Aqueduct Racetrack has been a part of Rockaway Boulevard in Jamaica, New York for greater than a century. In its early days, it was an earthen oval carved out of farmland, with crops nonetheless rising within the infield and precarious wood bleachers that held a couple of hundred followers. For greater than a century since then, the Massive A has been constructed on a basis of speedy exhibits by horses of all ranges, and the recollections of those nice performances are woven into the material of each the grass and filth that make up the racetrack.
Of the 1000’s of races the Massive A has seen, these 5 stand out because the GOAT, leaving an indelible impression on the game for many years.
Kelso vs. Gunbow within the 1964 Woodward Stakes
By 1964 Kelso was already a legend and was in a position to compete in much more races over the following two seasons. He has gained the Jockey Membership Gold Cup and Horse of the Yr 4 instances, together with quite a few wins and awards, and was solely the third horse to win the New York Triple Handicap. However in 1964, he encountered a spoiler known as Gun Bow.
Unable to race at age 2 because of soundness, Gunbow gained the Narragansett Particular Handicap by 13 lengths at age 3, and after being bought by Harry Albert and Mrs. John T. Stanley in December 1963, he ran as a stallion below the identify Gedney Farm and was shipped to Western California. He gained the San Fernando Stakes, Charles H. Strub Stakes, and San Antonio Handicap divisions at Santa Anita in January and February 1964, and returned East in March. He first confronted Kelso within the Monmouth Handicap at Monmouth Park in New Jersey.
There, Mongo took benefit of the strengths of each horses, beating Kelso by a neck at 1 1/4 miles, with Gunbou taking third place. They met once more every week later within the Brooklyn Handicap at Aqueduct, the place Gunbou dominated by 12 lengths and Kelso completed fifth. 5 weeks later they returned to the gate for the Suidobashi Handicap, the place Kelso gained by three-quarters of a size over Gunbou. With this, the showdown started once more within the Woodward Stakes at Suidobashi.
Kelso had already gained the 1 1/4-mile Woodward 3 times and was on the lookout for his fourth straight victory within the prestigious race. Gun Bou aimed to outdo Allaire du Pont’s iconic star. Kelso had common jockey Milo Valenzuela within the saddle, with Gambau and Walter Blum returning for the Massive A lap. Apart from these two horses was Quadrangle, the Belmont Stakes winner who derailed Northern Dancer’s 1964 Triple Crown bid. Playing on Guadalcanal. and South African star Colorado King.
As for Bram, Gunbou took the lead after the break, with Valenzuela and Kelso chasing in second place. The Dupont gelding waited to make his transfer on the far flip and took a brief lead into the stretch, whereas Quadrangle ranged on the rail and threatened to overhaul the senior pair. Kelso and Gunbow picked up the tempo and continued the duel into the ultimate furlong, leaving the 3-year-old behind. Kelso charged as if he needed to herd Gumbow, and Bram and Gumbow fought each nook whereas Valenzuela tried to maintain the gelding upright. The 2 dueled on a wire, leading to a photo-op that took a number of minutes earlier than the stewards declared the winner. It was an in depth name, and even the photographic proof was such a margin that followers nonetheless surprise if it ought to have been declared a lifeless warmth (race replay).
Race of the Century: 1967 Woodward Stakes
As its identify suggests, the 1967 Woodward Stakes had a particular relationship. Damascus, owned by William Woodward Sr.’s daughter Ethel Woodward Bancroft, was the identical white-red-polka-dotted horse that graced the winner’s circle with Gallant Fox, Omaha, and different Bellaire secure horses. That 12 months’s version additionally included owner-breeder Ogden Phipps’ future Corridor of Famer and influential stallion, Buckpasser. Dr. Fager, a high-speed document holder skilled by John Nerud. Damascus stablemate Hedevar. good-looking boy. And one other Phipps secure entry in Nice Energy.
That 12 months, Damascus had simply missed out on the Triple Crown, ending third behind Proud Clarion within the Kentucky Derby, after which successful the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes with Travers. If Sword Dancer’s offspring maintained this tempo, he was on observe to win Horse of the Yr. Fellow sophomore Dr. Fager had already set two information that season, whereas the 4-year-old Buckpasser had gained two-thirds of the Triple Crown race within the New York Handicap, along with his solely blemish being a second place behind Good-looking Boy within the Brooklyn Handicap. At a distance of 1 1/4 miles Woodward was making ready for what was to be an enormous battle.
Hedever did his job, partaking Dr. Fager from the break, and each ran the opening half-mile in 45 minutes 1/5 seconds and the three-quarter mile in 1 minute 09 seconds 1/5. Across the one-mile mark, Invoice Shoemaker gave the sign to Damascus. Again passers started to maneuver as nicely, so he moved from fifth to first in a dominant transfer, overtaking the leaders. As Damascus separated from the pack, the again passer moved to 3rd after which second, passing Dr. Fager, who was guarding third. The ultimate time was a blistering 2:00 3/5 over 1 1/4 miles, however the story of the day was how simply the 3-year-old Damascus dealt with the stacked fields. Woodward clinched Damascus’ Horse of the Yr award in 1967, and his 10-length victory cemented his standing as certainly one of Woodward’s high 5 Massive A outcomes.
Precisionist wins the 1985 Breeders’ Cup Dash
The Breeders’ Cup got here east from Hollywood Park to the Massive A for its second version. The dash was the third of seven races held in Gotham that November day.
The sphere was a full 14, together with Toboggan Handicap winner Preventing Match. European Stakes winner Al Schiller, Billicaia, Vacalume. Quit on the handicap winner Ziggy’s Boy. The smile of the Arlington Traditional winner. Mount Livermore, winner of a number of prize stakes in New York. and Precisionist, a number of graded stakes winner for Fred Hooper, from California. Precisionist hasn’t been seen on the observe since ending runner-up within the 1 1/4-mile Hollywood Gold Cup in late June. The Breeders’ Cup Dash was a one-turn, six-furlong check held removed from California on a cold fall day in New York, however Hooper’s homebred horses have been prepared for the problem.
He made a rapid break from the No. 2 publish place and settled into No. 3 with Chris McCarron within the pilot seat, whereas Mount Livermore led with 22 seconds to go within the first quarter. With McCarron switching Precisionist to the surface, Francis Genter’s Smile was stage with Mount Livermore, however appeared to stay in third place because the entrance two raced round on the entrance finish. Precisionist overtook Smile within the closing 16 and gained by three-quarters of a size at a time of 1 minute 08.2/5 seconds over six furlongs.
The Precisionist ended the 1985 season by successful the Eclipse Award as champion sprinter.
Straightforward Goer’s 1989 Gotham Stakes
Straightforward Goer entered 1989 not solely because the 1988 champion two-year-old colt, but in addition as, as Steve Haskin described him, “the closest bodily horse to Secretariat” for the reason that retirement of the ninth Triple Crown winner in 1973.
Whereas Arthur Hancock III was burning up almost black colts on the West Coast, Ogden Phipps’ homebred son Alydar was holding out hope that 1989 is likely to be the 12 months the Triple Crown drought ended. Straightforward Gore’s efficiency within the April 8, 1989 Gotham Stakes (G2) exhibits why.
The observe for the eight-furlong stakes was brief, with solely 4 opponents, and bettors determined there was no match for favourite Straightforward Goer, who left the beginning gate because the overwhelming 1-20 favourite. With jockey Pat Day within the saddle, he made a pointy break from the surface publish and shortly moved into second place, however the Corridor of Fame rider pulled away from chief Diamond Donny and settled for fourth.
“I used to be simply going with him and going with the movement,” Day advised Newsday’s Paul Moran. “And he was simply sliding on the bottom.”
The one-mile course at Aqueduct was on a observe that upkeep workers labored exhausting to organize Friday morning after the day before today’s rain. By Saturday the observe was so quick that Straightforward Goer simply soared over the filth observe. Day moved Straightforward Goer on the one flip and by the stretch name they have been 2 1/2 lengths in entrance. On the end line, the margin was 13 lengths over Diamond Donny, who had an additional 7 1/4 lengths forward of Costly Choice.
The clock stopped at 1 minute 32 2/5 seconds for the mile, beating the 1 minute 33 1/5 seconds Secretariat had set in his personal Gotham victory and breaking the observe document by four-fifths of a second, although solely 5 seconds slower than Dr. Fager’s 1968 world document. Couple that record-breaking efficiency with a three-length victory within the Wooden Memorial on April 22, and it was no shock that Straightforward Goer certified for Spherical 3. 115th The Kentucky Derby is a favourite.
2005 Wooden Memorial Stakes at Bellamy Street
Since taking up as proprietor in 1973, George Steinbrenner’s New York Yankees have gained six World Collection championships (1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000). Nonetheless, the sportsman’s pursuits didn’t finish there. He needed to win the Kentucky Derby as a lot as he needed one other World Collection, and he tried 5 instances to win in a row. Heading for Bala earlier than a finest attempt with Kinsman Secure’s homebred horse Bellamy Lord.
The darkish bay/brown colt, out of Steinbrenner’s Concerto, who completed ninth within the 1997 Kentucky Derby, gained his debut at Delaware Park in August 2004 and his subsequent begin within the 1 1/16-mile stakes at River Downs (now Belterra Park) in Ohio. After yet one more begin as a 2-year-old and a seventh-place end within the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, he was transferred to Nick Zito’s secure firstly of his 3-year-old season. In Zito’s case, he has run as soon as at Gulfstream Park, successful a one-mile allowance race by 15 3/4 lengths. His coach then despatched him to Suidobashi for a 131 preparatory race.cent Kentucky Derby, Wooden Memorial Stakes (G1).
The horses included Gotham Stakes winner Survivalist, Graded Stakes winners Galloping Grocer, Naughty New Yorker, Going Wild, and Aqueduct Stakes winners Scrappy T and Pabo. With Javier Castellano within the saddle, Bellamy Lord shortly moved from his second publish place to the entrance and by the top of the primary quarter had already constructed a lead of 1 and a half lengths. Castellano cruised the stallion from there, with Bellamy Lord comfortably holding the lead.
“When Javier put him the place he put him, I knew he was simply going to maintain working,” Zito advised NYRA’s Christian Abdo in 2025. “When he hit the third quarter (109.84 factors), I could not imagine he was on cruise management. I stated, ‘What is going on on right here?'”
I used to be already nicely in entrance of Scrappy T firstly of the straight, and my benefit grew with every stride. Bellamy Street opened up a 10-length lead within the opening levels and the results of the race was by no means doubtful. The one query at that time is how a lot and how briskly? On the end line, Concerto’s offspring had a 17-and-a-half size lead over second-place Survivalist, with a time of 1:47.16 set at 1 1/8 miles. That record-breaking efficiency put him on the gates of the Kentucky Derby as the favourite to win the race.
Though Bellamy Street was unable to meet Steinbrenner’s purpose of successful at Twin Spires, his speedy efficiency on the Massive A earned him a spot on the record of finest performances at this historic racetrack.
