My two favorite match races took place on the California Fairs. One in the South at Fairplex which used to be called Pomona.
The other at the Big Fresno Fair which used to be called the Big Fresno Fair.
The Fairplex race was between two mules. BLACK RUBY with Jim Burns in the saddle vs TAZ piloted by the immortal Cowboy Jack Kaenel.
RUBY, as she almost always did, defeated TAZ by a long ear.
They would meet again soon after at Los Alamitos with the same result. RUBY got the $$$
At Fresno it was a thoroughbred vs an appaloosa at I think but am not positive 1000 yards.
The TB was GREY MOON RUNNER. Not the one recently campaigned by Jeff Bonde and others. This GREY MOON RUNNER was trained by Walter Greenman. Not sure who rode. It might have been Russell Baze.
The appy was UNDERCOVER WILLIE trained by Don Collins. Also not sure who rode him. Ross Allardyce keeps popping into my mind. Maybe he was on one of them. Or maybe Marty Hamilton
Ross and Marty were winning a ton of races on the on the Fairs at that time. As was Cheryl White (RIP), look up her story some time. Here I did it for ya.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/s...d734bd1ab9f35b
Cheryl was also legendary for the time a cocky apprentice named Martin Pedroza Jr came to Fresno. After an incident in a race. She kicked his butt all over the jocks room. True story!
The race was over in two jumps. UNDERCOVER WILLIE was like a jack rabbit out of the gate. Opened up at once and never looked back.
