Best closing kick ever seen?
 

Just watched the 2002 Breeders Cup Mile again, Arlington Park.

I have NEVER seen a horse close like Rock of Gibrator, horse gets 2nd and it still gets me pumped.

Kitten's Joy before the chip. Just outstanding!!

I like the War Chant BC Mile from 2000 as much as Rock of Gibraltars from 02

Chindi, He's retired now but look some of his old races up on calracing.com. Chindi was a sprinter in the midwest the last couple of years. He would spot the field 10 to 20 lengths then come running at the end. Very exciting to see him coming home with his all everytime on the track.

The best I ever saw was Silky Sullivan...when he fired, it was something to see! Actually, the most devastating kick belonged to Secretariat...it was just that he would use it at any point in the race (the move on the clubhouse turn in the Preakness still has folks gasping).

Ghostzapper.

Take a look at the Vosburgh in 2003. He wasn't even in the picture as they are readying to turn for home and won by 6 1/2 lengths.

Ghostzapper in the Vosburgh(2003, I believe) comes to mind.. He an absolutely amazing finish in that race.

LOL, I was just posting that!! great minds think alike!

Wow.. Just watched GZ's replay.. man... it's even more impressive to me knowing what he would do later in his career at longer distances.

I like Megahertz. She was the little horse that could. She was really cute.

Also, i liked Astra a lot. I hear she was very mean but maybe she was just misunderstood. Perhaps with some medication and some therapy she is much more relaxed as a broodmare.

He didn't come from way back in his races, but when he was asked, the turn of foot that High Chaparral showed was amazing.

That was a high-quality horse there.

http://www.coolmore.com/america/high...ountry=America

I'm with Scav on this one. Still wear my "Rock" lid. The only bad thing, I had singled him.

Bigs

Two favorites of mine I cant seperate are Personal Ensign's BC win over Winning Colors, and Victory Gallop over Real Quiet in the Belmont

Simon Bray did one hell of a job on Astra, dont think any other trainer would of gotten that much out of her.

Swept Overboard.

Ms Eloise from the late eightes. This filly was trained by PG Johnson and had a late kick like you wouldn't believe!

Mineshaft had an incredible turn of foot, and he did at the classic distances.

Loved to watch Megahertz come flying from way back.

I know my dad would agree with the post that said Silky Sullivan was the best ever.
Personally I would say Megahertz was (although probably not the best) my favorite in recent years.
Based on his races in the Arkansas Derby, Preakness, and Belmont I think Afleet Alex had the potential to be one of the great "closing kick" horses in recent memory. Unfortunately Rose gave him a strange ride in the Derby and then his career was cut short by injury.

War Chant, Personal Ensign and Rock all come to mind. However, AWAD is my favorite horse with a closing kick. He would be last with 100 yards to go and he would unleash his powerful closing stride to get up to win.

One race I will never forget is Silverbulletday's race in the Alabama. Go watch that race. The turn of foot is absolutely amazing.

Ghostzapper's Vosburgh was awesome but he ran in an allowance race that same year, where he was left for dead at the break and closed like I have never seen any horse close. I believe this race was at Aqu or Belmont, not sure which one but it was spring/early summer.

His close in the Kings Bishop was also pretty spectacular on what may have been the biggest speed bias track of all time.

It was an allowance race late in the Belmont Summer meet.

It was pretty scary.

OH I can't remember the race. Victory Gallop coming from way out of it to catch the other horse by a nose or 1/2 length. I think that other horse was Milwalkee Brew (sorry I don't drink the beer so I don't know how to spell it). That was an awesome race! I just remember seeing him move and gain ground with every stride.

Thanks, I knew it was that year, just couldnt remember exactly. I do seem to remember making a pretty nice score that same day on a horse called Chilly Rooster, breaking his maiden.

I'm almost sure it was a twilight Friday card.

It was, you are correct. Funny, I remember that now too.

The White horse "VIGORS"

Silky had so many its hard to come up with one. He was before full card simocast but the films i saw and the pps he had numerous. Gorella this last weekend was very impressive. I didt think she had enough room but she came flying.

as far as closing punches at the classic distnace, it seems at 5 and 6, Pleasantly Perfect at 10f was always right there in the final five strides, he had his run timed perfectly.
and talk about a fluid motion....yikes....

no wonder he sits at 4 th or 5th on the all time earnings list
with 7.8 million dollars in lifetime on track earnings.

Megahertz. Damn I miss her.

Well Lit De Justice had teh best closing kick I ever saw. It was amazing when he was "on". I remember one race out West where Denman was calling the race and even though he was at leats 15 behind on the turn you could see him just start to make that kick and Denman said "looks like its gonna be one of his days" and called him the winner while he was still at least 8 lengths back. Once that horse started to roll it was an incredible thing to witness.

I have to say that the most impressive move I have ever seen was Victory Gallop in the Whitney at Saratoga vs. Behrens in 1999. He was about 10 lengths back as they entered the final turn, then was neck and neck before you could even blink. That ended up being a nice battle with Gallop winning by a nose but I just couldn't believe how fast he closed.

Afleet Alex coming around the final turn in the Preakness before the incident with Scrappy T...

Megahertz...

Gorella in the Just a Game...

The Rock of Gibralter...

THAT WAS THE RACE I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF. DANG I AM AN AIRHEAD TODAY. Better have my boss read the pleadings I do today.

Nobody could ride a closer from the clouds like Corey Nakatani back in the day. He is cute too.

puscsycat Doll ran a visually magnificient race back at SA over the winter. It was in the slop, I believe on New Years eve, where she rolled from very far back to blow by the entire field including Leave Me Alone, who looked like a winner at the top of the stretch until you saw the action of *****cat Doll. Even though it cost me a huge score (I needed Leave Me Alone) it was something to watch.

LOL!! I was thinking that we might be thinking of the same race! It truly was amazing when Bailey stepped on the gas and he took off!

When Silky Sullivan ran in the 1958 Kentucky Derby, the network used a split-screen technique to cover the race. One camera was focused on the leaders, while another, the image from which appeared in the lower corner of the screen, covered Silky's progress at the back of the pack, waiting for the come-from-behind colt to make his move.

When Silky died in 1977, he was buried at the track under a bronze plaque bearing the epitaph:
"Out of the gate like a bullet of red
dropping behind as the rest sped ahead
loping along as the clubhouse fans cheer
leisurely stalking the field in first gear."

recent horses for me megahertz, alex, powerscourt,zapper

Didn't Bailey say something after the race to the effect that he had never ridden a horse with a kick like that before or that it was some kick?