Horses we could root for??

[sq764]

I was watching Seabiscuit again (my wife and I decided to get the TV we wanted - the 36" Sony flatscreen.. WOW, what a nice picture)..

But the movie really made me think about how great it would be to have 40,000 people come out for a match race, or 40 million listen to it on the radio.. AND to actually be able to root for a horse, no money involved..

I can only remember 3 times that I was openly cheering/rooting for a horse:

- Hal's Hope when he won the Florida Derby.. One of my favorite races of all time..

- Tiznow winning the 2001 Breeder's Cup Classic.. What an emotional time that was, and the call of Durkin "Tiznow wins one for the Americans", kinda gave me the chills

- Smarty Jones in the Belmont - Yeah, he was a local horse for me, but even if he wasn't, what a story..

[Zaf]

Don't forget Funny Cide, he has quite a big fan club :)

ZAFONIC

[Observer]

I agree with names already mentioned. But here are some I recall:

Alysheba - this guy really had guts .. this is a more personal pick, though.
Holy Bull - this guy really generated a spark .. that sometimes I feel got lost in the Cigar shuffle .. the day he won the Woodward .. WOW!!
Point Given - the crowds sure turned out for this guy at Monmouth & Saratoga.
Skip Away - knocked off the "amazing" Cigar and had an amazing win-streak of his own.
Winning Colors - boy was it exciting seeing a filly hold off the boys in the Derby!
Slew o'Gold - just plain ol' loved this guy!
Arromanches - a NY veteran hero that racked up a serious string of wins the hard way.

I could probably go on and on! What can I say .. I'm just a fan of this game!

[Overlay]

Going back a bit further, I recall Forego as a great personal favorite of mine (as well as track crowds), especially as he got older and kept turning in winning performances under those 130+ pound imposts he kept getting assigned (and with a come-from-behind running style, no less). (I was present when he ran down Honest Pleasure (while carrying 137 pounds) to win the 1976 Marlboro, and I can still hear the cheering.) When I lived in Lexington, Kentucky, Forego was one of the main attractions at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he spent his later years. Even with the notable accomplishments of other horses, the kind of durability and consistency he showed from one year to another are a rare thing to see. (I think that another thing contributing to his popularity was the fact that he was a gelding, so people knew he wouldn't be having a chance to pass his ability along to his get, and that made him even more of a sentimental favorite, since people wanted to see him do as well as he could for as long as he could.)

[sq764]

I agree with names already mentioned. But here are some I recall:

Alysheba - this guy really had guts .. this is a more personal pick, though.
Holy Bull - this guy really generated a spark .. that sometimes I feel got lost in the Cigar shuffle .. the day he won the Woodward .. WOW!!
Point Given - the crowds sure turned out for this guy at Monmouth & Saratoga.
Skip Away - knocked off the "amazing" Cigar and had an amazing win-streak of his own.
Winning Colors - boy was it exciting seeing a filly hold off the boys in the Derby!
Slew o'Gold - just plain ol' loved this guy!
Arromanches - a NY veteran hero that racked up a serious string of wins the hard way.

I could probably go on and on! What can I say .. I'm just a fan of this game!
Nice list... I never got to see most of these horses (except for Point Given and Skip Away)..

I really miss the Easy Goer/Sunday Silence rivalry.. No rivalries anymore, a shame

[Observer]

Special things wouldn't be so special if they happened frequently .. Affirmed/Alydar .. Sunday Silence/Easy Goer .. those were amazing rivalries .. maybe someday we'll see that again.