Ride Cigar and other great horses at http://www.horseracegame.com (audio quality poor) Track: Belmont Park Condition: firm Distance: 1 1/16 miles, turf Time: 1:43 Post position: 5 Finish: 4th, beaten 9 lengths Weight: 117 Odds: 1.70-1 (favorite) Starters: 5 Owner: Allen E. Paulson Trainer: William I. Mott Jockey: Mike Smith Beyer speed figure: 77 Announcer: Tom Durkin

Tags: Cigar 1994 thoroughbred horse racing Belmont Park allowance Mike Smith Tom Durkin tenth start

Ride Cigar and other great horses at http://www.horseracegame.com Track: Hollywood Park Condition: firm Distance: 1 1/8 miles, turf Time: 1:46 4/5 Post position: 9 Finish: 11th, beaten 14 1/2 lengths Weight: 122 Odds: 24.80-1 Starters: 14 Owner: Allen E. Paulson Trainer: Alex L. Hassinger, Jr. Jockey: Pat Valenzuela Beyer speed figure: 71 Announcer: Trevor Denman

Tags: Cigar 1993 thoroughbred horse racing Hollywood Park Derby Pat Valenzuela Trevor Denman ninth start

http://www.horseracegame.com Date: August 19, 2004 Track: Del Mar I'm happy to report no one was hurt. There are two parts to this video. First is a clip of the "head-on" camera shot, which clearly shows three maintenance workers diving as they realize the field is about to trample them. Notice the bucket that they leave on the course. The second part is the full race. At the 2:29 mark, you can see where the maintenance workers scramble, but it's not nearly as clear as the head-on shot. From Steve Andersen's report in the Daily Racing Form: "Three members of the Del Mar turf course staff nearly caused a catastrophic accident in the seventh race Thursday, when they were forced to scramble under the rail to avoid a field of seven horses while replacing divots on the turf course. "The three men dove under the inside rail just as the field turned for home and had so little time to react that they left a plastic bucket on the course, which the runners nearly struck. "The incident occurred with approximately a quarter-mile remaining in a race over 1 3/8 miles on turf. The three men walked onto the course and began working when the field passed the far turn for the first time. They were alerted of the oncoming field by the screams of the jockeys."

Tags: Thoroughbred horse racing oddity maintenance crew nearly trampled Del Mar Trevor Denman

Ride Cigar and other great horses at http://www.horseracegame.com Track: Del Mar Condition: firm Distance: 1 mile, turf Time: 1:35 Post position: 4 Finish: 2nd, beaten 1/2 length Weight: 115 Odds: 3.30-1 Starters: 6 Owner: Allen E. Paulson Trainer: Alex L. Hassinger, Jr. Jockey: Chris McCarron Beyer speed figure: 96 Announcer: Trevor Denman

Tags: Cigar 1993 thoroughbred horse racing Del Mar allowance Chris McCarron Trevor Denman sixth start

Ride Cigar and other great horses at http://www.horseracegame.com Track: Del Mar Condition: firm Distance: 1 1/16 miles, turf Time: 1:41 4/5 Post position: 5 Finish: 1st by 2 3/4 lengths Weight: 115 Odds: 1.90-1 (favorite) Starters: 10 Owner: Allen E. Paulson Trainer: Alex L. Hassinger, Jr. Jockey: Chris McCarron Beyer speed figure: 94 Announcer: Trevor Denman

Tags: Cigar 1993 thoroughbred horse racing Del Mar allowance Chris McCarron Trevor Denman fifth start

Ride Cigar and other great horses at http://www.horseracegame.com Track: Hollywood Park Condition: good Distance: 1 1/16 miles, turf Time: 1:41 2/5 Post position: 10 Finish: 3rd, beaten 1 3/4 lengths Weight: 117 Odds: 2.90-1 Starters: 10 Owner: Allen E. Paulson Trainer: Alex L. Hassinger, Jr. Jockey: Pat Valenzuela Beyer speed figure: 84 Announcer: Trevor Denman

Tags: Cigar 1993 thoroughbred horse racing Hollywood Park allowance Patrick Valenzuela Trevor Denman fourth start

Ride Cigar and other great horses at http://www.horseracegame.com Track: Hollywood Park Condition: firm Distance: 1 1/16 miles, turf Time: 1:41 1/5 Post position: 11 Finish: 4th, beaten 1 3/4 lengths Weight: 117 Odds: 3.80-1 Starters: 12 Owner: Allen E. Paulson Trainer: Alex L. Hassinger, Jr. Jockey: Pat Valenzuela Beyer speed figure: 85 Announcer: Trevor Denman

Tags: Cigar 1993 thoroughbred horse racing Hollywood Park allowance Patrick Valenzuela Trevor Denman third start

Ride Cigar and other great horses at http://www.horseracegame.com Track: Hollywood Park Condition: fast Distance: six furlongs Time: 1:09 2/5 Post position: 3 Finish: 1st by 2 1/4 lengths Weight: 117 Odds: 5.20-1 Starters: 6 Owner: Allen E. Paulson Trainer: Alex L. Hassinger, Jr. Jockey: Pat Valenzuela Beyer speed figure: 93 Announcer: Trevor Denman

Tags: Cigar 1993 thoroughbred horse racing Hollywood Park maiden special weight Patrick Valenzuela Trevor Denman second start

Ride Cigar and other great horses at http://www.horseracegame.com Track: Santa Anita Condition: good Distance: six furlongs Time: 1:10 4/5 Post position: 9 Finish: 7th, beaten 13 lengths Weight: 118 Odds: 5.10-1 Starters: 9 Owner: Allen E. Paulson Trainer: Alex L. Hassinger, Jr. Jockey: Pat Valenzuela Beyer speed figure: 53 Announcer: Trevor Denman

Tags: Cigar 1993 thoroughbred horse racing Santa Anita maiden special weight Pat Valenzuela Trevor Denman debut

http://www.horseracegame.com Sporting the distinctive yellow and black colors of Martha Gerry's Lazy F Ranch, Hall of Fame gelding Forego proved his versatility yet again in the May 18, 1974 Carter Handicap over seven furlongs at Belmont Park. Coming off a win in the mile and a quarter Widener Handicap, Forego (129 lbs.) defeated long time Gulfstream Park six furlong track record holder Mr. Prospector (124), a speedball who turned out to be one of history's great sires. After fractions of :22 1/5, :45, and 1:09 2/5, Forego was on his way to an easy two and a quarter length win in 1:22 1/5. Trained at this point of his career by Sherrill Ward and ridden by Heliodoro Gustines, Forego would ultimately be named Horse of the Year in 1974 for the first of three times. Later in the year he won the seven furlong Vosburgh and followed it up with a win in the two mile Jockey Club Gold Cup. They don't make them like that any more. Dave Johnson is the announcer.

Tags: Forego Mr. Prospector Heliodoro Gustines Carter Handicap Belmont Park 1974 Dave Johnson thoroughbred horse racing

http://www.horseracegame.com Making the penultimate start of his illustrious career, the Harbor View Farm's Affirmed was sent off at 2-5 and did not disappoint his backers as he rolled to a two and a half length victory in the September 22, 1979 Woodward Stakes over a sloppy Belmont Park oval. In his march toward Horse of the Year honors, Affirmed took on a pair of top younger rivals, including that year's Belmont Stakes winner Coastal and the talented Czaravich. Sirlad and Mister Brea rounded out the field of five. Affirmed was trained by Laz Barrera and ridden here by Laffit Pincay, Jr., who finished first aboard Affirmed (with one disqualification) the ten times he ultimately piloted him. Marshall Cassidy has the call.

Tags: Affirmed Coastal Laffit Pincay Woodward Stakes Belmont Park 1979 Laz Barrera Marshall Cassidy thoroughbred horse racing

http://www.horseracegame.com It may not have been as exciting as Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction, but as Mary Rampelllini reported in the Daily Racing Form: The featured ninth race at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., on Thursday was declared a no contest after the starting gate was unable to be pulled from the racetrack because of problems with a tractor. Wagers on the race were refunded, while bets tied into multiple races were given an "all" in the ninth race. "We had a tractor malfunction," said David Longinotti, assistant general manager at Oaklawn. "We told it to go, and it wouldn't go. We'll obviously completely check out the tractor tonight, and hopefully we won't have any more problems with it in the future." The horses started to be pulled up at the top of the stretch in the 1 1/16-mile race. Jockey Calvin Borel, who was aboard the front-running Richwood Silver, noticed the gate and began shouting to his fellow riders while pulling up his mount. The starting-gate crew and outriders also waved off the field. There appeared to be no injuries as a result of the mishap. --- Enjoy this video from March 13, 2008. Terry Wallace is the announcer.

Tags: thoroughbred horse racing oddity starting gate tractor malfunction Oaklawn Park Terry Wallace Calvin Borel

http://www.horseracegame.com For some reason I find oddities like this May 16, 2004 race very entertaining. The Hasta la Vista Handicap at Turf Paradise in Arizona is run at what today is an unusually long distance of 1 7/8 miles. This requires two full circuits of the course, rather than the usual one time around in most races. Unfortunately for jockey Jorge Carreno, he forgets that minor detail, creating a very unusual sitation. On a personal note, in the early 1980s, I recall Hall of Fame jockey Jorge Velasquez falling victim to the same mental lapse in the 2 1/4 mile Display Handicap at Aqueduct. My father and I got a big kick out of the fans watching the replay cheering "come on Georgie" the first time around, as he was furiously whipping and driving despite having a mile left to run.

Tags: thoroughbred horse racing oddity jockey misjudged distance

http://www.horseracegame.com Carrying 132 lbs. including jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., on June 24, 1979 the Harbor View Farm's Affirmed added the Hollywood Gold Cup to a long résumé filled with remarkable achievements. In this race, Affirmed also became the first horse to break $2 million in earnings. The Hall of Famer, two time horse of the year, and Triple Crown winner was trained by Laz Barrera. Harry Henson is the race announcer.

Tags: Affirmed Laffit Pincay Hollywood Gold Cup 1979 Laz Barrera Harry Henson horse racing

http://www.horseracegame.com On June 17, 1972, Glen Hill Farm's Convenience, trained by Willard Proctor and ridden by Jerry Lambert, squared off against Westerly Stud's Typecast (trained by A. T. Doyle with Bill Shoemaker up) in a match race which drew 53,575 spectators to Hollywood Park. Both distaffers carried 120 lbs. in this 1 1/8 miles contest, which offered a $250,000 winner-take-all purse. These two had exchanged decisions before, but the public settled on Typecast as the 2-5 favorite. As a side note, Typecast was named champion older female that year, thanks to versatile record featuring major stakes wins at 7 furlongs on dirt up to 2 miles on turf, including against males, and on both coasts. They don't make them like they used to. Harry Henson has the call.

Tags: thoroughbred horse racing match race Convenience Typecast Hollywood Park Shoemaker Harry Henson

http://www.horseracegame.com On July 10, 1982, French and Beal's Landaluce, an absolutely brilliant filly trained by D. Wayne Lukas, gallops home in the Hollywood Lassie, a race that eventually would be renamed in her honor. With Laffit Pincay, Jr. aboard, Landaluce sets fractions of :21 2/5 and :43 4/5 on her way to six furlongs in 1:08, in just her second start as a two-year-old. After remaining unbeaten in five career starts, Landaluce succumbed to illness and died. She was named the champion two-year-old filly of 1982. Harry Henson narrates this tour de force.

Tags: thoroughbred horse racing Hollywood Park Landaluce Wayne Lukas Laffit Pincay

http://www.horseracegame.com Enjoy watching Christiana Stable's Go For Wand winning the mile and a quarter Alabama Stakes at Saratoga in 1990. Trained by Billy Badgett with Randy Romero aboard, the ill-fated champion Go For Wand was ultimately laid to rest in the infield at Saratoga, where she is also enshrined in the Hall of Fame and has a race named for her. Here, Marshall Cassidy provides the call as Go For Wand toys with two rivals, including Coaching Club American Oaks winner Charon and the hopelessly outclassed Monmouth Oaks winner Pampered Star.

Tags: thoroughbred horse racing 1990 Alabama Stakes Saratoga Go For Wand Christiana Stable Randy Romero Marshall Cassidy

http://www.horseracegame.com Here is Calumet Farm's Our Mims winning the mile and a half Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park in 1977. Trained by John Veitch with Jorge Velasquez aboard, Our Mims went on to win an Eclipse Award as the champion three-year-old filly that season. The incomparable Charles D. "Chic" Anderson is the announcer. You may also want to visit www.ourmims.org, where I originally found this video. Enjoy!

Tags: horse racing 1977 Coaching Club American Oaks Belmont Park Our Mims Calumet Farm Veitch Jorge Velasquez Chic Anderson