I can't believe no one has said Riva Ridge. He was a superstar. how he ever lost to BeeBeeBee in the preakness boggled the mind of a little kid like me. I was hooked though. Hosses were like heroes back then to me. the 70's hosses and music were the best there ever was. Nothing has changed. Secretariat, Foolish pleasure, Affirmed, Slew, the Bid...These were household names.

The little Snow Chief in 1986. I can't believe I've been at this nearly 30 years.

First Derby horse I remember rooting for was Slew o' Gold in 1983.

First Derby I bet was 1993 but don't remember who.

First Derby I won was 1995 with Thunder Gulch.

Ding, ding , ding, you just awakened some of my old brain cells with the mention of Majestic Prince. Loved him

Easy Goer undoubtedly, by virtue of seeing him so often from the beginning. But the first 'reaches' where I thought 2yo's were going to become really good horses were Yonder (didn't make Derby) & Lost Mountain (made Derby)..

Funny Cide.. Close to home

and the ensuing controversy over the jersey derby. what a wake up call that was to the powers behind the triple crown races!

I'm quite close to Sackatoga Stables too. As for my first Derby hit, Grandma took us to the OTB, $2 to win on Sea Hero, '93, hooked for life.

Was at a wedding day Funny Cide won Preakness... My wife's grandmother was adamant that we head to OTB to place a win bet on him between wedding and reception. Great times. Now if it was just me who wanted to place the bet, wife would have been peeved to say the least but here 78 year old grandmother, well that was different. Had a few manhattans, placed the bet and the rest is history

i remember that very well. it was disappointing to see him skip the preakness.

Although I was old enough to be aware of the great horses who ran in the 70s, it wasn't until later that I came to a fuller appreciation of just how tremendous they were. My "first" was when I was getting my feet wet hot walking at the Lexington training center. Swale was from just up the road and was all the talk. Unfortunately he also taught me just how quickly the highs can be followed by the absolute lows.

First Derby I remember was Pleasant Colony in 1981, I was 8.

yes it was. but it provoked some good changes.

it's too bad they can't get the triple crown bonus going again.

Laser Light in '82. I was 7. Lasers were cool.

They could get Warren Buffett to sponsor the triple crown, call it the "Quicken Loans TC Buffett Bonus." You ok thru all of those twister there 'Zig?

Alydar. Each race I was closer to being right, but still wrong each time.

For harness horses, the great Niatross, the best pacer to grace a harness track.

Slew o' Gold

Nice piece by Robin Foster
http://www.drf.com/news/swales-derby...right-30-years

all fine here, further north got hammered bad tho.