Quote:
Originally Posted by the little guy
Favorite in the 1990 BC Classic....amazingly enough.
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It was an interesting BC Classic to say the least. The fact that the Derby winner won it probably makes it memorable despite "what could have been".
Should have been one for the ages with Sunday Silence and Easy Goer renewing their rivalry for the final time.
Then Criminal Type who had beaten them both got hurt as well.
On top of that, his early season rival Ruhlmann didn't show up either and the exposed but resurgent Quiet American was excluded from the oversubscribed field.
On the 3yo front, Preakness winner Summer Squall couldn't get lasix (he bled through it in the Meadowlands Cup anyways) so didn't start, Pleasant Tap who would later blossom into a top class older horse was inexplicably entered in the BC Turf off an open lengths allowance win on the dirt (at Belmont no less), and Ron McAnally insisted on ruining Silver Ending's form by keeping him at home to run on turf despite winning the recent Grade 1 Pegasus.
Finally, the race featured some miserable efforts from some of the horses that had good form prior to the race:
Home At Last - Super Derby winner DNF'd and never hit the board again.
Go and Go - Belmont winner DNF'd and Dermot Weld didn't even bother to bring him back home to Ireland...(coincidentally his stablemate and close relative Twilight Agenda was in the process of being transferred to the US & would be one of the top older horses the next year)
Opening Verse - Euro-transplant had won the Oaklawn Handicap and made a bold move on the far turn but wilted & switched back to the turf in 1991 (ended up winning the BC Mile)
Midwest stalwarts Dispersal & Beau Genius served as templates for Black Tie Affair the following year, but they had to contend with "Thirsty" Six Red's 1:09-and-change speed and thus both spit the bit...
Flying Continental - won Grade 1s coast to coast but bombed worse than Aptitude on the heels of his JCGC win and never was the same, sold to toil in the midwest for several more campaigns before becoming a California stallion.
Canadian Triple Crown winner Izvestia ran admirably enough (with the equally admirable but ailing Randy Romero aboard) despite a tough trip; coincidentally he tragically broke down the following year in the Canadian International.
Wasn't all terrible, though; Mi Selecto & De Roche both showed up...