STRETCH CALL Race No. 1 -- The Century Dream Sprint (Six Furlongs) By Paul Buckley Listen to the race call by track announcer Mike Battaglia! On a glorious Indian summer afternoon under the Twin Spires, 14 of the fastest equine athletes of all time face off in a dash for the ages. Here's the illustrious field in post position order: PP HORSE YEAR AGE WEIGHT JOCKEY TRAINER ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 HOUSEBUSTER 1990 3 124 C. PERRET W. A. CROLL JR. 2 ACK ACK 1971 5 126 W. SHOEMAKER C. WHITTINGHAM 3 ARTAX 1999 4 126 J. CHAVEZ L. ALBERTRANI 4 COALTOWN 1949 4 126 S. BROOKS H. A. JONES 5 DR. FAGER 1968 4 126 B. BAEZA J. NERUD 6 BOLD RULER 1957 3 124 W. HARTACK J. FITZSIMMONS 7 SAFELY KEPT 1990 4 123 A. CORDERO JR. A. GOLDBERG 8 NASHUA 1955 3 124 E. ARCARO J. FITZSIMMONS 9 TA WEE 1969 3 121 J. L. ROTZ F. S. SCHULHOFER 10 J. O. TOBIN 1978 4 126 S. CAUTHEN L. BARRERA 11 TOM FOOL 1953 4 126 T. ATKINSON J. GAVER 12 PRECISIONIST 1985 4 126 C. McCARRON L. FENSTERMAKER 13 AFFECTIONATELY 1965 5 123 W. BLUM H. JACOBS 14 ROSEBEN 1906 5 126 W. SHAW F. D. WEIR Following are race records (year chosen and lifetime) for each horse, as well as notable accomplishments and other tidbits: 1 HOUSEBUSTER 1990 Race Record: 11- 9-1-0 $ 651,236 Lifetime Record: 22-15-3-1 $1,229,696 - Champion Sprinter in 1990, 1991 - Won 1990 Derby Trial S. (G3) at Churchill Downs - Perret chooses Housebuster over Safely Kept 2 ACK ACK 1971 Race Record: 8- 7-1-0 $393,300 Lifetime Record: 27-19-6-0 $636,641 - Champion Sprinter, Handicap Horse and Horse Of The Year in 1971 - Won 1971 San Carlos H. in 1:21 - Won 1969 Derby Trial S., setting a new track record of 1:34 2/5 - Set new track record of 1:02 1/5 for 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar (1970) - Set new track record of 1:47 1/5 for 1 1/8 miles at Hollywood Park (1971) 3 ARTAX 1999 Race Record: 15- 4-5-1 $1,205,920 Lifetime Record: 25- 7-9-3 $1,685,840 - Champion Sprinter in 1999 - Won 1999 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Gulfstream Park, equalling the track record of 1:07 4/5 - Won 1999 Carter H. (G1) at Aqueduct, setting a new track record of 1:20 for seven furlongs - Won 1999 Forest Hills H. (G2) at Belmont Park, setting a new track record of 1:07 3/5 for six furlongs 4 COALTOWN 1949 Race Record: 15-12-3-0 $276,125 Lifetime Record: 39-23-6-3 $415,675 - Champion Sprinter in 1948 - Champion Handicap Horse and Horse Of The Year in 1949 - Set a new world record of 1:34 for the mile at Washington Park (1949) - Equalled the world record of 1:59 4/5 for 1 1/4 miles at Gulfstream Park, setting a new track record in the process (1949) - Equalled the world record of 1:47 3/5 for 1 1/8 miles at Hialeah, setting a new track record in the process (1949) - Set a new track record of 1:48 2/5 for 1 1/8 miles at Arlington Park (1949) - Equalled the track record of 1:09 1/5 for six furlongs at Hollywood Park (1950) 5 DR. FAGER 1968 Race Record: 8- 7-1-0 $ 406,110 Lifetime Record: 22-18-2-1 $1,002,642 - Champion Sprinter in 1967 - Champion Sprinter, Handicap Horse, Grass Horse and Horse Of The Year in 1968 - Set a new world record of 1:32 1/5 for the mile in the Washington Park H. at Arlington Park carrying 134 pounds (1968) - Set a new track record of 1:20 1/5 for seven furlongs in the Vosburgh H. at Aqueduct carrying 139 pounds (1968) - Equalled the track record of 1:59 3/5 for 1 1/4 miles in the Suburban H. at Aqueduct carrying 132 pounds (1968) - Set a new track record of 1:59 4/5 for 1 1/4 miles at Rockingham Park (1967) 6 BOLD RULER 1957 Race Record: 16-11-2-2 $415,160 Lifetime Record: 33-23-4-2 $764,204 - Champion Three-Year-Old Colt and Horse Of The Year in 1957 - Champion Sprinter in 1958 - Broke Roseben's 50-year-old track record for seven furlongs (1:22) at Belmont, winning the Vosburgh H. in 1:21 2/5 under 130 pounds (1957) - Set a new track record of 1:47 for 1 1/8 miles in the Flamingo S. at Hialeah (1957) - Set a new track record of 1:48 4/5 for 1 1/8 miles at Jamaica (1957) - Equalled the track record of 1:22 for seven furlongs in the Bahamas H. at Hialeah (1957) 7 SAFELY KEPT 1990 Race Record: 10- 8-0-0 $ 959,280 Lifetime Record: 31-24-2-3 $2,194,206 - Champion Sprinter in 1989 - Won Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Belmont Park in 1990 - Equalled the track record of 1:08 2/5 for six furlongs at Garden State Park (1991) 8 NASHUA 1955 Race Record: 12-10-1-1 $ 752,550 Lifetime Record: 30-22-4-1 $1,288,565 - Champion Two-Year-Old Colt in 1954 - Champion Three-Year-Old Colt and Horse Of The Year in 1955 - Equalled the track record of 1:08 1/5 for six furlongs at Belmont Park as a two-year-old (1954) - Set a new track record of 1:54 3/5 for 1 3/16 miles in the Preakness S. at Pimlico (1955) - Set a new track record of 3:20 2/5 for two miles at Belmont Park (1956) - Finished second to Swaps in the 1955 Kentucky Derby - Arcaro chooses Nashua over Bold Ruler - Nashua weighed more than 1,200 pounds while racing 9 TA WEE 1969 Race Record: 10- 8-0-1 $170,663 Lifetime Record: 21-15-2-1 $284,941 - Champion Sprinter in 1969, 1970 - Won the 1969 Vosburgh H. in 1:21 3/5, defeating Shuvee, Mr. Leader and Gamely - Half-sister to Dr. Fager 10 J. O. TOBIN 1978 Race Record: 11- 6-1-1 $355,100 Lifetime Record (North America): 17- 9-2-1 $592,550 - Champion Two-Year-Old Colt in England (1976) - Champion Sprinter in 1978 - Set a new track record of 1:47 for 1 1/8 miles at Hollywood Park (1977) - Won the 1978 Tom Fool H. at Belmont Park in 1:20 4/5 carrying 129 pounds 11 TOM FOOL 1953 Race Record: 10-10-0-0 $256,355 Lifetime Record: 30-21-7-1 $570,165 - Champion Two-Year-Old Colt in 1951 - Champion Sprinter, Handicap Horse and Horse Of The Year in 1953 - Set a new track record of 1:55 4/5 for 1 3/16 miles at Pimlico (1953) - Equalled the track record of 1:22 in the Carter H. at Aqueduct carrying 135 pounds (1953) 12 PRECISIONIST 1985 Race Record: 9- 4- 3-0 $1,106,100 Lifetime Record: 46-20-10-4 $3,485,398 - Champion Sprinter in 1985 - Won 1985 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Aqueduct in a time of 1:08 2/5 - Equalled the track record of 1:32 4/5 for the mile at Hollywood Park (1985) - Set a new track record of 1:33 1/5 for the mile at Del Mar (1988) 13 AFFECTIONATELY 1965 Race Record: 15- 7-4-2 $187,716 Lifetime Record: 52-28-8-6 $546,659 - Champion Two-Year-Old Filly in 1962 - Champion Sprinter and Handicap Mare in 1965 - Won the 1965 Vagrancy H. at Aqueduct carrying 137 pounds - Won the 1965 Toboggan H. vs. males by five lengths in 1:09 2/5 carrying 124 pounds - Won the Sport Page H. and Vosburgh H. (both against males) in 1964 14 ROSEBEN 1906 Race Record: 22- 11- 5- 3 $27,870 Lifetime Record: 111-52-25-12 $75,110 - Set a new American record of 1:11 3/5 for six furlongs in the 1905 Manhattan H. carrying 147 pounds - Set a new American record of 1:22 for seven furlongs in 1906 at Belmont Park, shattering the existing record (around one turn) of 1:24 4/5 - Stood 17 hands - Called "The Big Train" because he "carried the freight." The bay gelding carried 140 pounds or more 29 times, winning 14. Now, for the race: As the gates swing open, SAFELY KEPT gets the jump on the field, but is quickly joined by BOLD RULER and DR. FAGER to her inside, as well as NASHUA and AFFECTIONATELY to her outside. HOUSEBUSTER settles into sixth along the rail, with ACK ACK at his right flank and ROSEBEN on the far outside. The rest of the field breaks without incident, forming a third wave across the track. An aggressive BOLD RULER seizes the lead after a sizzling quarter-mile in :21 1/5, with DR. FAGER a neck behind to his inside and SAFELY KEPT a half-length back in third. AFFECTIONATELY presses from fourth on the outside while NASHUA bides his time in fifth. After breaking a step slower than the pacesetters, TA WEE and COALTOWN find their best strides, moving into sixth and seventh place, respectively. HOUSEBUSTER and ACK ACK get shuffled back a bit on the inside, as DR. FAGER and BOLD RULER vie for the lead. ROSEBEN moves in behind NASHUA while the early trailers cruise along within four or five lengths of the lead. DR. FAGER wrests a short lead from BOLD RULER as those two accomplish a half-mile in :43 4/5. SAFELY KEPT and AFFECTIONATELY dig in outside of the leaders while losing a bit of ground on the turn. TA WEE's sustained burst carries her past NASHUA into fifth, and those two stalk the leading quartet from positions well off the rail. From the inside out, we then find ACK ACK, COALTOWN and ROSEBEN another length-and-a-half behind, with HOUSEBUSTER fading and the rest getting into gear. At the top of the stretch, DR. FAGER extends his advantage over a game BOLD RULER to nearly a length while TA WEE ranges up on the outside in third. NASHUA begins to uncork his rally in fourth, and ROSEBEN blows past SAFELY KEPT and AFFECTIONATELY on the extreme outside, taking dead aim on the leaders. In the meantime, ACK ACK, who has saved ground on the inside under Bill Shoemaker, moves into sixth position, and TOM FOOL launches his bid just to their outside. After blazing the first five furlongs in :55 2/5, DR. FAGER approaches the sixteenth pole with a relatively safe 1 1/2-length lead over ROSEBEN, who is battling on gamely. However, it is the great TOM FOOL who is flying down the lane, passing "The Big Train" on the inside and cutting into DR. FAGER's lead with every prodigious stride. Approaching the wire, TOM FOOL is at DR. FAGER's neck, and with his last stride, closes to within a nostril, but ... to no avail. It's DR. FAGER, battling every step of the way, who prevails by a whisker in a time of 1:07 2/5. Following is the complete order of finish: HORSE FINISH COMMENT --------------------------------------------------------------- DR. FAGER 1 no Battled gamely to prevail TOM FOOL 2 1 Just missed ROSEBEN 3 1/2 Wide turn NASHUA 4 1/2 Good effort ACK ACK 5 3/4 Saved ground, nice try TA WEE 6 nk Wide bid, hung BOLD RULER 7 hd Set blistering pace, weakened ARTAX 8 nk Belated bid COALTOWN 9 1/2 Rushed, evenly PRECISIONIST 10 1 1/4 Passed tired horses AFFECTIONATELY 11 nk Wide trip, tired SAFELY KEPT 12 1/2 On pace three wide, tired J. O. TOBIN 13 2 1/2 No factor HOUSEBUSTER 14 Shuffled back, faded Race call by Mike Battaglia, who was the track announcer at Churchill Downs and called 19 consecutive Kentucky Derbies. Brisnet.com would like to offer a special thanks to Mike for giving us his professional race call of the Century Dream Sprint! Hope you enjoyed it. The Century Dream Juvenile Fillies is next. Stay tuned! [ Sign-up ] [ Products & Prices ] [ Bookstore ] [ Track Info ] [ Library ] [ Tech Support ] [ F.A.Q. ] [ Member Services ] [ Contact Us ]