UNADILLA, N.Y. (June 10) -- Spectacular Bid, whose drive to win the Triple Crown in 1979 was derailed by a safety pin the day of the Belmont Stakes, is dead at 27.
The steel gray colt died of a heart attack Monday at Milfer Farm in upstate New York, two days after Funny Cide also fell short in his quest for a Triple Crown.
"It seemed almost prophetic, I suppose, that he was... maybe not quite himself Saturday and Sunday, which was the weekend of the Belmont,'' said Jonathan H.F. Davis, Milfer Farm's owner.
"He was the greatest horse that ever looked through a bridle,'' trainer Grover "Buddy'' Delp once said. "The only two horses that I believe would have given him a run were Citation and Secretariat.''
Poised for the defining moment of his career, Spectacular Bid ran third in the Belmont under teenage jockey Ronnie Franklin, losing to Coastal and Golden Act. After the race, Delp said a safety pin had been found in a hoof the morning of the race.
The safety pin caused an infection serious enough to threaten Bid's life and put him out of action.
He came back six weeks later to set a track record at Delaware Park at 1 1/16 miles, then won the Marlboro Cup at Belmont Park.
In his last race -- the Woodward -- Spectacular Bid won in a walkover under Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker when no one else wanted to challenge the horse of the year.
With no competition, Shoemaker's one thought was to get around the track safely.
"I told the outrider, 'Now if he stumbles and loses me, you catch him and bring him back to me so we can do it over again,''' Shoemaker said Tuesday.
"I never rode a better horse than him,'' he said. "He just had a lot of ability. He could run on any sort of surface -- fast, muddy, sloppy, whatever, carrying a lot of weight, and win.''
He ended his spectacular career in 1981 with 26 wins in 30 starts and was retired to stud for a then-record $22 million syndication fee.
Even in his later years, Spectacular Bid was still a star, getting mail from around the world from fans who often asked for a lock of hair, a shoe or a halter, Davis said.
"He liked to ham it up,'' he said. "If you brought a camera, he seemed to know he was on stage. He'd stand still and wait for you to snap his picture.''
Spectacular Bid, whose sire was Bold Bidder and dam was Spectacular, was foaled Feb. 17, 1976. He was purchased as a yearling for $37,000 by Harry and Teresa Meyerhoff.
He went to post for the first time June 30, 1978, when he ran just two-fifths of a second off the Pimlico track record for 5 1/2 furlongs. Three weeks later, in an allowance race at the same distance, he equaled the track record.
Spectacular Bid won five more stakes that year on his way to being named the top 2-year-old colt.
After five wins to start his 3-year-old campaign, he went to the Kentucky Derby as the favorite and came on in the stretch to overtake General Assembly. As he walked the horse to the paddock before the race, Delp was so convinced he had a sure thing that he shouted to nearby fans, "Go bet! Go bet!''
He then won the Preakness two weeks later despite a rough trip. Bumped at the start and outrun early, he simply went wide, and by the time he hit the stretch he was in command.
In 1991, Spectacular Bid, his coat gray with age, was moved from Claiborne Farms in Kentucky to Milfer Farm, about 140 miles northwest of New York City. That's where he'll be buried.
Spectacular Bid was still active at stud and will produce a foal crop next year. His offspring include 44 stakes winners with earnings of more than $20 million.
Among his accomplishments:
Horse of the year, 1980.
Enshrined in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, 1982.
Winner of 13 Grade I stakes races.
Set eight track records, including a world record 1:57.80 over 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita.
Earned $2,781,607.
Winner of three Eclipse Awards.
06/10/03 17:58 EDT
