Spectacular Bid walks over

Press, 22 September 1980, Page 28

Spectacular Bid walks over

By James Tuite, of the New York Times News Service, through N.Z.P.A.

The unthinkable happened at Belmont Park on Saturday where only Spectacular Bid remained in the field for the valuable Belmont Stakes.

With Winter’s Tale injured and Temperance Hill and Dr Patches withdrawn, Spectacular Bid enjoyed that racing rarity — a walkover. True, the grey four-year-old had to gallop the mile and a quarter (2000 m out to the starting gate, and true, he collected less than half the winner’s purse, but it was a historic moment in New York racing. To the cheers — and as many boos — of a crowd of 23,147, Spectacular Bid ran the distance in 2min 2.4 s under 57kg, most of it represented by Willie Shoemaker.

That was fast even as a walkover, for the track record is two minutes flat, set by Seattle Slew in 1978. In an atmosphere as serious as any surrounding a highly competitive stakes, Spectacular Bid was accompanied by two outriders and a stable pony, sprung from an otherwise unoccupied gate.

The “chart footnotes” tell the rest:

“Spectacular Bid, taken in hand after breaking from the middle of the starting gate, remained slightly out from the rail into the back stretch, picked up the pace a bit approaching the end of the back stretch, then fin-

ished evenly while well Within himself.” He sizzled the last quarter in 24.5 s and, said his trainer, Bud Delp, “That’s the way I wanted it.

“For the first time ever, I gave Shoemaker instructions,” said Delp. “The horse needed a good workout, a tightener for the Gold Cup.” Shoemaker could not help but hear the boos as he rode out of the saddling area. He did not glance aside to see a neatly-prepared sign that read "Cheese Champ.” “Why would anybody boo that horse?” asked a puzzled visitor.

“They’re not booing him,” answered a regular. “They’re booing his connections.” Theresa Meyerhoff, one of his connections, said "I was disappointed in the crowd’s reaction. It’s not the horse’s fault nobody ran against him.” Not since 1946 had a thor= oughbred in New York been privileged to complete a race by himself. That was Stymie and his walkover took place in the Saratoga Cup. Not since 1949 had there been a walkover other than at Saratoga and that was when Coaltown went to the post unchallenged in the Edward Burke Handicap at Havre de Grace, Maryland. Before that, the two Triple Crown winners from Calumet — Citation and Whirlaway -- each had . a walkover, in which a horse friust complete the course under race conditions.. <