Forego's Amazing Four Consecutive Woodwards (1974-1977)
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- Forego accomplishes one of the most incredible feats in racing history; capping his major stakes career, and displaying his legendary speed and terrific weight-carrying ability.
Final times were: 2:27 2/5 (1974), 2:27 1/5 (1975), 1:45 4/5 (1976), 1:48 (1977).
The great Harvey Pack provides the analysis with Dave Johnson and Chic Anderson calling the races.
Was at the rail in 76 Didn't think he would get there but he did. Great era of racing in the ,70s. I was lucky enough to be there for a lot of it
forego is my all time favorite race horse. started watching racing in 1973, i was 8 . i have seen every triple crown race since then. i remember getting so exciteded when the woodward, marborol and jockey club gold cup came around to see if forego was gonna be able to run... i have every article ever written about him . these posts bring back so many great memories.
This was a special horse, I allways think of Kelso along with Forego. Seeing him left me awed. And I still can't find word's to describe him. One of akind.
I have so much respect for his many accomplishments.
Truly amazing !
Incredible horse who brought it every time while carrying tons of weight. The handicap stakes now are a joke and hardly anyone runs over 126 lbs. This is another great post CF; thanks from someone who remembers this great horse and who enjoys reliving his great races. Some pretty good rides too; he's far back with fast fractions and close up in the race with Wajima when the fractions were slow.
Awesome video of my all time favorite horse. Thank you! Gave me chills!
Forego was my favorite horse as a kid but damn could he stop your heart wondering when he would make his move. He was versatile for a big horse. He started every racing season with a 7F Allowance race and think he still holds a track record for it.
In saying that, he always had good competition. Wajima was a great horse. Cinteelo was almost money in the bank in the slop. Great Contractor was the little horse that could. Honest Pleasure ripped some fast fractions. Great time for racing fans.
Great ride by Shoemaker in that first one. Forego never seems to rush or be rushed, just grinds them down and puts them away in deep stretch.
Greatest handicap horse ever
"he's gonna run today folks". thx for posting these races of my all time favorite...
nutty thing is the horse raced on his left lead the entire stretch !
you almost get the sense of a supremely confident force, who, manipulating weight, savvy and experience, toyed with his audience and could whip any horse he sort of decided to -- glad he finally 'decided' to dispatch wajima too... deep thanks for posting this wonderful tribute
I love this horse. He was so great that he has a race named after him.
What bad ankles? LOL I read in his biography where they hosed his legs with cold water every day! He was truly amazing!! Horse of the Year 3 years in a row, oh yeah, you better believe it! Thanks CF for the enjoyment of leaning back in my easy chair and watching him cruise to wins in all 4 woods...love it and love Forego:)
Forego carried 135lbs. in the 1976 Woodward to Dance Spell's 115, and yet he still set the race 1-1/8 mile record, 1:45.80! Rachel Alexandra won the 2009 in a time of 1:48.29 while carrying only 118lbs; in 1990 Dispersal became the only horse to tie the record - Dispersal carried 123lbs. I can remember all the talk in 1977 of when Seattle Slew would face Forego - many thought it would be the 1977 Woodward. It didn't happen, then those damned weights finally caught up to Forego.
Forego was such a versatile performer,he could win from 6f to 16f(2 miles!),that is extremely rare. Almost all horses have distinct distance windows(and usually they are small),like a horse who can win at 7F,and cannot win at 6F(because he needs more ground),and yet cannot win at 8F,because he can't get the distance. Secondly, he ran his whole career on bad wheels! Just a warrior!
His great niece Zenyatta reminds me of him. Size and power.
freaking horse was nuts !!!!
Forego was my favorite horse growing up. Funny watching these videos as it brings back memories. Soy Numero Uno who was a claimer until he got into proper hands. Cinteelo, the ultimate mudder. Wajima, another great horse who I believe actually bested Forego in their races lifetime. Honest Pleasure who ran the race of his life only to get gunned down by Forego in the Whitney. BTW, Forego also set a track record at 1 of the NY tracks for 7F. Not sure if it still stands but it was like 1:20-3/5.
bring back the feeling of youth watch or play your favorite sport during the 1970's
They don't pile weight on like that anymore. Nor do they breed machines that can stay great for so long. They tend to be far too brittle nowadays and nobody in recent years could have won a 11/8 in 145 4/5 and also win at 1 1/2 miles.
It's too bad Secretariat didn't run as a 4 year old.
I only saw Forego on TV and I too had forgotten it was run at 1 1/2 miles. This was a nice touch of nostalgia.
Part 1 - Rachel Alexandra did run a 1-1/8 a Belmont, the 2009 Mother Goose. The time was 1.46.33 while carrying 121 and running against 2 horses. As for "Forego might not have been able to do" what RA did in the 09 Woodward, SI in it's 9/27/1976 report called the 1976 Woodward "Forego's finest effort." On Oct.2 Forego made his legendary run the Marlboro. RA won th 09 Woodward carrying 118, all the other horse carried 126; she was almost run down by Macho Again, a horse that finished (conti).
Two differences between the 1976 and 2009 Woodwards:
The '76 version was at Belmont around one turn, while the '09 Woodward was at Saratoga around two turns.
Rachel was under pressure the entire time from several different horses who seemed intent on running her into the ground and still won in a way only a real champion did (though she likely was never the same after that race). Even Forego might not have been able to do that as much the champion he was.
Part 2 - with a career record of 6-6-0 out of 24 races. The three 3 year olds that Forego faced in the 76 Woodward, Honest Pleasure, Soy Numero Uno and Dance Spell, went into the race having collectively missed the board only 4 times in 45 races. Rachel Alexandra was fine racehorse, but Forego was one the few TRULY great horses I've seen.
Thats actually Dave Johnson....oops....But great video