Great but under-rated races: '98 KY Cup Classic
 

Preparing for the weekend, just came across the 1998 Kentucky Cup Classic where Silver Charm and Wild Rush dead heat..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Grq60afzc


This terrific race, with a good Battaglia call to boot (!), brings up a fun thread idea:
WHAT RACE THAT YOU PERSONALLY RECALL WELL, NEVER SEEMS TO GETS MENTIONED AS A GREAT ONE?

Hacker Crafts sweeping maiden victory Jan 7, 2007

Very underrated in the maiden 15/polytrack division

The Test with You and that Carson City filly was really good.. but that might be considered a "great" race.

1984 Breeders Cup Classic with Wild Again, Slew of Gold and Gate Dancer
Just watched it again and it still Gives Me Goose bumps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqin6...rom=PL&index=3

Afleet Alex in the Preakness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfFzO...eature=related

I also thought he made a pretty good move in the Belmont that year too (I know it wasn't the greatest field in history, but it was still a big move).

1985 Strub with Precisionist, Greinton and a self sabotaging Gate Dancer.

Precisionist blazes on the lead, I think with the nice Halo horse Halo Folks. After putting him away, he then has to contend with Greinton from the turn all the way to the wire, in Affirmed-Alydaresque fashion.

As they come down the stretch, Gate Dancer makes his move but manages to get into trouble. He takes up and then manages to regather his momentum late but can't quite get there.

At the wire, Precisionist and Greinton are so close, not a single person at the track (50k or so?) knows who won. I believe both jocks said later on that they thought the other guy won. After a long photo, Precisionist gets the win and the track erupted.

It was pretty cool and is probably what really hooked me for good. That 3/8ths to 1/2 mile where they hooked up as one was just amazing.

That was the start of their rivalry in which they took turns beating each other at HP that summer. They were running miles in the 1.33 range and 10f in about 1:58.

Sightseek's Go For Wand 2003

Her Rampart the following year is also one of my favorite races.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_c8VlPZQGI

I always thought the inaugural Dubai World Cup was a terrific race.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER5-u...eature=related

NT

:tro: :tro:

Kiri's Clown 1995 Sword Dancer over Awad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGUB8_X--NY

Horse racing posse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efSTvXN98A0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2ofD...eature=related

Lure/Devil his Due Gotham

Perhaps it's because I wasn't really able to enjoy the big races of the 80s and early 90s, but Curlin's 2007 Preakness victory will always be among the races I consider to be the greatest, for many reasons.

EC's first United Nations win over Cacique. Easiest hundo I ever made off a certain member of this board:$:

That was a great race... Johnson always seemed to have KC ready for his best in the Sword Dancer.

Definitely a great call on the '98 KC.

The '98 BC is probably my all time favorite race, amazing finish with a tremendous field including two of my top 5 all time favorites (AA and SC). Don't know if anyone would consider that "underrated" however.

How about the 2003 King's Bishop, where Ghostzapper really indicated his amazing talent by running a huge race against the massive bias that day only to be beaten by two crack sprinters? Can't find it on youtube though.

Special thanks to Kiri's Clown who puts all these videos up.

A couple good ones..

1994 Caesar's International: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKFL1nhLEns

1994 Hempstead Handicap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxMIUTDDP0U

Da' Tara stealing the Belmont on the front end :$: :$:

A Huevo, 2003 WV Breeders Classic.

Unbridled in his first race after winning the BC Classic at Belmont turning back to 7f!! and roaring past crack sprinter Housbuster in the stretch.

1991 Deputy Minister

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQbY...eature=related

Strike the Gold's 1992 Pimlico Special against Fly So Free and Best Pal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Ka9Fhb5pY We get some coverage after the race by Charlsie Canty and Chris Lincoln. Remember the Bud Longshot? Racehorse Digest (later Wire to Wire)? Them were the days.

STG's currently the oldest living Derby winner at 21 (wow does that make me feel old) and my first Derby pick as well. He was sold at auction to 2 of his 3 original owners a few days before the Special. Frankly my fondness of him and his win is one of the reasons I'm distraught when the Pimlico Special falls apart. That and the origin with Seabiscuit. When they threaten not to run it I swear I have a physical reaction.

2003 Personal Ensign with The Giant Killer's Passing Shot nailing 1-5 Wild Spirit in the last jump.

She won both the Ruffian and Beldame in 2000 but I think the race that caught everyone's eye was the Ruffian.

Between her and Beautiful Pleasure flopping Spain's win in the 2000 Distaff was quite a shocker.

NT

Agree... How do neither of them fire?

Garthorn's 1985 Met Mile win over Smile, Lady's Secret, Turkoman, and Proud Truth.

Yep!

--Dunbar

'07 Tampa Bay Derby - Street Sense vs. Any Given Saturday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWm_o9o6TbU

Grunder is the bomb

Yes. Any race where you can remember where you were at years later is a great race. I was in Vegas at the Barbary Coast betting basketball...

For great performances in an exciting race that is very underrated ...

1997 Whitney - Will's Way noses Formal Gold - both run 126 Beyers. Skip Away a soundly beaten 3rd.


While not quite a great performance ... I still fondly recall a 20 year old race from '89.

1989 Suburban Handicap - that years Breeders Cup Sprint winner Dancing Spree wins a phsycho run rabbit race coming from about 15 lengths off at 10 furlongs.

He nailed them all too :tro:

I don't know about great, but the 94 Arkansas Derby will always be my favorite race.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CfSJn3tI8M

1991 Super Derby
 

1991 Super Derby

Free Spirit's Joy with then relative unknown jockey, Calvin Borel, aboard defeats California invader, Best Pal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZyClqPlOMM

If you dislike Terry Wallace, you may wish to press "mute". I do!

2000 Hutcheson - More Than Ready vs. Summer Note

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_r5i...eature=related

1:09 off the bench

Pretty much any of Formal Gold's wins could probably qualify for this thread.