The John A. Morris
 

I was at the Spa the day they shut down the track right before the Morris for the first time in 100 years. The sky was blue, then it became black and blue...then just black. Torrential rain was blowing sideways at 50 or more miles an hour. Lightning bolts were going into the ground in the infield and zapping the tote board at an alarming rate. It was electric and wild. Trees fell across the track.

It was a wild scene. Everyone was fleeing to a leeward position. The only people that stayed somewhat dry were on the second floor. I can't remember the year. Probably about '87.

I remember it well!
 

Yes, it was 1987 the day before closing day. I was suppose to go to the track with my parents, but they back out because the threat of sereve thunderstorms that afternoon. The weather was fine until about the 7th race, when things went crazy. They were saddling the horses for the John A. Morris in the paddock and I can remember later hearing about how the horses were freaking out with the impending storm apporaching, Robbie Davis was one jockey who commented about that. When the storm came, it was exactly how you said it was; driving rain, sharp lightning and cross winds. I remember children and old people crying and running for cover inside the grandstand. The walkways outside the building and in the picnic area flooded out and it took me almost two hours to drive 55 miles back to my home. The next day had a record amount of scratches and there was a match race in race #2 between Deivious Dutchess and Lyka Dancer. I recently wrote about that day in a weekly column that I do. It was something to remember!:eek:

What future Grade 1 Stakes winning filly was scheduled to debut in the cancelled final race that day?

She ended up breaking her maiden the following weekend at Belmont on Labor Day.

It was 1988 by the way.

Thats a hard one, very hard.
Open Mind?

No, Open Mind had probably already run like 12 races by then ( she was a Lukas horse....don't ya know ).

This horse was a 3YO.

The winner gets a branch from the fallen tree.

Geez thats really hard.
Banker's Lady?

It took me awhile...
 

I dug out my old programs and found it, was it BANKER'S LADY?
It was her debut race at a mile & a eighth. 10-1 on the morning line that race.
Earlier in that card, CRUSADER'S SWORD ran 2nd in a 7 furlong alowance test and future Breeder's Cup Sprint champion DANCING SPREE was off the board in a marathon turf contest.

Mike gets the branch. Not only was he first, but after consulting with the judges, I have deemed " digging up old programs " to be cheating.

Fine job.

Cheating??? Just an edge in my book. I guess that would put me right up there with the folks who run NYRA and those fool stewards. LOL ;)

Question: Is the Morris now the Go For Wand?

Close
 

It's the Personal Ensign and switched to the day before the Travers, in '88
in was the day before the final day.

The Go For Wand used to be the Maskette....which was a mile race run at Belmont in the Fall.

The Maskette used to be the opening Wednesday at Belmont. I atteneded the '80 running. It was a short great field with Bold N Determined (3yo) edging Genuine Risk (3yo). The third and fourth finishers were It's In The Air (4 yo) and Davona Dale (4 yo). A minor stakes winning filly, Croqui, was 5th and last. Three Hall Of Famers and another multiple G1 winner. What a field!

I think it may have been the '79 Maskette when It's In The Air was the 1/5 fave coming off her Alabama win over Davona Dale. The bridgejumpers were out in full force loading up on her in the show pool. The great turf mare Waya won the race at 3/1 with her entrymate, a filly/mare named Fourdrinier (sp) finishing second. IITA finished fifth on a sloppy track. Waya and her entrymate paid 8.00, 9.00, and 55.00. The show horse paid 72.00.

I think Rose's Cantina won the race when they re-carded it. That was the wildest of all the (many) Spa storms I've seen.