Silky Sullivan

[46zilzal]

http://www.secondrunning.com/SilkyChart2picture.htm look how far behind this one was!

One cannot get to St. Patrick's Day without thinking of this character: one of the greatest come form behind artists of all time.

Each year, on this date, he used to come to GGF where he would receive a "cake" full of oats. One year he broke away from his handlers, ran the entire track and then headed to familiar gound: the winner's circle. I was lucky enough to get my wife and he in a a photo one season when he was about 18 years old and still a good looking horse.

I heard that his owner, who had a heart condition, was supposedly not allowed to watch him run. He could give a healthy bettor cardiac arrest.

[gillenr]

I believe one of his races - Derby? - was the first use of split screen.

[betchatoo]

If I remember right he was way out of the money and Tim Tam was the winner. I remember my mother betting Tim Tam cause she liked the name.

[Hosshead]

Just look at some of the jockeys in that race chart: Shoemaker, Longden, Arcaro,..among others.

[mainardi]

I used to frequent a bar named Silky Sullivan's, and while the owner didn't follow horse racing, he at least had the good taste to put "Silky stuff" on the walls. Among them were his past performances... almost too unbelievable... just a very scary horse... never really too far out of any race.

And, yes... the bar was PACKED every St. Patty's Day... it got so bad that he couldn't even sneak us regulars in, for fear of a bunch of other people rushing the door when it opened a crack.

[falconridge]

If I remember right he was way out of the money and Tim Tam was the winner. I remember my mother betting Tim Tam cause she liked the name.In the 1958 Kentucky Derby, Silky Sullivan went to post at exactly the same price as Tim Tam, and only ten cents on the dollar more than the favored Jewel's Reward. That May 3rd, however, Churchill Downs mutuel clerks punched out more two-dollar tickets on the charismatic Californian than were ever sold on any other entrant--including 2-5 favorites Bimelech (1940) and the Calumet entry of Citation and Coaltown (1948), and yet undefeated television star Native Dancer (1953)--in the history of the event. I wonder what one of those souvenir pasteboards would fetch now.

[timtam]

Timtam what a horse :)

[ryesteve]

If people had been doing pace handicapping back then, I wonder what they would've thought about the energy distribution of a performance like that :)

[46zilzal]

If people had been doing pace handicapping back then, I wonder what they would've thought about the energy distribution of a performance like that :)
sustained

[GaryG]

I was at Santa Anita on a Saturday in early 1958 when Silky ran in the now famous 6 1/2f race. In that race I think he was further off the pace than in any of his other races. Joe Henandez was my favorite announcer of all time but he took it easy sometimes like Randy Moss. In that race he never saw Silky coming. They used to turn off the track PA just before the wire and the finish was never called. Only "so and so in front". In that race a half asleep Joe droned..."It's Circle Lea and The Shoe". Of course Silky got up to win it and on the radio replay you could hear the whole race when the last call was...."Oh I believe Silky Sullivan got up to win it". That was a hell of a thrill for a 15 year old kid.

[Valuist]

If they had pace handicapping back then they probably would've realized he generally had races fall apart in front of him. Giant pace and pick up the pieces late.

Why is the general public so enamored with deep stretch runners?

[GaryG]

If they had pace handicapping back then they probably would've realized he generally had races fall apart in front of him. Giant pace and pick up the pieces late.

Why is the general public so enamored with deep stretch runners?Of course the charts are long gone, but I remember his races as having a normal pace. He was more effective sprinting though and had severe class limitations. He was striking to see, a huge, powerful chestnut the color of the sun.

[cj]

The chart someone posted earlier seemed to show Silky had a rabbit. The entry was .70 to the dollar, and his mate ran out to an early lead very quickly. Was a rabbit the norm for him?

[GaryG]

Not that I remember...seems like he was on his own. The 3rd quarter was where he would really fly, had to be close to :20 with the final 4f in around :44. Of course it was a long time ago!

[46zilzal]

The chart someone posted earlier seemed to show Silky had a rabbit. The entry was .70 to the dollar, and his mate ran out to an early lead very quickly. Was a rabbit the norm for him?
NO

[ryesteve]

If they had pace handicapping back then they probably would've realized he generally had races fall apart in front of him. Giant pace and pick up the pieces late
A half in 46 is a "giant pace"?

[Valuist]

Who's to say? Unless you were making figures back then, you don't know how deep the track was. I've seen some days at OP this year where a 46 flat half was very fast. I wasn't even alive then so I have no idea if it was fast for that day or not.

How many times do you see a horse win from 20 back when the race didn't fall apart?

[GaryG]

The track was as fast as ever. 6f stakes were routinely run in 1:09 or so.

[ryesteve]

How many times do you see a horse win from 20 back when the race didn't fall apart?
Pretty much never, which explains why 50 years later, people are still talking about this horse.

[chickenhead]

I don't know much about the older horses, but I have a clip somewhere of Whirlaway coming from way off the pace, don't remember the race....it was absolutely breathtaking...

[46zilzal]

Secretariat won his three year old debut this day 33 years ago in the Bay Shore