VOTE FOR ZENYATTA IN THE "BEST BC CLASSIC" POLL!
Here is the link, and you can vote multiple times. She won a similar contest a while back and was on the official Breeders Cup Calendar as well as getting a "month" inside the calendar. http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/81059/30-years-in-30-days-best-classic-poll
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Tiznow is close behind. October 19, 5:30p.m. EST on NBC is the documentary Breeder's Cup Special - best of Breeder's.
By Steve Haskin,
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/81084/30-in-30-top-10-breeders-cups-1984-1993#ixzz2guHm47Nv
fanatic teacher
Jennifer- What city in Michigan? If you don't mind sharing. I'm originally from Traverse City and a majority of my family still lives there. I love Michigan and miss it so much that I wear a Petoskey stone necklace carved in the shape of Michigan everyday to remind me of home.
If you haven't read the description of the 1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup, it is one of the greatest stretch duels in history, and I honestly think reading the description is better than the video replay, because they describe all of the nuances, the drama that took place, the changing of the race from a speed-duel between two Triple Crown Winners to that of a spent Slew against a closer who pounced on an opportunity that opened up when Affirmed's saddle slipped and he was essentially out of the race. Eighteen lengths back was a rested Exceller with Bill Shoemaker on his back. In addition, Affirmed's trainer had put in a rabbit, Life's Hope, to tire Slew in the initial going so he didn't get an easy pace like he had to beat Affirmed in the Marlboro Cup a few weeks earlier. Slew, however, had other ideas, and he had set a blistering pace, with Affirmed and Life's Hope in hot pursuit. So, the stage was set! The following is from Wikipedia's Seattle Slew page:
"In October, Seattle Slew and Affirmed met again in the 1½-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont, which was televised nationally on the CBS network. Affirmed's trainer, Laz Barrera, did not want Seattle Slew to get an easy lead and dictate the pace as he did in the Marlboro Cup, so Barrera also entered a "rabbit" (Life's Hope) in an attempt to tire the horse. Barrera's plan was compromised; Seattle Slew set a blistering pace, chased by Affirmed and Life's Hope. "Slew" drew away; Affirmed's saddle then slipped, eliminating him from contention (he finished 5th). Seattle Slew ran in fractions of 22.60 for the first quarter, 45.20 for the half and 1:09.40 for three-quarters – very fast early times for a long race.
"Sitting far back, Willie Shoemaker, on Exceller, took advantage of the fast pace. Exceller made a strong move on the far turn and saved ground by moving inside Seattle Slew as the tiring horse bore out turning for home. Exceller took the lead at the top of the stretch, but Seattle Slew fought back and lost by a nose in a photo finish.
"This stretch run is still remembered as among the all-time best, ranking with Sunday Silence and Easy Goer's Preakness in 1989 and the battles between Affirmed and Alydar. Despite the defeat, many analysts considered this to be Seattle Slew's greatest performance. Andrew Beyer (a Seattle Slew skeptic when the horse was a three-year-old) wrote for his lead, "Exceller won Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup. Seattle Slew was its hero."
In other recounts of this race, Karen Taylor, Slew's owner, exclaimed after the race: "I cried not because he lost, but because he tried so hard!"
It is even more astonishing when you realize that earlier that year, after winning the Triple Crown the previous year, Seattle Slew nearly died from an illness. In terms of what would happen today, it is truly remarkable that they not only brought him back, but he had an amazing year, winding up the Eclipse winner for Older Horse!
Read Seattle Slew at Wikipedia, 1978:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Slew
And, the race, 1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup: