One is the 1-1/8 mile Ruffian Handicap on August 1 that is named after the ill-fated filly that died in a match race at Belmont. The other is the 1-1/4 Personal Ensign Stakes on August 29 that is named after the undefeated winner of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
NYRA has named many of its most important stakes races after historic horses. Among those of note are the Man O’ War, Sword Dancer, Forego, Kelso and Cigar. This year, albeit just a $75,000 purse, the Curlin Stakes, named after a colt that raced five times and won only three times in the State, will be run for the first time.
Given these circumstances, why isn’t there a graded stakes race named after Easy Goer? Woodbine waited decades before honoring Northern Dancer, Canada’s greatest runner, with a race. Horse racing has never seen a horse as accomplished in competition at New York tracks as the son of Alydar. It’s Easy Goer’s turn now.
Easy Goer was defeated only once in 15 starts on Empire State soil. That loss came in the Metropolitan Handicap against the eventual Eclipse Award-winning Horse of Year Criminal Type and the crack sprinter Housebuster. He raced to nine Grade 1 victories at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga and won the Whitney Handicap and Travers Stakes in back-to-back starts as a 3-year-old. That’s enough to be remembered, wouldn’t you imagine?
16 Jun 2010 at 04:05 pm | #
Nice article Vic and you are right, he should have a race in his name. Maybe it’s because they can’t rename the Belmont. Beating Sunday Silence so dramatically together with Marshall Cassidy’s memorable call, don’t you think that was his most important win? So anything less than that just doesn’t seem good enough.
16 Jun 2010 at 04:54 pm | #
Easy Goer’s Travers was won in 2:00 and 4/5, which has been modernized for the record books to 2:00.80. It is the third fastest Travers of all time.
His year, 1989, was the last year that New York timed its races in fifths of a second, so maybe he went even faster.
Thanks for reading and writing. By the way, Easy Goer recorded only one victory in five starts away from New York. If they name a race for him, it should be at Belmont.
17 Jun 2010 at 01:18 am | #
Hi Vic
The first time I saw Easy Goer he looked for all the world like Arnold-Schwartz-a-Horsie. He was all muscles down to his shoes. He was the yummiest thing I ever saw on the track.
The problem with retro fitting a race to be named ‘The Easy Goer’ was and still is Sunday Silence. I looked at a number of replays recently. My opinion twenty years later has remained the same; I loved Easy Goer. I respected Sunday Silence.
The other thing is that I like the old names. All this jumping around makes my eyes cross.
17 Jun 2010 at 08:14 am | #
I don’t disagree, but which race would you name after Easy Goer? The Gotham?
Certainly if there’s a Curlin Stakes, though, there should be an Easy Goer (though that’s just an overnight stakes and probably has more to do with Jackson running Curlin and Rachel Alexandra at NYRA tracks the past few years).
Also, times get rounded down when timed in fifths, so 2:00.80 is the fastest he could have gone at 2:00 4/5. He could have gone as “slow” as 2:00.99
17 Jun 2010 at 09:39 am | #
Hey Vic---Horse Racing has never seen a horse as accomplished in competition at New York tracks? How about the the great Buckpasser? NYRA should have named a stakes race for this earlier Ogden Phipps runner a long time ago. Ditto for Damascus and Dr.Fager. NYRA names stakes races for some horses I can barely remember while truly great ones are ignored.
17 Jun 2010 at 10:15 am | #
Why isn’t there a graded stakes-or any stakes-for War Admiral? Assault only has a Texas-bred stake to his name. Omaha has a minor stakes in Nebraska, after his G3 disappeared with Ak-Sar-Ben. The G3 Whirlaway Handicap was changed to the Mineshaft a few years ago, leaving an ungraded stakes in NY. Hindoo and Hanover, Kentucky and Firenze (whose handicap later became the Ruffian), Roseben and Exterminator, Old Rosebud and Roamer, all are passed over.
17 Jun 2010 at 10:48 am | #
Miss Woodford---NYRA used to have a stakes race named for Roseben. I don’t know if the name was changed or if the race was just eliminated. Time For A Change and Poker were pretty fair racehorses but not worthy of a race being named for them when horses with a much better racing record are overlooked.
17 Jun 2010 at 12:07 pm | #
Vic,
Wish I thought of this first!
JP
17 Jun 2010 at 01:38 pm | #
I predict Easy Goer gets a race named after him in NY after Sunday Silence gets a race named after him in California. It’s only fitting right?
17 Jun 2010 at 02:44 pm | #
Question:
Why hasn’t there been a race named after Easy Goer?
Answer:
That’s Simple. The over-hyped Easy Goer lost three out of his four races to Sunday Silence.
17 Jun 2010 at 05:35 pm | #
I agree that Easy Goer deserves to have a race named after him and it should be in New York. I don’t like the way major races are renamed, though. The Riva Ridge S. honored a very special horse. To make it worse, he is totally left out of the Secretariat movie despite being a key player in saving the farm. But back to Easy Goer, yes, he was awesome!