Spectacular Bid

[cakes44]

Some of those fractions and final times are amazing. I can't imagine how much time a Pletcher horse would have to take off after any one of those efforts in California.

I guess they never heard of the "bounce" back then.

[Indian Charlie]

Can you please post Zenyatta's PPS to show just how much better she is than Spectacular Bid?

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Can you please post Zenyatta's PPS to show just how much better she is than Spectacular Bid?

Zenyatta has a great cut in terms of her PP's ... she falls a long way short in a lot of different other areas though.

Here are cuts of a few good in-form So. Cal horses The Bid dismantled when he went out West.

* Beau's Eagle (19-9-3-4 lifetime) didn't fare so well in his two meetings:



* Flying Paster (13-for-27 lifetime and voted California horse of the year in '78) he was basically owned by The Bid. Aaron Hesz swears Flying Paster was a sensationally good horse.



* Relaunch (not exactly the best of horses - but a damn good sire. He sired a Breeders Cup Classic winner in Skywalker - and was the dam sire of BC Classic winner Ghostzapper) He got destroyed by the Bid in two meetings.



* Valdez (8-for-16 lifetime classy Grade 1 winner)




Obviously, The Bid faced a lot better competition in the East ... but he just shipped out to So. Cal and absolutely curb stomped all of the best horses out there. He went 1:20 flat in the Malibu off a layoff.

[randallscott35]

You weren't here when I posted the same breakdown 4 years ago. Its in the archives somewhere. The Bid is unmatched.

[OldDog]

What a monster!

[ArlJim78]

the Bid is number one for me. In my book there have been none better.

look at his SA campaign in 1980. 7F to 10F, he ran everyone off their feet. smoked 'em

[randallscott35]

He deserves the Diane Lane movie.

[Indian Charlie]

Paster was a complete monster. He just was unlucky, historically speaking.

I was a big fan of Valdez. He sired an early favorite of mine, Basic Rate.

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Looking at the 70's the best I could - I have to think for sure he's the top rated horse since 1970.

For sure?

These horses were before my time, so I can't say definitively, but when you factor in Secretariat's superiority at distances beyond 10f - and the ability he showed on turf - I have hard time saying anyone is "for sure" better than him historically.

I think you're right that if you look only at running 7f-10f on the dirt, the Bid is probably the best ever. But as I know you know well, that isn't all there is to the sport. Could Sec have dominated a 7f race like the Malibu the way the Bid did? I'm guessing probably not. But could the Bid do what Sec did in the Belmont and the Man O' War? Probably not.

[smartbid09]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Paster was a complete monster. He just was unlucky, historically speaking.

I agree. Paster was a monster and it's a shame that he lost when it counted most.