[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Dinard didn't beat Olympio in the Santa Anita Derby, cuz Olympio wasn't in that race. Dinard did beat Olympio as a 3yo by a mere nose in the since defunct Los Feliz, a restricted one mile stakes run early in the SA winter meet.

Dinard bested an off the bench Best Pal twice leading up to the Derby (in two slowly rated races), but his season was cut short by injury. He returned the following winter at SA to get lit up by Olympio in the Malibu (by 9 lengths or so) and followed that up with a drubbing at the hands of Best Pal (in career form at the time) in the Strub Stakes.

Both Dinard and Olympio never ran again after the Strub. Best Pal ran for about 10 more years.

You are correct about the SA Derby. However, you are incorrect about the Los Feliz. In that race, Dinard, in his second career race, dusted Olympio by about five under a hand ride. It was Olympio that came back to beat Dinard by a nose in the San Vicente (1:21 1/5). Dinard then returned to win the San Rafael by a nose over Apollo, also beating Best Pal and Mane Minister, the 2-3 finishers in the Kentucky Derby. After that, Dinard won the SA Derby, again beating Best Pal and Mane Minister (Mane Minister was third in all three TC races) as well as San Felipe winner Sea Cadet and Scan, who went on to win two grade ones later in that year.

Dinard was not the same horse after his injury and if you want to hold his losses afterwards against him, that's fine. But it seems like you are making an effort to take away what he did do and in the winter of 1991, I don't think there was a better 3yo and Dinard was the favorite for the Kentucky Derby.