The best race you have witnessed

[NoChanceToDance]

Originally Posted by parsixfarms

Of those that I've seen live, the ones that I remember most include the following top 10. Those that didn't have a photo finish certainly had a "wow" factor:

1987 Whitney (Java Gold)

1991 Breeders Cup Juvenile (Arazi)

1994 Travers (Holy Bull/"... but there's cause for Concern...")

1996 Test (Capote Belle)

1997 Belmont (Touch Gold)

1998 Belmont (Victory Gallop nails Real Quiet)

1999 Breeders Cup Turf (Daylami)

2004 Belmont (Birdstone beats Smarty Jones - without question the most electric atmosphere I've ever experienced at the racetrack)

2004 Vanderbilt (Speightstown)

4th race at Saratoga on September 2, 2004 (our filly Wateree wins at Saratoga).

you've witnessed MANY very good races.

Lucky you.


Seems to me you get much better queality finishes over in the states, especially of your big races. Over here we usually get one horse so much better than the rest. For good finishes, we are better off watching a maiden claimer.

[viscount26]

1977 Grand National
Red Rum winning his 3rd Grand National. I went with my Grandpa, god rest his soul. He used to sneak me into the bookies with him, every Saturday afternoon.

[NoChanceToDance]

Originally Posted by viscount26

1977 Grand National
Red Rum winning his 3rd Grand National. I went with my Grandpa, god rest his soul. He used to sneak me into the bookies with him, every Saturday afternoon.

You're so lucky to have been at Aintree for that day.

Haha, i know what you're talking about getting sneaked into the bookies on a saturday morning. That was me every weekend when i wasn't really old enough to go in them.

[Pedigree Ann]

Originally Posted by viscount26

1977 Grand National
Red Rum winning his 3rd Grand National. I went with my Grandpa, god rest his soul. He used to sneak me into the bookies with him, every Saturday afternoon.

I still get teary-eyed when I even READ about this race! What a horse Rummy was!

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by NoChanceToDance

Seems to me you get much better queality finishes over in the states, especially of your big races. Over here we usually get one horse so much better than the rest. For good finishes, we are better off watching a maiden claimer.

Unfortunately, with the increasing narrowing of top horses into a relatively few barns, Grade I races with deep fields and close finishes are becoming rare here in the states as well.

[NoChanceToDance]

Originally Posted by parsixfarms

Unfortunately, with the increasing narrowing of top horses into a relatively few barns, Grade I races with deep fields and close finishes are becoming rare here in the states as well.

I guess you are just a little way behind with that process then. It's a shame because i thought America would manage to keep away from that problem. From what i have seen, your owners are far more stubborn to sell to bigger owners than they are over here.

Although i don't know much about all the good horses in the States, i love watching the good graded races you have, they seem to be much more competitive than many of our races, especially this year. We have such a weak 3yo crop it's pathetic.

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by NoChanceToDance

I guess you are just a little way behind with that process then. It's a shame because i thought America would manage to keep away from that problem. From what i have seen, your owners are far more stubborn to sell to bigger owners than they are over here.

It's not so much that the smaller owners are less willing to sell, but that so many of the high-profile owners are utilizing many of the same trainers. For eaxmple, an outfit like Todd Pletcher's has hundreds of well-bred, well-connected horses. He manages the stable in such a way that his top horses rarely run against one another, save for a race like the Kentucky Derby (where he had five entries for different owners) and the Breeders' Cup. I'm not saying he is wrong for doing so, but the end result is that most Grade I stakes races in the US have small fields with a prohibitive favorite.