Spectacular Bid

Spectacular Bid
Spectacular Bid
	File:Spectacular Bid Kentucky Derby.jpg Sports Illustrated cover story on Spectacular Bid
Sire	Bold Bidder
Grandsire	Bold Ruler
Dam	Spectacular
Damsire	Promised Land
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1976
Country	USA
Colour	Gray
Breeder	Madelyn Jason; Mrs. William Gilmore
Owner	Hawksworth Farm
Trainer	Bud Delp
Record	30:26-2-1
Earnings	$2,781,608
Major wins
	Champagne Stakes (1978); Laurel Futurity (1978); Florida Derby (1979); Kentucky Derby (1979); Preakness Stakes (1979); Strub Series (1980); Santa Anita Handicap (1980)
Awards
	Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Male (1978); Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male (1979); Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male (1980); Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year (1980); Timeform rating: 141
Honours
	National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (1982); #10 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
	Last updated on October 21, 2006

Spectacular Bid (February 17,1976 — June 9, 2003) was an American thoroughbred race horse. His sire was Bold Bidder, stakes winner of 13 races and son of Bold Ruler. His dam was Spectacular by Promised Land, one of the most dominant racers of his time.

Spectacular Bid won 26 races of 30 started, winning $2,781,607 USD over his career, a then-record sum. He finished less than third place just once in his career. He is probably most noted for his ill-fated attempt at winning the Triple Crown which came up short in the Belmont Stakes as a result of a freak accident involving a safety pin in his stall the morning of the race and a questionable ride by jockey Ronnie Franklin.

The Los Angeles Times quoted jockey Bill Shoemaker as saying that Spectacular Bid was the best horse he ever rode. [1]

History

Prior to racing

Spectacular Bid was bred by Madelyn Jason and her mother, Mrs. William Gilmore. As a yearling, he was sold at auction for US$37,000 at the Keeneland 1977 September yearling sale to Harry and Teresa Meyerhoff of Hawksworth Farm.

Racing career

Spectacular Bid began his racing career in 1978 as a two-year-old under the training of Grover G. "Bud" Delp, who would remain Spectacular Bid's trainer throughout his racing career. His first start occurred on June 30 at Pimlico Race Course, where over 5 1/2 furlong distance, he came within 2/5ths of a second of the track record for that distance. Three weeks later at his next start at Pimlico he tied the record. By the end of his first year of racing, he had won 5 stakes races in 9 starts, set two track records, won US$384,484 and was named the Eclipse champion 2-year-old colt for the year. He was soon being compared to recent Triple Crown champions Seattle Slew and Affirmed.

Spectacular Bid's second year of racing began where his first left off, reeling off 5 wins in rapid succession including a strong 4 1/2 length win in the Florida Derby. The Florida victory was all the more amazing in light of it being one of the worst rides by Franklin aboard Bid. Although managing to win, Franklin had ridden Spectacular Bid so erratically in the Florida Derby that Delp chewed him out in public. "You idiot!" Delp screamed. "You nearly killed that horse!"

Triple crown attempt

Spectacular Bid's ill-fated attempt at the Triple Crown began with the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in May of 1979. He began the race as the odds-on favorite. His trainer Bud Delp was so confident of victory that as the horse paraded in front of the fans, he called out to them "Go bet! Go bet!". Spectacular Bid went on to win by 2 3/4 lengths over General Assembly, a very well bred son of Secretariat. The two-year-old champion would not win the Kentucky Derby again until Street Sense (horse) in 2007. Spectacular Bid was inbred 3×3 and as of 2005 remains the most inbred Kentucky Derby winner in more than 40 years.

Spectacular Bid's next step in the quest for the Triple Crown came at the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Bumped early, he ran wide and by the final stretch was in command. He handily won the race, outpacing his nearest competitor by 5 1/2 lengths. What was more stunning was the time on the clock; Spectacular Bid had run the course faster than either Seattle Slew or Affirmed, and by official time faster than Secretariat (though Secretariat's time in this race was embroiled in controversy). The stage was set for the Belmont Stakes.

The morning of the Belmont, a freak accident was discovered; Spectacular Bid had stepped on a safety pin. The pin had become embedded in the hoof, later leading to an infection that threatened his life and requiring the hoof to be drilled to cure the problem. However, after the discovery of the injury Spectacular Bid was not seen to be lame, and was entered into the race. Prior to the race, his teenaged jockey, Ronnie Franklin, engaged in a fist fight with Angel Cordero, Jr. in the jockey's preparation room. With the knowledge of Spectacular Bid's injury and the recent fist fight, Franklin ran a poor race, gunning Spectacular Bid early in the long race. Spectacular Bid faded to third behind Coastal and Golden Act, horses Spectacular Bid beat in other major races. This race was the last with Franklin as Spectacular Bid's jockey.

Post-triple crown racing

Following the Belmont Stakes, Spectacular Bid took two months off to recover from the injury. He returned to racing with hall of fame jockey Bill Shoemaker who would remain his jockey through the remainder of Spectacular Bid's racing career. His first race back was in August of 1979 with a warm-up race at Delaware Park. He blew away the competition, winning by more than 17 lengths and setting a new track record for the mile and 1/16s distance. He followed this up with another win at the Marlboro Cup at Belmont Park, beating both horses he had lost to at the same park just months before. He was supposed to have raced against 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed, but Affirmed's owners had bowed out of the race in reaction to a 133 pound impost assignment to Affirmed.

Spectacular Bid did face off with Affirmed in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Spectacular Bid challenged Affirmed no less than four times during the race, but came up short in the end coming in second to the Triple Crown winner. This would be the last race Spectacular Bid would lose. Spectacular Bid finished off the year with one more race, the Meadowlands Cup, once again setting a new track record at a mile and 1/4. At the end of the year, he was awarded the Eclipse champion 3-year-old colt for the year. His winnings for this year totalled US$1,279,333.

Racing at 4 years old

Spectacular Bid's next and final year in racing as a four-year-old was nothing short of stellar. It is regarded as one of the most perfect and impressive race efforts in the modern racing era.

He started in nine races, including his last in an exceedingly rare walkover in the 1980 Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park (the first of its kind in decades), winning them all for winnings of US$1,117,790. He set four new track records at distances of 7/8ths of a mile, 1 1/4 miles, and twice at 1 1/8 miles.

His first three races, which Bid carried the high weight of 126 lbs in each, were part of the Charles H. Strub Stakes all held at the Santa Anita Race course which the late Mr. Strub owned and built. The Malibu Stakes a grade 2 race on January 5, 1980 which Bid set the new track record at 1:20 final for the seven furlong distance. Then the San Fernando Stakes also a grade 2 race on January 19th, and finally the grade 1 Strub Stakes held at 1 1/4 mi distance on February 3rd. Bid set the stakes, track and world dirt record that day with a final time 1:57 4/5 which remains a world record through 2007.

Bid went on to grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap (carrying 130 lbs) on March 2nd; at Hollywood Park the Mervyn LeRoy Handicap a grade 2 race carrying 132 lbs on May 18th; the grade 1 Californian at also Hollywood Park with 130 lbs on June 8th; the grade 3 Washington Park Handicap with 130 lbs on July 19th; then to Monmouth New Jersey for grade 1 Amory L. Haskell Handicap (for older horses, not to be confused with the Haskell Invitational Handicap for 3-yr olds) toting 132 lbs on August 16th.

He concluded with the walkover on September 20, 1980 at Belmont at 1 1/4 mi distance on a fast track which he covered in 2:02 2/5. A plan to race in the Jockey Gold Cup was aborted when an old injury flaired up and it was decided to retire him.

During his final year compiled a then-career earnings record of US$2,781,607.

As a sire

His record as a sire was mixed by the measure of the expectations placed upon him based on his success as a race horse. During his tenure at Claiborne Farm his sire fees plummeted over the years following his retirement from racing. This ultimately resulted in his sale and move to (lesser regarded in horse racing circles) upstate New York. Nevertheless, over his years as a sire Spectacular Bid sired offspring that won 47 stakes and accumulated more than US$19 million in earnings. At the time of his death, his daughters had been broodmares for 69 stakes, ranking him among the top 35 broodmare sires in 2003.

In retirement

Following his last race, Spectacular Bid was syndicated for a then record US$22 million and put to stud at the famed Claiborne Farm of Kentucky where his first year stud fee was $150,000 USD. He was moved in 1991 to Milfer Farms in Unadilla, New York where he lived out the remainder of his years although he was never pensioned from stud duty. In his last year standing his fee was $3,500 USD.

He died from a heart attack on June 9, 2003 and was buried at Milfer Farms.

In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Spectacular Bid was ranked #10. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1982.

References