Benny the Bull retired after injury

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Thor's Echo is a better example than Reraise. He hadn't won a race in a year and a half - and he only entered the Ancient Title a few weeks before the BC Sprint because an allowance race didn't fill.

TE was 2nd to Bordonaro and parlayed the Sprint and DeFrancis Dash to an Eclipse.

Reraise was just awesome all year long in '98. Winning all four of his six furlong races in dominant wire-to-wire fashion after displaying razor sharp speed. His only loss a 2nd at Del Mar to Young At Heart going 7 furlongs where he went way too fast early and came apart in the final furlong. The only race in his 8 race career in which he didn't dominate. He was close to untouchable at three quarters.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Thor's Echo is a better example than Reraise. He hadn't won a race in a year and a half - and he only entered the Ancient Title a few weeks before the BC Sprint because an allowance race didn't fill.

TE was 2nd to Bordonaro and parlayed the Sprint and DeFrancis Dash.

Reraise was just awesome all year long in '98. Winning all four of his six furlong races in dominant wire-to-wire fashion after displaying razor sharp speed. His only loss a 2nd at Del Mar to Young At Heart going 7 furlongs where he went way too fast early and came apart in the final furlong. The only race in his 8 race career in which he didn't dominate. He was close to untouchable at three quarters.

I think he beat older horses twice that year, the AT and BC. Werent they the only grade 1's he had that year?

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I think he beat older horses twice that year, the AT and BC. Werent they the only grade 1's he had that year?

The BC Sprint was the only Grade 1 he ever ran in.

He won the Gr 2 Kentucky Cup Sprint by 12 and he wired the sprint field with Grand Slam and Kona Gold in behind him. He won a straight 3yo stake at HP earlier in the year by 6 over Souvenier Copy and Full Moon Madness.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

The BC Sprint was the only Grade 1 he ever ran in.

He won the Gr 2 Kentucky Cup Sprint by 12 and he wired the sprint field with Grand Slam and Kona Gold in behind him. He won a straight 3yo stake at HP earlier in the year by 6 over Souvenier Copy and Full Moon Madness.

Kona Gold was a lightly raced 4yo at the time who almost didn't make the Sprint. He had been sensational at Del Mar, romping in 3 straight allowance races (only Officer won easier at Del Mar in the last decade) despite breaking poorly in at least two of them. He was well backed in the Ancient Title, but didn't fire, finishing a modest 5th. That left him behind the 8-ball as far as BC points go, and Headley had to plead his case to whoever makes additions based on performance. Kona Gold got in as a member of the mutual field, which killed his price quite a bit, but he didn't get a particularly good trip anyways, lagging further back then usual, IIRC, before making an inside move on the far turn and staying on for 3rd.