The world begins and ends with me, and since I haven't been there since 1987, I just assumed the place was shut down.

By the way, I always loved the Hollywood Derby, but this year's field makes the Jamaica look like a solid race.

Yeah, it should be demoted to a Grade 2 off of this year alone.

It's sad, too, because with few exceptions since the '90s, the winners (and I presume some of the also-rans) went on to win major races on the turf as 4yos.

I don't think that trend will continue with this year's renewal.

At least it's still a 10f race.

There are simply, outside of Paddy O'Prado, no good 3YO turf horses. Hell, the half to Zenyatta, Souper Spectacular, that won two weeks ago at Aqueduct, would have a shot in here. Clever move running the Jamaica winner in the BC Marathon instead of this race. Then again, if he hadn't run, the BC wouldn't have gotten nearly as much mainstream press.

1. Royal Heroine

2. Itsallgreektome

3. Paradise Creek and Bien Bien. I needed it the other way.

4. Chief Bearhart?

5. Squirtle Squirt?

6. Da Hoss and Fastness?

4.5 out of 6. I've done worse.

7) One of this year's contenders, Citrus Kid, has important broodmare Mock Orange as his 4th dam.

One of Mock Orange's daughters was Naval Orange. Naval Orange produced this colt, ironically a wire-to-wire winner at 2 sprinting at Saratoga (by over 12 lengths). Later, he developed into a dead closer and in his only start at Hollywood Park, was 5th in the BC Classic, the first of 3 straight 5th place finishes in the BC Classic. Name him.

Cryptoclearance.

His stellar 3-year-old season was good enough to get Hedge Fund retired off of a double digit length win at Mountaineer...and good enough to help earn some hair-piece wearing dope 900K on a bet ...and good enough to give Borel his 3rd Derby win in the last four years.



Name him.

Super Saver

Sea Hero wasn't even that long a price in the Travers. Plus he won.

Hence the statue.

Correct.

Only career defeat came to Holy Bull.



Name him.

Yeah - of all the horses - to have a statue of Sea Hero is pretty funny.

I guess they also named a street after Bird Town though.

Twining

Correct.

This rocketship from Panama finished 3rd in the Preakness.



Name him.

I meant Bayou Tortuga.

2yo filly, big guy.

El Bakan. The first in a long line of Robert Perez Caribbean imports.

Edged Sea Hero by a neck or so to get that classic placing.

Came to New York in the summer of '91 and swept four Grade 1's that summer before feet trouble took hold I guess. Still holds the track record for 1 1/4 miles at Belmont.



Name him.

I know this one, In Excess

In Excess

in excess?

Yep. Sire of the immortal Indian Charlie.

What Beyer did In Excess get for his first dirt start, the San Fernando?

He absolutely made a mess of a solid bunch of horses that day but quickly fell back down to earth when having to run 10f in both the Strub and Big Cap.

That's why the Suburban effort is a bit illusory, IMO. IIRC, it was a 5 horse field and he had everything his own way. Chief Honcho was a nice horse but hardly a division heavyweight.

I wonder how the '91 BC Classic would have played out had he started.

Throw Farma Way (I think he was injured by then) into that mix as well and perhaps Unbridled, Festin, and Strike The Gold would have been 1-2-3.

117 - the Suburban was a 7 horse field... I don't remember anything about it obviously. Chief Honcho was in pretty solid form - after the two defeats to In Excess - he was beaten less than a length by Black Tie Affair in the Gr 1 Iselin and 2nd by 1.25 lengths to Festin in the Jockey Club Gold Cup in his next two starts.

This horse was dead last of 12 - after just 8 furlongs - in the Breeders Cup Classic. Despite being very hard ridden - he was a length behind the hopelessly slow and still restrained Pleasant Prince after a mile ... but unlike Life At Ten, Johnny V. at least bothered to ask him for everything he had.



Name him.

Dr. Carter.

Please, he would have been able to make the lead against First Dude - especially considering that they wanted to take First Dude back according to Romans.

He also would have dusted a restrained Pleasant Prince at a mile.

He got within 29lths of Zenyatta.. so he must have been good.

His 2yr old season.. he would go on to be a multiple Grade I winner of over 3 million.

Vanlandingham?

Awad

Espoir City - off of his absolutely miserable prep race in Japan and all the reports he was training very poorly - will go down as the horse who led the 2010 BC Classic field after a mile.

Japan really sent the wrong horse. They have to have 15 horses over there with a late running route closer style who could have won the BC Classic this year.

Yup, one of my favorites .. good job.

Another from the stellar Sea Hero crop - this one actually sired a great female sprinter.



Name him.

dixieland heat

Yep. Sire of Xtra Heat.

Name the trainer. Hint, his wife was indicted by the feds the other day.

Yet another lost stakes race of great significance

Young America Trivia

1) This son of Bold Bidder won the '78 Young America on his way to winning two-thirds of the Triple Crown. He returned to the Meadowlands at 3 to win the Meadowlands Cup. Name him.

2) This colt, champion 2yo in USA and Canada, took the '81 Young America over eventual Derby runner-up Laser Light. At 4 he returned to the Meadowlands to run 2nd in the Meadowlands Cup. Name him.

3) This NY-bred son of Seattle Slew won the '82 Young America. At 3 he also took the Meadowlands Cup and Paterson at the Meadowlands. In the Meadowlands Cup, the 2nd place finisher was the answer to (2). Also, the 3rd place finisher, Water Bank was out of Summertide, a half-sister to this horse. Name him.

4) Seattle Slew also sired the '83 Young America winner, who defeated Dr. Carter. The following season he won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Name him.

5) Script Ohio, a Darby Dan colt by Roberto, won the '84 Young America. In 2nd and 3rd respectively were the eventual Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners. Name them.

6) Eventual Belmont winner Danzig Connection and Champagne winner Mogambo, chased this Overbrook colt home in the '85 Young America. A nose loss in the subsequent BC Juvenile cost him an Eclipse as champion 2yo. Name him.

7) This Pleasant Colony colt took the '89 Young America. A bust at 3 in Florida, he was transferred to the West Coast at 4 under Neil Drysdale with some success, taking the Grade 1 Californian at Hollywood Park. Name him.

Gerald Romero.

1. Spectacular Bid

2. Deputy Minister

3. Not Sure

4. Swale

5. Chief's Crown owned those horses at two. I think Spend a Buck and whoever won the Preakness

6. Storm Cat

7. Not Sure