RIP Forty Niner

[dilanesp]

I bet him in the Derby, and the first time I ever went to Saratoga, I saw him win the Travers by a nose over Seeking the Gold.

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I always thought his best race was his second to Alysheba in the Woodward. He finished ahead of several really good horses, and Alysheba set a track record in his win:

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[PaceAdvantage]

16 of 19 first or second lifetime...gutsy as they come...nice to see he lived a long life.

[Spalding No!]

I don't know if "swept through the Haskell and Travers" is the best way to put it.

Maybe he didn't like the mud or something, but I'm at a loss to understand why Forty Niner was taken back 11 lengths off the pace in the BC Classic. He broke like a shot and Waquoit (who held for 3rd) and Slew City Slew dueled with a huge 5 length gap to the rest. Sounds like a garden spot to get first run for a horse with the speed and courage of Forty Niner.

Shout out to Claiborne for retiring yet another superstar at the end of his 3yo season rather than come out as an older horse only to ship him off overseas when he didn't make them a mint in his first couple of crops at stud. Of course, he got a classic winner the very same year he was dumped. Geniuses.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

I don't know if "swept through the Haskell and Travers" is the best way to put it.

Maybe he didn't like the mud or something, but I'm at a loss to understand why Forty Niner was taken back 11 lengths off the pace in the BC Classic. He broke like a shot and Waquoit (who held for 3rd) and Slew City Slew dueled with a huge 5 length gap to the rest. Sounds like a garden spot to get first run for a horse with the speed and courage of Forty Niner.

Shout out to Claiborne for retiring yet another superstar at the end of his 3yo season rather than come out as an older horse only to ship him off overseas when he didn't make them a mint in his first couple of crops at stud. Of course, he got a classic winner the very same year he was dumped. Geniuses.

Julie Krone said Forty Niner stepped in a hole on the track during the running of the BC Classic. He certainly threw in a poor performance, though I suspect he wasn't going to be able to beat Alysheba that night anyway. (And it was, basically, night by then. )

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Julie Krone said Forty Niner stepped in a hole on the track during the running of the BC Classic. He certainly threw in a poor performance, though I suspect he wasn't going to be able to beat Alysheba that night anyway. (And it was, basically, night by then. )

Well, if there was a hole on the track she certainly made sure he would find it with that terrible ride. Broke like a shot in the 4-path, wrangled back, ducked to the rail where even the pacesetters opted away from, allowed the horse to get swallowed up entering the far turn, shuffled back all the way to last entering the stretch, then swung out about 8-wide and closed stoutly for about a 1/16th of a mile before hitting a brick wall. Great way to finish his career.

They should have run him in the Malibu with Pincay or the NYRA Cajun scab guy for a swan song.

[classhandicapper]

It's hard to believe he was 35 years old. RIP old warrior.

[JustRalph]

Don’t skip over those running lines

Impressive as hell

[deathandgravity]

WOW! 35 years!
Rest in Peace

[MJC922]

Definitely an old favorite. If you bet on him and he had the lead at the top of the stretch you were in good shape. I'll always remember one of Woody's post race comments: "I knew he'd fight, he always has fought."