There are few times in the annals of horse racing history that lightning strikes twice in the same year. The crop of 1952 is one example. Both Swaps and Nashua were born that year. Although meeting only twice in their magnificent careers, they are forever linked as two of the all-time greats. Then came 1964. This time the lightning came in the form of Dr. Fager and Damascus.
These two thrilled racing fans across America with some of the greatest performances ever witnessed on the American Turf. Let’s move ahead to 1975. This time it was Affirmed and Alydar. Their rivalry is unsurpassed in the history of the sport. They faced each other an unprecedented ten times. A decade later, it was to be more of the same. Two foals were born. One, with a Chestnut color, the other almost black. These two would soon clash in a series of races for the ages. Ogden Phipps, The Phipps fortune derived from the Carnegie, later renamed U.S. Steel Corporation. The family had the distinction of being the second largest stockholders in that company. Many of the mega wealthy families of the early twentieth century appreciated the glamour and class that horse racing was noted for. The Phipps family was no exception. Ogden’s mother created the famed Wheatley Stables in 1926. This horse farm was known for producing championship quality race horses. Wheatley’s most memorable stead was the great Bold Ruler, who after his illustrious career went on to sire the immortal Secretariat. Ogden got into the sport in 1932. His ordinary yet elegant silks of black with a cherry red cap were soon to become extraordinary in the world of thoroughbred racing. His most famous champion was the great Buckpasser. Unfortunately for Phipps, Buckpasser had to skip the Triple Crown series due to injury. Two decades later Ogden Phipps would be given a second chance.
ENTER EASY GOER
The Year was 1986. A foal came down from the heavens like a shooting star. This Phipps home bred was given the name Easy Goer. He was about to thrill fans at New York area racetracks as few had ever done before. As a two-year-old, the Goer broke his maiden here at Saratoga. Then it was on to Belmont and three easy conquests there including the important Champagne Stakes. In the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile, he had problems with the off track at Churchill Downs. He made a late charge only to come up a length short. His rookie seasons had ended. He was named Two-Year-Old Colt of the Year. His trainer Shug McGaughey was aware of his colt’s massive talent. He would show the Racing World just how much he had in 1989.
ENTER SUNDAY SILENCE
When one thinks of breeding horses in the fertile grounds of Kentucky, the name Arthur “Bull” Hancock stands alongside Leslie Combs as breeders par excellence for decades in that lucrative business. It was Bull’s son Arthur who bred Sunday Silence. He partnered with the great west coast trainer Charlie Whittingham as co-owners of this soon-to-be Champion. Whittingham sold off half of his share. The trio of owners brought their colt out in the fall of 1988 to scenic Santa Anita Park. There he was beat a neck in his first time out. He showed a flash of brilliance when he won for the first time at Hollywood Park. He took that race by ten lengths. He finished out the season with a game second at the same track. No one could possibly imagine how good he would be the following year.
1989...YEAR OF TITANS
With Easy Goer, expectations ran high. Shug had him fit and ready to run. He opened the season at Gulfstream Park. There he took a Stakes race by nine lengths. Then it was back home to New York. At Aqueduct he absolutely crushed his opponents in the one-mile Gotham Stakes.
The Goer took the race by thirteen lengths. He had demolished the track record and had come within a tick of the world’s record set by the immortal Dr. Fager eleven years earlier. Next out he took the Wood Memorial. Then it was on to Churchill Downs. There, he looked like a lead pipe cinch to take the Kentucky Derby. On the west coast, Sunday Silence opened his second campaign with three straight Stakes race scores back at Santa Anita. The streak culminated with an easy win in the Santa Anita Derby. This colt had quickly matured and was now a very formidable race horse. He too had his eyes on Kentucky and “The Run for the Roses.” Derby day the track came up muddy. Easy Goer had shown a dislike for this same type surface in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile the previous year. Sunday Silence took a commanding lead mid-stretch. Easy Goer made a furious move to catch him.
It was too little, too late. Sunday Silence had taken the Derby. The rivalry had begun. Next up, both horses headed to Pimlico for the Preakness. This time it was one to remember. At the top of the stretch both of these warriors were head and head. Down the stretch they stayed that way. Pat Day had Easy Goer on the rail. Patrick Valenzuela was on the outside with Sunday Silence. The stretch duel continued to the finish line. Sunday Silence got the nod by a nose.
All the great expectations from Easy Goer had gone array. In a stunning reversal, Sunday Silence was going to Belmont with a chance at the Triple Crown. Easy Goer, on the other hand could only play the spoiler in this strange turn of events. And that he did. Back home at Belmont Park, he put on a devastating performance. Goer took the lead and never looked back. He left Sunday Silence in his wake along with the second fastest Belmont stakes in its long history. From this point on, Easy Goer went on a tear. After the Belmont he took the Whitney and Travers at Saratoga. Then back at Belmont he added the Woodward Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He had prevailed in five of America’s greatest races in succession. Next up the Breeder’s Cup Classic at Gulfstream Park. Sunday Silence headed back to the west coast after his Belmont loss. He came back to the races in late July finishing second in the Swaps Stakes. Then Whittingham sent him to Louisiana where he took the million-dollar Super Derby. He too was headed for Gulfstream Park. There, two titans of the turf were about to settle old scores.
SHOWDOWN AT GULFSTREAM
With the advent of the Breeder’s Cup in 1984 all the formerly important fall classic races had now become just major preps for the Classic. This had almost overnight become the race where Horses of the Year were crowned. 1989 was no exception. The race itself is run at the classic distance of one and one quarter miles. Both horses carried the weight for age load of 122 pounds. Chris McCarron was substituted for Pat Valenzuela as the rider of Sunday Silence. Fellow Hall of Famer Pat Day was on the Goer. The bell rang. Easy Goer got off to a slow start. The race began to materialize at the top of the lane. Sunday Silence made his move and was in front coming down the stretch. Again, Easy Goer made a late run at him. Jockey Pat Day revved up the Goer’s engine. With all the strength and power, he could generate, they closed the gap. The fast closing Goer just ran out of real estate. Sunday Silence had taken the race by a neck. It goes down as one of the greatest renditions of the Classic. With the win Sunday Silence clinched Horse of The Year honors. They would never meet again. Sunday Silence had taken three of four in the head-to-head matches. Easy Goer on the other hand ended his career with eight Grade One stakes to his credit.
Who was the better horse?
This has been a bone of contention for decades. There seems to be no common ground on this one. Those who think Easy Goer to be the better horse are dug in with that belief. The same goes for those in the Sunday Silence camp. We do know one thing for sure. Twenty-nine years ago, two great thoroughbred racehorses took center stage as they raced their way to the entrance of Horse Racing’s Hall of Fame here on historic Union Avenue. With Breeder’s Cup on tap for this weekend, I hope you enjoyed this look back at two of its shining stars.
