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Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind
Poor Dispersal. Never got the respect he deserved.
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Ironically, Steve Haskin in his latest spew regarding Arrogate had this to say about the 1989 Blue Grass (which featured Dispersal), and more specifically, winner Western Playboy:
In 1989, there was a Midwestern-based 3-year-old named Western Playboy, who had scored a narrow victory in the Blue Grass Stakes, run in a slow 1:51 1/5. After finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby, beaten almost 23 lengths, Western Playboy proceeded to be beaten 12 1/2 lengths in the St. Paul Derby and 9 1/4 lengths in the Arlington Classic before finishing a non-threatening fourth in the American Derby and Fairmount Park Derby. He was put in a small stakes for Illinois-breds, which he won by 1 1/2 lengths. Trainer Harvey Vanier then put him in the Pennsylvania Derby. Where his performance in that race came from no one knows, but Western Playboy exploded on the far turn in the 12-horse field, then drew off to win by 17 lengths in 1:47 3/5, shattering the brilliant Afleet’s stakes record.
Let's see. First of all, the Blue Grass was run on a muddy track. Secondly, in that race he defeated the previously unbeaten Dispersal, who in the span of about 30 days had won his 6f maiden debut, the Risen Star Stakes, and the Louisiana Derby (and yet we fawn over a horse like Runhappy nowadays). Thirdly, in his start prior to the Blue Grass, Western Playboy won the Jim Beam, tying the track record and turning the tables on Mercedes Won, who had beaten him in the Florida Derby.
Western Playboy spent the summer chasing old familiar rivals like Clever Trevor, Tricky Creek, and Roi Danzig after dealing with an infected leg around the Kentucky Derby. I'm not sure why rounding back into form to reclaim his post as the best of the second tier 3yos with an emphatic win in a Grade 3 race at Philadelphia Park is so otherworldly to poor ole Steve. I hope he didn't really think he had a shot against Sunday Silence and Easy Goer in the BC Classic.
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Sea Hero, on the other hand, got way more.
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I wanna buy that statue one day.