The Decades Most Under Appreciated Race

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

My vote would go to a race that still isn't even on Youtube - the 2001 Adirondack Stakes.

2-year-old female sprinters aren't exactly the kind of horses that attact a lot of attention from casual racing fans... but perhaps the two best of the entire decade met up in the '01 Adirondack at Saratoga .. and both of them ran a mind-boggling race while both fairly fresh off of monumental trainer changes.

* You - RNA'd for just $9,000 as a yearling and came from the Rachel Alexandra connections (Bred by Dolphus Morrison, trained by Hal Wiggins, ridden by Calvin Borel) -- she scored a fast debut win at 9/1 odds in a maiden claiming race.

Was 2nd to Cashier's Dream in an alw race over a slow muddy track that came back MIND-BOGGLINGLY fast. After those 2 starts - she was bought by Ed Gann and recieved a giant trainer change from Hal Wiggins to Bobby Frankel. Frankel moved everything up at an alarming rate at that time.


* Cashier's Dream - was a Michigan bred filly trained by a guy who at the time was mainly a River Downs trainer - and is now mainly a Pinnacle trainer. Both the sire and dam of Cashier's Dream raced at the old Detroit Race Course.

Cashier's Dream won her debut in hand - at 43/1 odds in a maiden claimer at Churchill. Jumped up and beat You in a wickedly fast alw race in just her 2nd start. She was bought up by Team Valor and Heiligbrodt and transferred into the barn of Steve Asmussen. A fairly big positive trainer move.

Cashier's Dream won her Asmussen debut in the Debutante and set a track record at Churchill that still stands today. The Adirondack would be her 2nd start for Assmussen - and it would be You's first start for Frankel.

* In the Adirondack - Cashier's Dream and You ripped through fractions of 21.65, 44.62, 1:08.71 and battle down to the wire for 6.5 furlongs in 1:15 flat. You just edging by late.

The 3rd place finisher - a future Grade 2 stakes winner - was beaten 16 lengths. Smok'n Frolic .. a future 6 time Graded Stakes winning millionaire was beaten 21 lengths. The top two just obliterated the field.

The Beyer came back 107 - an absolutely insane figure for a 2-year-old filly in the summer. By comparison, 2-yo champions Storm Song and Folklore both won the Adirondack with Beyers in the mid 70's.

Cashier's Dream returned to easily take the Grade 1 Spinaway in her next start. Her winning Beyer in that race remains 3 points faster than Flanders for fastest in the Spinaway's history. You beat CD again in the Frizette and CD was laid off for a while after that race.

Cashier's Dream won her return in the La Troienne on Derby week as a 3yo - winning a sprint battle with Shameful - the dam of another good female sprinter in Indian Blessing. You is the only horse who ever finished ahead of Cashier's Dream in a race.

You eventually became a 4 time Grade 1 winner.

Two tremendously precocious overachievers for very shabby trainers fell into the right barns and got their teeth cleaned up really good by two of the best trainers - the result was not only two of the greatest individual performances in the history of summer time 2yo filly sprint racing ... but also an exciting and absolutely epic horse race from start to finish.

It was at 6.5 at SPA the time is debatable.. The real time could be anything

[randallscott35]

Oh the glory days of juicing in racing.

[richard]

I'll offer the 2001 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. Congaree, Gary Stevens up, with millions in bridge jumper cash, was the heavy fav. Longshot Free Of Love took the lead to the 1/2 mile. Then Congaree forged to the front to the audible relief of the big crowd. Suddenly he faltered and Free Of Love retook the lead on the far turn. The crowd gasped in disbelief. At the top of the stretch Congaree has all he could do to stay in touch with Free Of Love. Incredibly, with 100 yards to the wire D. Wayne Lucas' Scorpion , Jerry Bailey piloting, raced by both front runners to clip Free Of Love at the wire . Congaree struggled to hang on to show in a gut wrenching race for the bridge jumpers. It was a stunning Lucas shocker.

this classic just made youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDcnEeCvNhk

[VOL JACK]

I think it is fair to say the 7lbs helped YOU get by cashier's dream.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

I needed Free of Love really bad in that race. Did you have to try and subject me to that again? I won't even click the link.

That was such a painful loss.

It was certainly a very wild race to watch ... but really, Congaree didn't perform well and was sidelined with an injury right after that race. Free of Love - while a sharp Rick Violette horse at the time - wasn't a whole lot and Scorpion stunk.

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

I needed Free of Love really bad in that race. Did you have to try and subject me to that again? I won't even click the link.

That was such a painful loss.

It was certainly a very wild race to watch ... but really, Congaree didn't perform well and was sidelined with an injury right after that race. Free of Love - while a sharp Rick Violette horse at the time - wasn't a whole lot and Scorpion stunk.

That was lovely.

You know who lost out huge on that race as well, he needed that g1 win from FOL.

I got whining in stereo for a week.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

Oh the glory days of juicing in racing.

It was certainly a time when bettors seemed to suddenly become very skeptical about a select few trainers.

Cashier's Dream died less than a year after that epic bout with You. Carson Hollow died just a year after her great race with You in the Test.

Asmussen and Dutrow. Both had non-racing or training related deaths.

The year Cashier's Dream died was the same year Pletcher had the trio of Freedom's Daughter, Warners, and Left Bank all run absolutely huge at Saratoga within 2 weeks of each other and all get sick and drop dead.

It probably was all just coincidence .. but I know the Pletcher trio looked REALLY bad.

All 3 of them running their eyes out in spectacular performances. Truly at their peak ... and like that you read they're fighting for their life - and none win that fight.

Come to think of it - Asmussen wasn't a big target yet at that time - but Dutrow and Pletcher sure were.

One of my favorites was Read The Footnotes in the Fountain of Youth.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

One of my favorites was Read The Footnotes in the Fountain of Youth.

Yeah - that was a certainly a great battle and two huge performances - seemed to take a toll on both horses.

Very fast race. Birdstone won an alw race in 1:42.40 at a mile and 70 yards on the card. That FOY was only a 1/5th of a second or so slower and 40 additional yards in distance.

[Soaring Softly]

You mentioned that Test Stakes.....You and Carson Hollow.

I believe that you can recall all of the greatest races you ever saw, and there will always be greater races in import that the Test Stakes of 2002, but the fact is that the 2002 Test Stakes is one of the most revered and treasured stakes races of all time.

It's been 7 years since that Saratoga day, and it's still like it was yesterday. You won that race, but it really didn't matter. The 2002 Test Stakes was a race for the ages, and it may very well be one of the most remembered races of all time.