Before the start ~ your personal, pre BC I memories

[Bogey]

Huge fan of Gate Dancer - the ear muff blinkers were cool.

[cal828]

Originally Posted by Bogey

Huge fan of Gate Dancer - the ear muff blinkers were cool.

Have never seen anything quite like that before or since. I saw him in the Arkansas Derby. I think it was the 1984 running. He got beat that day by the filly Althea and another horse by the name of Pine Circle. Wonder how they ever figured out that he needed the ear muff blinkers?

[Bogey]

Originally Posted by cal828

Have never seen anything quite like that before or since. I saw him in the Arkansas Derby. I think it was the 1984 running. He got beat that day by the filly Althea and another horse by the name of Pine Circle. Wonder how they ever figured out that he needed the ear muff blinkers?

He was a nervous wreck and the ear muffs helped drown out outside noises.

[Gate Dancer]

Originally Posted by Bogey

He was a nervous wreck and the ear muffs helped drown out outside noises.

Obviously one of my favorites, growing up in Omaha and living at Aks-Sar-Ben, I was a huge JVB and Gate Dancer fan. Certainly one of the best horses I have ever seen run in person. I still maintain that he had the reputation as somewhat of a 'bully' because he loved to make that move coming into the stretch and pull right up to the nose of anyone in front of him. He definitely wanted to intimidate other horses. I still say Wild Again was tiring and lugging a bit outward when Slew O Gold and Gate Dancer were pressing him in the stretch. Wild Again closed the hole on Slew not Gate Dancer. But I'm sure the stewards wanted no part of any DQ of the winner. GD made it easier for them with his reputation.

As an aside............the earmuff thing is still rare but I have seen a number of horses especially in Japan racing that seem to have the used this. Maybe because of the large crowds they get on track.

[afraidofthedark]

Best race---Personal Ensign over Winning Colors. Gutsiest performance I ever saw...epitomized the phrase "refusing to lose".
Best betting moment---The year Thirty Slews won the Sprint. Pools were fragmented in the day and got 30-1 on him at an OTB in IL when he was around 4-1 in CA. $$$$
Great thread!

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by cal828

Have never seen anything quite like that before or since. I saw him in the Arkansas Derby. I think it was the 1984 running. He got beat that day by the filly Althea and another horse by the name of Pine Circle. Wonder how they ever figured out that he needed the ear muff blinkers?

i've seen other horses with the muffs, altho some do just resort to cotton in the ears. i guess it wasn't enough noise reduction for him tho.

[alysheba4]

I was in the paddock for the 86 big cap, Gate dancer was very nervous around the huge crowd that day, he broke terrible and was 15 wide.......Jorge Valasquez was in from New York to ride him.... LOVED Jorge.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Cardus

I have a little bit of a memory of Slew O' Gold, "the big horse", as Durkin called him that day.

I think that he had problems with his hooves in '84, which left him to have a relatively short campaign that year.

Not too many horses with back-to-back wins in the Woodward and the Gold Cup ('83, '84).

I might be wrong about this, but one thing that the Breeders' Cup has highlighted is the "East Coast vs. West Coast" angle. Obviously, Breeders' Cup day is not the only vehicle for that, but as a big day of racing, I think it accentuates it.

by the time of the bc, he had three quarter cracks. they almost didn't run him, but wanted to be 'sporting' and help out the bc by running him.
check this out, perfect example of the press about the inaugural race, and slew o'gold's role in the big day..


http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=6676,5783345

[hi_im_god]

Originally Posted by Danzig

by the time of the bc, he had three quarter cracks. they almost didn't run him, but wanted to be 'sporting' and help out the bc by running him.
check this out, perfect example of the press about the inaugural race, and slew o'gold's role in the big day..


http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=6676,5783345

wow. superb find.

looking through it put the time in sharper focus for me. reagan/mondale and indira ghandi's assasination.

interesting read in the other sections of the paper. but i still think the interference played a bigger role in the loss than quarter cracks.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by hi_im_god

wow. superb find.

looking through it put the time in sharper focus for me. reagan/mondale and indira ghandi's assasination.

interesting read in the other sections of the paper. but i still think the interference played a bigger role in the loss than quarter cracks.

i do, too. always liked slew o'gold, and was sorely disappointed i couldn't see him a few years back when we went up to ky.

and to you, and cardus, when i saw that page i said 'wow'. love stumbling upon old stuff like that.

i have a book at home with copies of old newspaper articles on races horses, from colin vs fair play up through the 70's. i used to get that book at the elementary school library and look over it, repeatedly. then, found a copy on half.com. yay!


that youngblood article was a hoot-wonder how many even know who merlin olsen was! or youngblood for that matter...

and found stuff about the usfl in there. neat stuff.