1989 Preakness
 

I know this is probably of a lot more interest to me than it is to most other people (since it is my favorite race in the history of the sport) but the ABC post-race coverage is now available (along with the race obviously) on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yayZ8NtArJw
The race itself has been available for some time there, but this one with the post race coverage is relatively new, and gives you the zoom-in/slow motion replay and the head-on shot, along with full coverage of Day's foul claim.
I just love watching that race.

I think the '89 Preakness and Flo Joe represented the "thrill of victory" than Down Goes Frazier and some skier taking an insane fall represented the agony of defeat.

I think they capped it with a play at the plate in a little leauge world series game which represted the "human drama of athletic competition."

There was also a gymnist in there somewhere.

What about barrell jumping? That used to be the coolest. If roller derby can make a come back, I'm starting the NBJL

Pval being heard saying "Pat tried to screw me the whole way around, but he couldn't do it"

I like that...

Log rolling, badmitton, Evel Knevel. Were there any teams other than the LA Thunderbirds and the SF Bay Bombers? If there were, I never saw them.

That was a great quote by Valenzuela!

2 things, another premature move by Pat Day! and were any of the other horses in that race any good? I didn't follow racing that closely back then, but I have never heard of any of the other horses.

There was just something about the way ABC did their coverage of the Triple Crown. I like NBC but ABC just gave you that feeling like it was a Heavyweight Championship bout. They knew how to get you on the edge of your seat. Jim McKay, Howard, and even Al Michaels. Maybe it was because they all were big horse fans and were just as excited as the regular fans were. ABC promoted the sport back then so much better.

Again I like NBC's coverage but ABC just had that MoJo when it came to covering the big racing events.

They were mirror images before the wire. And Sunday Silence coming on like he did after gathering himself on the back stretch after being checked was miraculous. Great footage.

Of the other horses in the race, the most notable was probably Hawkster. He was a G1 winner at 2 and went on to be a multiple G1 winner at 3 on the turf.
Houston was a fabulously bred son of two champions (Seattle Slew and Smart Angle) who won three graded stakes in his 3yo year. The 9.5 furlongs of the Preakness, however, was well beyond his distance limitations.
Dansil (who Dave Johnson somehow confuses with Easy Goer for a moment when that colt takes the lead) won the Arkansas Derby in 1989 defeating a pretty decent horse there in Clever Trevor.
Northern Wolf is best known for turning in one of the better performances of any "field" horse in Kentucky Derby history (4th I believe).
Rock Point was coming into the Preakness off of a win in the Federico Tesio.
I don't remember anything about Pulverizing.....but according to pedigreequery, he raced 92 times in his career.

Detriot Devils, My Grandmother loved roller derby.

what a stretch run, and the coverage was enviable also. I think back to this year's Preakness with Curlin and Street Sense and the coverage is lackluster compared to this.

thanks for posting this and the fond memories

Dansil was a John Franks horse that came out west at 4 under Jack Van Berg and ran a couple of good races on the turf out here. He was a son of Silver Hawk, like Hawkster.

Hawkster won the '89 Oak Tree Invitational in world record time going wire to wire while holding an 8-length throughout the race. The race is on youtube somewhere, pretty impressive effort. He was a closer on the dirt, but was a speed horse on turf. At 4 he didin't win, but ran close to Prized and Steinlen on the turf and was 3rd to Flying Continental and Quiet American in the Strub on dirt. Also the broodmare sire of Afleet Alex.

Northern Wolf ended up being a top Mid-Atlantic sprinter. Might have won the Frank DeFrancis Dash.

Goddamit! How do I get UTube to work? I have a dial up but I used to watch those horse racing hall of fame videos and the NYRA clips of Belmont so I know my athalon PC is capable. WHat gives? Do I need to upgrade software?

I can see bits and pieces of the race but they are not moving images. I can even see them in the home stretch and at the 1/2 mile mark and in the gate. Moving the little switch on the monitor doesnt do anything but once in a while it will get the image to move a little.

Any help on this issue mucho appreciated. :)

that was a lame objection...

Some of us are just coming out of our bomb shelters avoiding Y2K.

Personally, I'm giving it a good decade before updating any sort of modern technology.

HELLO!!???

The whole Y2K thing is *so* OVER!!! So is Dial-up. Thanks for posting this, I'm loving the walk down Memory Lane. Unless it's leading to Dial-up.
And, FYI, Hawkster turned out to be an awesome racehorse. And I believe he sired Afleet Alex's momma. Probably someone has already mentioned this. I came in late on this and I'm trying to post here, listen to high school football, supervise a girl riding one of my horses and cook on the grill.

Suzanne(that's how I roll)

This is my favorite race of all time as well. I haven't seen it in years, and have not yet seen it on Youtube. What I do remember is that closeup head on shot in deep stretch. Sunday Silence had Easy Goer pinned in on the rail. You can see Easy Goer's ears pinned back and he looks at his rival like he's pissed off. He was trying like hell, but Sunday Silence was just the better horse that day. If their positions had been reversed, with Easy Goer on the outside, it may have been a different result.

I agree about the ABC coverage. It was outstanding. As was NBC's coverage of the early Breeders' Cup runnings. NBC had their A team for the first few years. People like Dick Enberg, Harvey Pack, and Jenny Ornsteen were part of the broadcast. After the first few years the second stringers took over, and the production was not as good.