1971 Triple Crown

[Ocala Mike]

Hard to believe it's been 40 years since Canonero II came up from Venezuela to nearly take the TC. I remember it vividly since that was the first year of operation of the now-defunct NYC OTB. Anyone remember Howard Samuels?

I recall waiting in a long line for hours just to get a bet down at the Forest Hills, Queens OTB parlor; I believe that was one of only a handful of betting parlors in the city at the time, and the only one in Queens. No, I didn't have Canonero!


Ocala Mike

[Tom]

Howie the Horse.
Lived around here - ran Kordite in Macedon.

[gillenr]

Was that also the year of the re-opening of Belmont? I was one of about 80K in attendance.

[Cardus]

Was that also the year of the re-opening of Belmont? I was one of about 80K in attendance.

It was closed between 1963 and 1968 or 1969, so it had re-opened a few years before the 1971 Belmont Stakes.

The 70,000-plus crowd was greater than for Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed, I believe.

I recall reading that Cannonero II had developed a skin rash in the week before the Belmont Stakes.

[Ocala Mike]

No; Belmont reopened after renovations in 1968. They ran the Belmont Stakes at Aqueduct in the mid-60's only, maybe three years.


Ocala Mike

[foregoforever]

We'd have had a TC winner in 1971 if Hoist the Flag hadn't got hurt ... 40 years ago Wednesday. What a dark day that was.

[OTM Al]

No; Belmont reopened after renovations in 1968. They ran the Belmont Stakes at Aqueduct in the mid-60's only, maybe three years.


Ocala Mike

From the NYRA site

"The BELMONT Stakes was run at Jerome Park from 1867 to 1889; at Morris Park from 1890 to 1904; at Aqueduct from 1963 to 1967. Not run in 1911 and 1912"

So 5 years at the Big A. Best Belmont triva question though is who was the last horse to win the Belmont run clockwise (right turns)?

[Johnny V]

From the NYRA site

"The BELMONT Stakes was run at Jerome Park from 1867 to 1889; at Morris Park from 1890 to 1904; at Aqueduct from 1963 to 1967. Not run in 1911 and 1912"

So 5 years at the Big A. Best Belmont triva question though is who was the last horse to win the Belmont run clockwise (right turns)?
Man O War in 1920.

[OTM Al]

Man O War in 1920.

As Charlie S. would say "Winning!"

He also ran it in 2:14 and change. Wait you might say, wasn't Secretariat the record holder at 2:24 flat? That's right, for a mile and a half. Man O War won it at the distance of 1 3/8 miles. Like Sec, that was the best time at that distance for the race by over 2 seconds.

[joanied]

We'd have had a TC winner in 1971 if Hoist the Flag hadn't got hurt ... 40 years ago Wednesday. What a dark day that was.

I remember that morning...the training track was in awful condition (rain), dogs were up...not many wanted to work a horse on the training track...so what did they do...sent out Hoist The Flag to work:faint:

40 years ago:eek: jeeze, I am getting old!!

[Cardus]

We'd have had a TC winner in 1971 if Hoist the Flag hadn't got hurt ... 40 years ago Wednesday. What a dark day that was.

I remembered that someone had mentioned Hoist the Flag recently.

Among many interesting things about him -- I suspect -- is that Cruguet rode him in all of his starts.

Cruguet could have won TWO Triple Crowns!! (And still might not have been considered an elite rider, which I understand.)

Hoist the Flag never raced more than one mile, but by Tom Rolfe out of a War Admiral mare, distance might not have been a problem, right?

[mountainman]

Of all phenoms forced by injury from racing's stage, only Hoist the Flag took a piece of my heart. I vividly remember the day he broke down. I was headed home from school and heard of the tragedy from a jocks agent who lived next door. Middle-aged and desensitized by the game's hard knocks, He was nonetheless waiting and watching for me so as to break the news gently.

I never forgot him, just as I've never forgotten that first lesson on the sport's terrible power to crush dreams. Thinking back now, in some way, Hoist the Flag's fate either portended or came to symbolize for me the sacrifice of my own youth and innocence to the new world I'd been seduced by.