Best Race You've Seen In Person

[Pointg5]

1. Silver Charm and Wild Rush dead heat in the Kentucky Cup Classic, they ran a 124 Beyer that day, I believe it was the highest of 1998....


2. More Than Ready and High Yield in the 1999 Blue Grass Stakes...

3. Ghostzapper winning the Breeders Cup, just because I got to see him in person...

[Gander]

You & and the late great Carson Hollow in an epic battle at the greatest racetrack in the world. Summer of 2002 I believe.

[alysheba4]

1988 santa anita handicap, alysheba getting the nod over ferdinand........sheba making one of the most awesome moves on the backstretch ever seen.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by Gander

You & and the late great Carson Hollow in an epic battle at the greatest racetrack in the world. Summer of 2002 I believe.

What a race that was wan't it? I was at the finish line on the Clubhouse apron, Thank god I am 6'4'' and had just the best view of them batteling it out down the stretch. It still gives me chills how exciting that was.

[Pedigree Ann]

Maybe I was more impressionable when I was a youngster, but one that stands out in my mind was the 1971 San Juan Capistrano, when His Felinity, Cougar II (all turn to the south and bow low), came flying past turf champion Fort Marcy and drew out. I hugged a complete stranger that day, which if you knew me, you would find astonishing. I also saw Ack Ack win the San Antonio that year, but it didn't make the same impression on me. That was the difference between those two horses - Ack Ack was a workmanlike runner, while the Coug was a dramatic one.

Other races that come to mind are Agitate winning the Hollywood Derby (12f turf in the summer) over Stardust Mel, the filly La Zanzara winning the San Juan Capistrano over the guys (a damp, misty day), and the gutsy win of the 'pretty horsie' Solar Salute over the hulks Quack and Royal Owl in the Santa Anita Derby.

[LARHAGE]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

Maybe I was more impressionable when I was a youngster, but one that stands out in my mind was the 1971 San Juan Capistrano, when His Felinity, Cougar II (all turn to the south and bow low), came flying past turf champion Fort Marcy and drew out. I hugged a complete stranger that day, which if you knew me, you would find astonishing. I also saw Ack Ack win the San Antonio that year, but it didn't make the same impression on me. That was the difference between those two horses - Ack Ack was a workmanlike runner, while the Coug was a dramatic one.

Other races that come to mind are Agitate winning the Hollywood Derby (12f turf in the summer) over Stardust Mel, the filly La Zanzara winning the San Juan Capistrano over the guys (a damp, misty day), and the gutsy win of the 'pretty horsie' Solar Salute over the hulks Quack and Royal Owl in the Santa Anita Derby.

Oh my God, I loved Solar Salute!!!!!! I haven't heard that name in eons!!!!!!

[FATPIANO]

1978 JCGP Exceller, Seattle Slew and Affirmed, a blast from the past

[horseofcourse]

1979 Ohio Derby...Smarten set a track record that still stands today at venerable junk heap T-down! Of course that was my only visit to a thoroughbred track!! For some reason talked my dad into taking me for my 13th birthday and he did...increased my birthday payroll just a tiny bit with my 10 dollar win bet on Smarten...(low odds though!) Good horse, destroyed the field!! Seen lots of good quarter horse races, but those don't count.

[2Hot4TV]

John Henry winning the Goodwood at Santa Anita before he was a racing God. He payed 7/2 that day.

[ceejay]

Conquistador Cielo's ('82) Belmont wire job, laying off 6 days from a track record in the MET Mile!

[SniperSB23]

Apparently I posted in the wrong thread earlier. The best races I've seen in person are probably the 2005 and 2006 Whitneys.

[-BT-]

1. 1973 Secretariat & Sham- my first Derby
2. 1997 Preakness- Silver Charm, Free House & Captaim Bodgit
3. 1966 Scarborough Downs- cheap claimers in Maine, but a triple dead heat for win

[westcoastinvader]

Originally Posted by horseofcourse

1979 Ohio Derby...Smarten set a track record that still stands today at venerable junk heap T-down! Of course that was my only visit to a thoroughbred track!! For some reason talked my dad into taking me for my 13th birthday and he did...increased my birthday payroll just a tiny bit with my 10 dollar win bet on Smarten...(low odds though!) Good horse, destroyed the field!! Seen lots of good quarter horse races, but those don't count.

Kudos for finding and remembering an Ohio race to rightfully toss into this circle!

Whodathunkit!

(I cut my teeth on the old Akron-Cleveland area tracks......most of which disappeared and were consolidated into "modern day" Thistledown just before you were born)

[slotdirt]

Smarten....definitely one of the more underrated stallions of the last 25 or 30 years.