stallions’ owners that used to limit breeding to 45 per year now routinely do up to 200, and the fact that that by itself, with the much smaller foal crops, limits even more severely the gene pool to draw from and makes a prima facie case that explains it. We see it and explain it as “training methods” ,breeding demand, and greed and shortsightedness. When racing was dominated in the 60s and 70s by the most wealthy yet committed breeders, there was a willingness to preserve the breed’s soundness and integrity. That has slowly but surely become not the case.
The one thing this does for us is make comparisons among horses of different eras, significantly more valid, that maybe it isn’t too hard to see what a four year old Affirmed or Seattle Slew would have been like racing against the stars of today.It isn’t that i want to hold onto the past..every year back in the 60s and 70s that a great horse came along, it thrilled me, that we followed in back to back years, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Spectacular Bid was a blessing to be treasured as it seems we will never see the likes of that again. I WISH that were not the case
Very well said, Marc, and I agree with the study, especally consdering how much faster track surfaces are now. Also consider that the world record for one mile (dirt) and 1 1/4 miles, our twio mosst important distances, have not been broken in 54 years and 42 years, respectively. Add the 49-year-old world dirt record for 1 1/2 miles and the 54-year-old track record for 1 1/4 miles at Aqueduct.
And notably, Steve, those four records you cited were in fact won by horses on your list,. Dr Fager, Spectacular Bid, Secretariat, and Damascus yet none of them were on that only because of the records set but for the body of work they each showed that defined their greatness.
This only reinforces the accuracy of your column’s point.
Thanks much for your perceptive, as always, column!
Around 10 years ago, they changed back to real dirt, for Santa Anita…..and on opening day the 6 furlong track record was smashed by a two year old maiden….later that day the 32 year 7 fur track record of 1:20 flat was also smashed, by Twirling Candy…..he beat Smiling Tiger by a nose, and there went Spectacular Bid’s record—he beat Flying Paster by 5 lengths, and there was quite the uproar, because that record was special, and that opening day surface was unreal fast..
A few days ago someone made a comment on FB group page that Freddie Mercury (lead singer of the rock group (Queen) was the greatest singer of the 20th century. That comment of course set off a firestorm of comments and some very heated discussions.
You are correct Steve, “great” has indeed been so overused when it comes to race horses that it has lost its meaning but must admit that I am guilty as well.
I think part of the problem is that assigning “great” to a race horse is because it is so subjective. We each have our own set of standards that we go by when using the word. Well at least I do.
There is I think is an essence of time involved here. So as to explain. In 2014 California Chrome was heralded as a great race horse. Part of that reasoning I think was the result of his coming from the wrong side of the tracks with a less than stellar pedigree based on the accomplishments of his dam and sire. Seabiscuit has been called a great horse in part because of the time he raced in. A little horse, who was gutsy, determined and never gave up. That was a time when our country was facing insurmountable odds. (You wrote a really good column some years back about racehorses that have come along when we needed heroes and champions that reflected what the country was going through. Same to a degree applies to Man O War. As I recall horse racing was down on its luck. A costly, in terms of blood and treasure, had just ended.
Just my opinion of course but there are no truly “great” horses racing in the United States right now. There are many that have the potential to become great provided they race.
Right now my heart belongs to Hot Rod Charlie. Will he ever make into rhe Hall of Fame? Probably not. Will he ever be called great by anyone probably not. To me Charlie epitomizes what the sport is supposed to be about or what it used to be.
Considering how short their careers are and how lightly they are raced, it may very well be a long time before I consider a colt to have risen to the level of greatness.
Would add one name to your list Steve and that sounds be Wise Dan.
Beautifully said, Lynda. And I believe most today’s most popular male horses are the ones that affect our heart more than their heroics on the track. of
Wonderful article. And very true. I got chewed up on Twitter for daring to say I’d reserve my final opinion on Flightline until he actually ran more than once every 6 months and/or 10 races, whichever came first. You’d have thought I’d called him dog food….
Greatness requires consistency against the very best competition over a large span of time. I thought Arrogate had greatness in him, but four races do not a great horse make. I know in my heart of hearts that Shared Belief was truly a great horse, but he sadly never had the chance to really test that out over time.
What I’d give for a horse today who actually ran everywhere and took on everyone at the very top level and shook off the losses by making the next win even greater. I miss Forego – can you imagine running a horse today in a sprint and then next at 2 miles? I miss the “in your face” attitude of the Doctor. It’s such a cliche’ to say they don’t make them like they used to – but how will we ever know if that’s fact or fiction with today’s horses, as they never are given the chance to really compete and run up a record over time?
Foego would be worshpped by today’s racing fans
Nice article. I hesitate to use the word great. Even though I thought it was pretty darn good.
I actually believe in my opinion. I met two great
Mares. Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. But yes, the word is overused., everyone is entitled to their opinion and I defer to those who saw greatness in the 40’s 50’s and 60’s and on. Those horses are immortalized in books and photos. What a privilege to have met them and watch them race.
I stand by my choice to call RA and Z. great horses.
Gunrunner to me was something too.
There are more but as a previous poster said, opinions are like noses, we all have one!
Thanks for your opinion. Always look forward to your articles. Have a lovely rest of your summer.
Well stated. There are and have been numerous well accomplished horses that could be considered just that, “accomplished “. But “great” along with the”all-time” tags are overused in sports these days. Thoroughbred horse racing is no different. We may never see another Man O War or Secretariat. Then again, we may never see another Babe Ruth or Wayne Gretzky. I suppose those of us who were alive when Secretariat rode into legend are the lucky ones. The tag “legendary” applies.
“Legendary”– there’s a word we could reserve for the best of the best, the immortals. Arrogate, for instance, has a great story, but not a legend.
Yes, a horse can run a spectacular race and still not be called great….Two examples…I went to Del Mar, in late Summer, 1977, to wager $10 on Ancient Title, at 7-1 odds against Crystal Water, in the old Del Mar Invitational.. .Title Led by huge margins, winning by seven lengths, fractions of :44 FLAT, 1:08 1/5 and he stayed—broke yhe track record by mire than a full second—by far his greatest performance— but Ancient Title was not great, himself. Frosted, in the Met Mile could’ve beaten great horses, THAT DAY—-he wasn’t great…..Flightline looked otherworldly, when I saw him win the Malibu—he’s not great, yet…..whenever we talk fast horses, Precisionist usually gets in yhe mix…not for any one race but he ran some 1:32 miles, against Greinton….just the fact that his name comes up so often, attests to his being great, at o e mile, probably an all time great—at one mile…..Goldencents won two dirt miles by wide margins, but he’s seldom talked about, I think by the time it’s all said and done Life Is Good will be talked about as an all time great …..miler!
Matthew, I wish they’d try Life is Good on the turf. If Life is Good was ‘just as good’ on turf they could send him to Europe for the big prestigious straight mile races. Baaeed would be flat out trying to catch him.
Interesting take. Don’t take my word for it….like I mentioned before opinions are like noses…everyone’ got one.
That said, my opinion and $5 can get you a latte at Starbucks.
Instead, I’ll take the opinions of others who were around to see the greats. Which bring to mind Zenyatta, which Secretariat owner Penny Chenery told Z’s owner Jerry Moss “I had the boy (greatest male horse) and you had the girl (greatest female racehorse).
And this follows what Allen Jerkens said….”I’ve seen many of the greats like Citation and Secretariat and Zenyatta is just as great as them”
Oh, I forgot what Dr. Fager”s owner John Nerud (Ta Wee, Gallant Man) also said…”Zenyatta is the greatest female racehorse I’ve ever seen”.
I’ll take the opinions of these experts any day over opinions.
Name ONE filly who would’ve been favored, in the Classic?…..Zenyatta was favored in two, and probably would’ve been favored in 80% of the Breeders Cup Classics..
In my opinion the only filly who may have been favored in the Classic, besides Big Z …was Gallorette, from the mid 1940s……not Ruffian, in 1975 (Forego and Wajima)…..not Rachel Alexandra, in 2009 (she wouldn’t have been favored at 10 furlongs, against Zenyatta)…. Harve de Grace was HOY, but she was not favored, in arguably the weakest ever Classic.
Matthew: Respectfully, I do not think Rachel would have been favored over Zenyatta if the Classic was to be run at Santa Anita.
Ruffian was the greatest filly I ever saw run & I have seen just about every great filly or mare run since Silver Spoon.
I would take Lady’s Secret over Big Z or Rachel. I would also argue that Rags to Riches would have beaten both those girls. Her Belmont win against Curlin was legendary.
I do know this, we all can all make a case of greatness for every race horse we discuss. Horses are very personal to the fans. All fans tend to fall in love with their racing idols, I am no different. My middle son who like myself loves horse racing believes that I’ll Have Another is the greatest horse ever.
Obviously he doesn’t know much about the racing legends of yesteryear.
All of this is good stuff…
I think Zenyatta was the Man O War, of fillies.
Zenyatta carried weight too – 127, 128, and 129 lbs. in handicaps – giving up to 15 lbs.
And don’t forget Dr. Fager’s little sister, Ta Wee – who should have been Horse of the Year in 1970 but at that time a sprinter would never have even been considered. She carried 143! pounds, and won.
Deacon, can’t put Ruffian in this ‘greatest’ class because as you have later mentioned is the weight she carried. Ruffian carried 113 lbs,, 116, 117, 118, 120 and never more than 122 lbs. and ran only two times past a mile and only once outside of NY- Monmouth Park and beat the winners of just 3 Grade 1 races total in her abbreviated career. I would put ‘near great’ next to her.
In fact, Zenyatta carried as much as Ruffian in her first than Ruffian carried over her career.
Thanks for the excellent summation of how many racing fans (and others too, I imagine) feel about both the word and actual greatness: “the true greats were put in a position to get beat, whether by racing often, facing the best competition, racing under any kind of conditions, or carrying high weights.”
I’d add a few all-time greats from further back in the previous century: Colin, Old Rosebud, Equipoise.
And you are right about the best recent fillies and mares being at the level of or even ‘greater’ than their male contemporaries. If we look at world racing and mares like Makaybe Diva, Black Caviar, Goldikova, and Ouija Board, it seems a trend.
Idle question: do we notice this short career/quick retirement more in the USA? In Britain, even sensations retired at three such as Sea the Stars (9 starts) and Frankel (14 starts) seem to start more against tougher competition
I could have very easily added those three horses, especially Colin and Equiposie. Europe has the same problem we do. You rarely see horses like Ribot, Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, and Ballymoss anymore. There was a stretch from 1994 to 2011 when 16 of 19 Arc de Triomphe winners were 3-year-olds. There just arent any “great” older horses around.
I agree that great is a word that is loosely used in today’s world. I remember when that would describe a horse as brilliant rather than great, and I thought that was appropriate. In todays society where participation awards are doled out to everyone to avoid hurt feelings, it’s not surprising that “great” is misused. I do wonder, would you consider Landaluce and Go For Wand great? Unfortunately they were cut down in their prime and not able to prove themselves what a truly great horse needs to accomplish. Barbaro as well. Another winning column Steve!
Thanks William. Go For Wand I would consider great, maybe not all-time great because of her career being cut short. Landaluce I would call potientially great…like colts such as Graustark, Hoist the Flag, and Raise A Native.
Steve that’s well put—-of your list of fillies…I think Bayakoa was great. ..in that she ran that race of hers many times….and it was in that notorious Breeders Cup battle, where I cane away thinking the same, about Go For Wand.
Thanks again for another great article. Oops! Sorry! I should have said “engaging,” “thoughtful, “well-articulated” piece. And I, for one, truly appreciate the inclusion of Zenyatta among the “truly great” horses.
LOL. Perfect. I was happy with the column but it wasnt great by any means.
Very good article! The word “great” becomes a subjective one as many cloud it with their emotions. I understand the motivation to get horses off the track to the breeding shed once some form of success is achieved.
We are fortunate to see those horses, beyond age 3, as they continue to develop and improve.
Steve you are right on point with this weeks column. Unfortunately the siren call of the breeding shed has led to entirely too many shortened careers of potentially “great” horses. This is not a criticism. Just a fact of modern equine economics.
May I suggest a new category for those runners that were on the cusp of greatness, Brilliant. They are exceptionally talented and bright but only for a short time. Like a meteor crashing to Earth. These horses were unable to pass the test of time hurdle but their accomplishments are brilliant.
I always use “brilliant” but “great” flows too easily and people love sayng it.
I have yet to see any colts/stallions post-Cigar stand the test of time. Are handicappers afraid to give proper weight to the “great” horses? What are owners/trainers afraid of? Losing? All the greats lost, and in doing so, added to their legendary status. So I’m guessing I overuse “good”, i.e. Life is Good ran a good race in the Whitney, if we go by today’s standard of “great”. Secretariat must be rolling over in his grave.
I agree with your premise, Steve. I believe the prevalence of speed figures has replaced what we see and feel. The recent horses who have run a few fast races did not race long enough or face other quality horses on a regular basis. The last group of horses that i feel approached greatness competed in the late 90s. Formal Gold, Skip Away, Will’s Way, Gentlemen, and a speed horse i am forgetting, threw down regularly over two years, beating each other while running huge figures. Cigar had recently retired and was considered a superior horse, but he never beat much and came along at an opportune time. He would have never had a winning streak racing against this group. Had Formal Gold not been injured, he may have established himself as great.
. On the subject of speed figures skewing perception, i recall my early, and favorite, racing nights at old Atlantic City. The horses i watched all summer were good horses to me. I still remember many of them. Now that speed figures are everything, i would have known a different truth, and been poorer for it.
I remember those wild Beyers those horses got, consistently in the 120s.
Funny how the memory gets jogged sometimes! When you mentioned those “wild Beyers”, I immediately thought of that unreal battle between Silver Charm and Wild Rush in a stakes race in KY in the late 90’s…….I think it was the Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway (pre-Polytrack).
They dead-heated for the win with a Beyer figure of 123!! And they were 17 lengths in front of everybody else!! That was just unimaginable!!
Siphon was the front runner i couldn’t recall.
What a blog, beautifully written by a writer who actually does stand on a pantheon of the writers extraordinaire.
I couldn’t agree more with your assessments.
How great was Swaps?
Where does Majestic Prince or Arts & Letters fit in?
For me there is only about 10-12all time greats & you listed many of them.
Thank you Steve, this was very enjoyable to read.
Thank you, Deacon. I am actually going to add Swaps.
It sounds as if we all agree that the term “great” is being misused. I’ll try to do my part by reserving it for Dr. Fager, Babe Ruth, Walter Payton and bacon. Swaps was before my time but if anyone would like to try cloning him, I have a few strands of hair taken from his mane the day he beat Nashua in the match race at Washington Park.