Best Horses not to win a derby who ran into it
 

EMPIRE MAKER
POINT GIVEN
aFLEET ALIX

Another one
 

SHAM !
losing to Big Red in 1973 and then had his heart broken in the Belmont

if Russell Baze rode Sham it would of won, same goes for Gary Stevens

No jockey on earth riding any horse in history beats Secretariat in the Triple Crown! Just exactly what would a different jockey do? I agree Sham was one of the best ever to not win...I'd say Native Dancer would be first however!

Holy Bull and Forego

Going Wild.

I just don't see what Russell Baze riding Gary Stevens has to do with this particular topic. To each his own I guess.

Native Dancer, Easy Goer and Holy Bull...

1. Native Dancer
2. Bimelech
3. Damascus

Alydar
Bold Ruler
Gallant Man
Round Table
Best Pal
Forego (lost to Secretariat)
Honest Pleasure

Don't bother to argue with him, it's just a cry for attention.

Going back to 1940, there have been some good ones, but Native Dancer has got to top the list. Also Damascus, Nashua, Bimelech, Little Current, Risen Star, Point Given, Afleet Alex, Tobasco Cat, Hansel, and Capot all won the Preakness and Belmont.

Nashua.....

HOLY BULL

Sheer Insanity
Point Given may have given Holy Bull a little tussle, but the Bull was so much better than the other two, they don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath.

Beautiful pic. What an animal.
Haven't seen a display of courage like his in the Travers since then, that was heart personified.
And if you wanna see a frightening display of raw power, watch his Woodward.

http://opinions.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=23481

Note the part about the FBI.
Croll later said that they concluded he had been tampered with before the Derby.

This was a magnificent horse. His place in history diminished because his career ending injury coiinicided with the true assertion of Cigar, he slipped through the cracks.

Wish someone had the video of his Met Mile or Woodward or Travers.
Now this was a superhorse.

I know, I have most of his races on tape.. I go back and watch them a few times each year... I was there for that Woodward on Super Saturday 94, it was the best experience ive ever had as a racing fan.

One of my favorites as well. I played the pik-6 that day and caught some chalk but went "all" in the Vosburgh and caught the longest shot, Harlan. Singled Royal Mountain Inn in the grass race preceeding the Woodward and was alive with the Bull. I think I spent like 120 bucks.
Bull didn't make the lead, he stalked and when he decided it was time to go, he hit them with a quarter mile burst that would have knocked any field off their feet.
What i remember as he rolled home in front was that Mike Smith was so excited with what he had just felt that before the wire he stood up and pumped his arm as high in the air as you ever saw a jockey do that, I was actually afraid for a moment that he was gonna fly right out of the saddle.
I think the pik-6 paid like 2 grand, maybe a little less.

Pretty amazing, I wasnt aware the FBI contacted Croll...

I uploaded some of his races to Youtube...

Woodward: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvixU1BNrMA

Travers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPezwDz9MC8

Met Mile: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfCRLP_fQjg

Haskell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsFdO-OICsw

Florida Derby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OJwB5IHlV0

Olympic Handicap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb9_I7uhiRk

Futurity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgSO4tOPS0w

Driscoll
Inventor
Governor Gray

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPezw...elated&search=

Just found a sweet treat for those who weren't following the sport yet in 1994.
Its the Travers, D wayne Lukas decided to run a rabbit to soften up the Bull in hopes it would help his Belmont and Preakness winner Tabasco Cat.
Eventual Super derby and Breeders Cup Classic winner is in the field under Jerry Bailey.
Take a look, and take note of the fractions he sets en route to victory.
That folks, is an alltime great.
Enjoy

Yeah, Smith was as pumped as any jockey ive seen after that race... The crowd was wild after that race too.. I loved the fact that he stalked in there, it's still painful thinking about what might have been had he not gotten injured... I guess we should be thankful we witnessed it, even though it was brief.. it was an awesome career..

A few other races from that pick six...

1994 Ruffian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO0h4oyb6WI

1994 Man o'War: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRuHRYY58Io

1994 Matron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBLTrlHKlfg

Awesome stuff Kiri!!!!!
You know as I watched some races on Youtube today I was struck several times by the track announcer calling a pace moderate or saying it had slowed.
The fractions within these races were just so much faster than you see lately in these 4-6 horse crawl fests where they go in 48 or 47:4.
That Woodward contained at least 7 grade one winners, and the only one I'm not sure was a grade one winner was Pistols and Roses and he may have been.
Imagine that? At least 7 horses with grade one wins lining up in one race that wasn't called the Breeders Cup?
Good luck seeing that ever again.

But did you notice who was ten lengths back going into the stretch and only lost by a nose. Only Vic Gallop had a better kick. :) Thanks for video. I miss Concern. I loved that little horsie.

No doubt Buffy. Thats what made his race so special. Beating a horse who went on next to win the Super Derby(back when that was a big race) and the Breeders Cup Classic after being punished in those grueling fractions(22:4 1st quarter in a mile and a quarter race) and then rolling away on the turn and still finding more to turn away Concern and Bailey was just incredible.
One of Durkin's all time greatest calls. What a horse.

It was pretty amazing, every horse in there was a Grade 1 winner, a who's who of the handicap division.. Pistols and Roses was a dual G1 winner, he took the 93 and 94 Donn.

I agree.... I doubt we'll ever see anything like that again in the US outside of the BC...

Ok so 8 grade one winners entered the gate!!! Thats just awesome!

Photo of '94 Woodward
 

I cut out the photo of him crossing the finish line in that race, taped it on a wall at work. The wall it was on was concrete and a leak from the second floor would have water run down it when it rained hard. The water sealed that newspaper clip to the wall, like it was laminated. It was on that wall until this past summer when my building flooded out and when it refurbished, they painted over it. The photo was out of the Schenectady Gazette and that was one AWESOME race!

That's a neat story!

native dancer.
followed by alydar.

Alydar then Easy Goer.

We, from "the Valley" are very sick puppies indeed.
Mark I'm heading out there soon, I'll stop in at Fort Plain OTB and see if you are around when I go out there.

thanks for the GREAT video !

Let me know what day, there are "big" changes to come for that parlor, hopefully not for the worst! :mad:

I didn't read through this but there's only one answer: Native Dancer!

Without a doubt, Native Dancer. Only lost by a head after a troubled trip & questionable ride. The only race he ever lost. I think most people are unaware that he had a better race record than Man O'War.

You? I haven't slept a wink since it happened.

are f*cking kidding me?
I like all 3 of those, but come on.
I will restrict this to just horses of our lifetime(we are about the same age) b/c otherwise the list would just be too long of horses that were better than the ones you listed.

Slew O'Gold
Holy Bull
Easy Goer
Skip Away
Hansel
Best Pal
Risen Star
Gate Dancer
Congaree
MDO

if you want to talk about Native Dancer and Nasua, well, there are plenty of others if you want to go far back in history.



Repent

Commanche Run was eventually repurchased by his breeder and retired to a life as a pleasure horse. Concern was always underrated.

Back to the topic: Damascus
Native Dancer
Forego