Andy Serling, a NYRA public handicapper and racing broadcaster on Fox's Racing Across America telecasts does have what I'll call a phenomenal memory with regard to who won what, and when. He's not as old as myself. He tells us he doesn't remember Secretariat running, or Dr. Fager, like myself, but does check in tp the sport approximately in 1979 when Spectacular Bid was running and presented a good chance at the Triple Crown, having won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and was bunked into the Belmont backstretch waiting for the Belmont Stakes. Go Bid.
Spectacular Bid was spectacular. Sired by Bold Ruler, the same sire of Secretariat, he set track records and finished his career in 1980 with a 26-2-1 record for 30 starts. Only once out of the money, a 4th in his third start. His final race was a "walkover" in the Grade I Woodward at Belmont on September 20th.
What's a "walkover," the rarest of races? A walkover is when you're the only horse in the race. Why would that happen? It's complicated.
Spectacular Bid was a Marilyn Bred owned by the Meyeroff family, trained by Grover "Buddy" Delp and up to a point ridden by Ronnie Franklin, a teenage journeyman jockey from the Mid-Atlantic circuit who was considered his regular rider until after the losing effort in the Belmont, finishing third, when he was replaced by Bill Shoemaker for the rest of his races.
In 30 starts, Bid was the favorite 26 times, odds-on, really odds-on, 23 times, sometimes as low as 5¢ to the dollar, the lowest you can go.
The last "race," the walkover, was held pretty much as an exhibition between the 7th and 8th races on September 20. Naturally, there was no betting. Shoemaker rode him.
Fast forward a bit to the news today that the Federal Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled that NYRA cannot keep Bob Baffert from entering horses in their races. Baffert has been considered a cheating pirahha by NYRA, and they feel they do not want him on the grounds. Racing jurisdictions often take stands on who can operate on their grounds, and in Baffert's case, because of his history of suspensions and alleged doping of this year's Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, NYRA has taken a stand against.
Lately, Bob Baffert is seen standing next to a lawyer as often as he's in jeans holding a halter. Such is his life these days. bouncing from his West Coast base to East Cost court rooms.
Without even reading Joe Drape's story in today's New York Times you can almost guess what the judge had to say about NYRA's case. This shows you how much we, as a non-lawyer public, and non-medical degree practitioners, have learned about the professional arts just by watching TV. Who says TV is a wasteland?
Judge Carol Bagley Amon said "Baffert had not been offered the opportunity to respond to claims made against him after Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test at Churchill Downs."
This is in keeping with Baffert and his lawyer's claim that he had been denied due process. NYRA invoked the suspension before the second sample from the Derby came back positive. After the second positive result Churchill banned Baffert for two years, preventing him from entering horses for the 2022 and the 2023 Derby.
The court upheld NYRA's right to make suspensions however, a facet of the ruling that David O'Rourke, President and CEO of NYRA is pleased with and will react to accordingly in the future in Baffert's case
Bob Baffert has lost some clients from his barn, particularly Spendthrift Farm, the owners of Baffert's 2020 Derby winner Authentic. According to Baffert, five more stables have discussed not using him as their trainer.
So what has this got to do with Spectacular Bid? After the Bid's Belmont loss the voluble, and somewhat unlikeable trainer, Grover Delp, started shooting his mouth off that Spectacular Bid had stepped on a safety pin in the backstretch shortly before the Belmont Stakes, in which he finished third under Ronnie Franklin to Coastal's victory. (I had Coastal and was there.)
Spectacular Bid ran twice more in New York after the Belmont, now with Bill Shoemaker on his back. He won the Marlboro Cup, avenging his defeat to Coastal, who finished third behind General Assembly.
He then ran in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, finishing second to Affirmed. These were top rated races against quality opposition. Spectacular Bid then raced exclusively outside of New York, mostly at Santa Anita, with some stops at Arlington Park, The Meadowlands in New Jersey, and Monmouth. He went undefeated, winning 9 straight, carrying as much as 132 pounds into his career as a 4-year-old.
He was not Horse of the Year in 1979, which went to Affirmed for the second straight year. Affirmed, was also the Handicap Eclipse winner. Spectacular Bid was Male 3-year-old of the year. In his 4-year-old career, 1980, he was Handicap Horse of the year, and also Horse of the Year. He was a very good horse.
The September 20, 1980 Woodward was spectacular Bid's 9th race of his four-year-old career, and was intended to be a bit of a prep for the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He had won the prior 8 races in 1980, so he was undefeated as a 4-year-old going into the Woodward. There were only three horses slated to run against him, Winter's Tale, who scratched with an injury, and Temperance Hill, winner of the 1980 Belmont, and Dr. Patches. The trainers of the two remaining horses, Joe Canty and Johnny Nerud declined to keep their horses in the race.
The purse for the Woodward then was $130.000, but neither trainer claimed they were willing to run as also rans, despite their being eligible for runner up shares of the purse, and maybe even the top spot if they won.
The rumor was that they ganged up on the unliked Grover Delp and withdrew so that the purse was lowered to $73,300. As pervasive as this rumor was, it made little sense, since the $73,300 was near enough to 60% of the original $130,000 purse—what a winner's share usually was, 60%.
So, with no opposition, Spectacular Bid competed in a walkover, the first since Stymie in 1946 at Saratoga when no one wanted to run against him.
Delp made no friends when after the Belmont in 1979 he cried an injury from a safety pin as the reason for the horse's loss. The NYT recapped the "safety pin" claim when Spectacular Bid passed away at 27 in 2003.
"The day of the Belmont in 1979 has remained as a controversy and a mystery within horse racing.
Spectacular Bid lost to Coastal and Golden Act. After the race his trainer Grover, "Buddy" Delp claimed that a safety pin had accidently been jabbed into the colt's left front foot early that Saturday morning. According to Delp, the pin apparently fell off a bandage covering the foot while Spectacular Bid was in his straw-covered stall. The colt stepped on it, driving the pin an inch into his hoof.
"When I drove up to the barn at 5:45 a.m. I soon discovered he was lame," Delp told The New York Times the morning after. Delp said he cleaned the wound and put the horse's foot in a tub of water, and he seemed to quickly recover.
"That afternoon, bettors wagered $699,000 on Spectacular Bid to win. And he did not disappoint—for most of the race he led after one and a quarter miles, but faded to third down the stretch as the lightly raced Coastal won.
"Delp also blamed the colt's teenage jockey, Ronnie Franklin, for running a ''scared race.'' And the credibility of the trainer's injury claim was questioned by the track's chief veterinarian, Manuel Gilman, who said: ''I'm not saying Mr. Delp is telling a story. All I can tell you is what I saw. The horse went out for the race all right and he came back all right.
"Spectacular Bid was shipped the next day to Pimlico, where one of his handlers claimed to have seen blood coming out of the hoof."
The safety pin explanation took on the skepticism of a UFO sighting. If your horse showed signs of lameness, then he should have been scratched. Other trainers did not like Buddy Delp.
Young Ronnie Franklin's ride was suspect, having taken the lead early in the race, using Spectacular Bid early. The rider's poor judgment and nervousness was understandable, given the pressure of the Triple Crown pursuit and his unfamiliarity with Belmont, and particularly a mile and a half race. He never rode the horse again, being replaced by Bill Shoemaker
As for what happened to cause trainers to withdraw from the Woodward, no one can asked at this point. Both Joe Canty and Johnny Nerud have passed away.
But what if Bob Baffert comes to the say The Travers, and no one else enters? He'll get the win, but not with the enjoyment of truly competing.
It's unlikely New York trainers would at this point collectively keep their horses from competing against a Baffert horse. The purses are truly big, and there are "win-and-you're in" races that put you in the Breeders' Cup with entry fees and ancillary expenses paid, a plum win.
But with five Bobby B. horses having failed drug tests in a little over a year, and 30 failed tests in his career, the wagons are circling, and Bobby B. may just have to keep the suit and tie on for court appearances and ditch the jeans.
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