Today at Colonial Downs, an Irish-bred import named Peat Moss won the handicap hurdle at 2 1/4 miles under Parker Hendriks for trainer Keri Brion and owners Atlantic Friends. Brought back wonderful memories. Would love to see the Irish Peat Moss at NYRA - home circuit of an earlier great horse also named Peat Moss.
When I first got into the sport in late 1980, Peat Moss ran off 5 straight wins in starter handicaps over the course of the winter while being asked to carry some big time weight. He quickly became one of my favorites. Owned by Murray Garren, trained by Gil Puentes, and ridden by Frank Lovato, Jr. of Equicizer fame.
In between those starter races, he'd run in stakes races. On December 31, 1980, he won the long time last-card-of-the-year stakes, the Display Handicap, ALSO at 2 1/4 miles (don't remember how much he carried for that one).
Here's an article about the first Peat Moss after he successfully toted 145 lbs (35 of it lead, 110 of it Lovato) to win over 2 miles:
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/26/s...under-145.html
From the article:
Quote:
The telephone rang in the office of the racing secretary Lenny Hale around noon yesterday at Aqueduct. ''No, lady, we are not running any steeplechase races here today,'' an assistant to Hale said with some annoyance.
It was not a frivolous inquiry. The topweight in the fifth race, Peat Moss, was shouldering 145 pounds in a two-mile starter handicap. Knowledgeable observers remembered steeplechase horses lugging heavier imposts and winning, but nobody could recall a runner winning under that much weight on the flat.
Peat Moss did it with ease yesterday, scoring by eight lengths. The 145 pounds were the most ever carried to victory in a North American flat race. Peat Moss, a 6-year-old gelding by Herbager, was timed in 3:27 1/5. He paid $4, $3.20 and $2.80 for $2 across the board.
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