Best Race You've Seen In Person

[Bigsmc]

1991 Deputy Minister

Unbridled off a layoff after his BCC victory, turns back to a sprint and runs down Housebuster in the lane. Unbelievable closing kick.

Have to agree with PSH, last year's Whitney was awful exciting.

[cmorioles]

Haskell: Bet Twice, Alysheba, Lost Code noses apart at the wire
Preakness: Silver Charm, Free House, Captain Bodgit
Haskell: Forty Niner and Seeking the Gold in an epic battle

[2Hot4TV]

Spectacular Bid setting a track record at Santa Anita @ 1 1/4.

[SentToStud]

1976 Marlboro Cup. Forego running down Honest Pleasure from 10-12 lengths back carrying 137 in the slop.

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by 2Hot4TV

Spectacular Bid setting a track record at Santa Anita @ 1 1/4.

I would pay good money to go back in time and be there for this.

[slotdirt]

Hmmm. The most impressive race I ever attended was definitely the 2005 Preakness.

Absolutely the best race I ever saw was the first race I attended:
1989 Preakness Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. Locked in stride down the entire stretch! What a thrilling race! I've been hooked by this sport ever since.

1989 Sunday Silence wins Preakness. I bet on Easy Goer.. but a great race, one of the greatest stretch duels of all time.

[slotdirt]

This year's CompUSA Dixie was a pretty good one, as was last year's. Artie Hanger in a photo on both counts.

[stonegossard]

Brass Hat winning The Donn last year.

[dellinger63]

Most impressive race to me was Storm Flag Flying in her Juvi Filly race. Appeared at one point she was passed but gutted out a second move and as I said before, left a little part of her heart out on the Arlington home stretch.

[Pointg5]

1. Silver Charm and Wild Rush dead heat in the Kentucky Cup Classic, they ran a 124 Beyer that day, I believe it was the highest of 1998....


2. More Than Ready and High Yield in the 1999 Blue Grass Stakes...

3. Ghostzapper winning the Breeders Cup, just because I got to see him in person...

[Gander]

You & and the late great Carson Hollow in an epic battle at the greatest racetrack in the world. Summer of 2002 I believe.

[Pedigree Ann]

Maybe I was more impressionable when I was a youngster, but one that stands out in my mind was the 1971 San Juan Capistrano, when His Felinity, Cougar II (all turn to the south and bow low), came flying past turf champion Fort Marcy and drew out. I hugged a complete stranger that day, which if you knew me, you would find astonishing. I also saw Ack Ack win the San Antonio that year, but it didn't make the same impression on me. That was the difference between those two horses - Ack Ack was a workmanlike runner, while the Coug was a dramatic one.

Other races that come to mind are Agitate winning the Hollywood Derby (12f turf in the summer) over Stardust Mel, the filly La Zanzara winning the San Juan Capistrano over the guys (a damp, misty day), and the gutsy win of the 'pretty horsie' Solar Salute over the hulks Quack and Royal Owl in the Santa Anita Derby.

[alysheba4]

1988 santa anita handicap, alysheba getting the nod over ferdinand........sheba making one of the most awesome moves on the backstretch ever seen.

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by turf fan

Absolutely the best race I ever saw was the first race I attended:
1989 Preakness Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. Locked in stride down the entire stretch! What a thrilling race! I've been hooked by this sport ever since.

I would have loved to have seen that!

[estreetposse]

2005 Preakness: Afleet Alex

2001 Kentucky Derby: Monarchos

2001 Belmont: Point Given

really don't head to the track unless it's a really big day, no point really. Hate the crowds and 2 second trips to the fridge has beat out waiting in line 10+ min. and missing the post for a hot dog

-bt-

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by turf fan

Absolutely the best race I ever saw was the first race I attended:
1989 Preakness Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. Locked in stride down the entire stretch! What a thrilling race! I've been hooked by this sport ever since.

That was the first race you ever attended!! Wow!! As you can tell by longtime Avatar and signature I am a pretty big fan of that race (and particularly my all-time favorite horse Sunday Silence).
That was the race that got me hooked on the sport too.....but I wasn't fortunate enough to see it live.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Hmmm. The most impressive race I ever attended was definitely the 2005 Preakness.

I'm in some of the photos of "the crash". Was sitting in the Top of the Stretch section and it literally happened right in front of us, across the turf course. That race ranks right up there, along with the 2004 rendition, but one that I'd never forget was the 1983 Champagne Stakes, a coronation of America's best 2YO since Spectacular Bid. It created a fan for life.

[Thunder Gulch]

Silver Charm's Derby dogfight putting away Freehouse and holding off Captain Bodgit at the wire.

Silverbulletday's Oaks wasn't the most exciting race competitively, but the way she responded on cue when the button was pushed was one of the greatest (though predictable) moves I've seen.