Santa Anita Handicap Classics
 

With Santa Anita opening in a week, 3 of my favorite Santa Anita Handicaps remind me of some of my favorite horses and classic races growing up as a kid. Vigors, Alysheba and Ferdinand were 3 of them. Check out these Classic races. My favorite race would have to be Vigors because he was so visually impressive. Seeing all the cars in the parking lot and fans in the infield, reminds how exciting it was to be on-track back then!! Also check out the Great Charlie Whitingham and Bill Shoemaker talking about Ferdinand before the 1987 SAH.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ9G_dA5KcU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAEZ-QRAts8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz99ipc-KOw

18 dollar exacta in the 88 big cap? 4 horse field with an even money favorite and the 8 to 5 finishing second.

A Grey Dawn exacta in the 78 Big Cap. Vigors sure was a neat horse.

I wish someone would post the 85 Strub with Precisionist, Greinton and Gate Dancer.

I second that.

Weren't they still $5 exactas back then?

For me, this one will always be the greatest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAEZ-QRAts8

That was a great field. Snow Chief and Hopeful Word (who was a pretty good runner), as was the really tough as nails but ill fated Bedside Promise. That was a bitchin horse.

Ha 4 wide move a the the 3/8ths pole, man if Shoe was around during the internet he would have been crucified.

Rock Hard Ten crushing St. Liam. Best race ever!!!!!!!!!!

Here are the best of the best:

1971 Ack Ack and The Shoe go wire to wire under 130 pounds on a dead slow tiring track. In the stretch the shadow of Cougar piloted by Pincay looms an ominous threat coming like 90 out near the grandstand. Great race call. Joe Hernandez mentions The Field. I'm thinking this guy said screw it; these horse are out of it, so why mention them by name. In fact, The Field ran 3rd.

1973 Cougar, The Bald Eagle, and Pincay defeat the Canadian chamion Kennedy Road by a nose in 2:00 flat. They survive an inquiry, ironic foreshadowing of what will take place in 82.

1979 Affirmed and Pincay defeat Tiller and Exceller (Whittingham) in 158.3. One of the most visually stunning performances in the track's history. What a horse this was.

1980 The Bid and The Shoe defeat The Paster in the slop. Also one of the most visually stunning performances in the track's history. He is just gliding at the wire. What a horse this was.

1982 John Henry and Shoemaker lose to The Bald Eagle, Pincay and Perrault by a nose but are put up via disqual. Final time is 1:59 flat. The first of the 3 great stretch runs in the 80s. Shoemaker is involved in all of them and loses all 3 times but gets put up here.

1987 The invader Broad Brush and Angel Cordero Jr. nose out Ferdinand, Whittingham and The Shoe. Shoe looked like he was sitting on a keg of dynamite on the turn but he lost a heartbreaker of heartnreakers.

1988 Alysheba announces to the horse racing world that he is one of the greatest race horse in some time. He displays another gear in the stretch as The Shoe and Ferdinand make two or three runs at him. This was a truly incredible performance. What a horse this was.

A few years later, The Shoe rolled his ride coming home from golf and boozing. Whittingham would soon fade into the night after Sunday Silence. Whittingham, Pincay, and The Shoe were so instrumental to the race's lore in the 70s and 80s that it just petered out after these greats left the game. The good racehorses like SS and AP Indy started retiring at 3. Any Big Cap after 88 is just part of the steadfast decline that characterizes what will become next March a quarter century of ignominy.

Ack Ack was just a great all around horse. To those who've never seen him run, look up that 1971 big cap on Youtube. I just loved the way he moved. He had such a beautiful way of gliding over the track.