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Dr. Patches
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Dr. Patches

1974 - Horse | Deceased

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Pedigree:

Dr. Fager - Expectancy by Intentionally

Rating:

8.31/10

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What the Nation is saying about Dr. Patches...

What a Jockey Club Gold Cup it Was

For all of the great performances that can be found in the Jockey Club Gold Cup history, it was a runner-up finish that remains my favorite.Read More

Posted 240 days ago ·

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sjuwill · That race brings up many memories....seeing Exceller looking like an easy winner and then holding off Slew as he came on....that was quite a race Brian · 240 days ago ·

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AndyScoggin · What great race Exceller and Affirmed. It is important to remember what happened to Exceller years later in 1997. http://www.excellerfund.org/story-of-exceller.html · 240 days ago ·

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BrianZipse · Thank you for the link, Matt ... tragic. · 240 days ago ·

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BrianAppleton · Wow, I got so excited watching this race! I've read about it so many times but that just blew my mind...makes me question my whole idea on who was the greatest. Incredible performance by Slew...actually very moving, just amazing. · 239 days ago ·

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Lou'sfan · They said it about Zenyatta - it's much more fitting in this case - Un-Be-Lieve-Able! · 239 days ago ·

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sikorskidownthestretch · best 1 1/2 race ever ran....including Big Red's Belmont and Affirmed and Alydar's Belmont....this race was better -- 1 1/2 on a horrid track with those blistering fracions Big Red would have been gasping for air · 239 days ago ·

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annmatt · There’s a little more to the story. I first dug into the story about the 1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup when Zenyatta lost to Blame last year in the BCC10. Several stories compared that race to the 1978 JCGC. One account I read said Karen Taylor exclaimed: “I cried not because he lost, but because he tried so hard!" Andy Beyer, who had often dissed Slew, finally saw in the loss his true greatness in his effort in this race. His comment has been related several ways, but the one that I like was "Exceller may have won the race, but Slew won the debate!" (He made a similar comment just after the BCC10 about Zenyatta.) What makes this story even more remarkable is Slew had taken ill in January of that year. At one point, it was feared he might die. He did recover and a few months later, he won a couple of allowances before going on a tear beating Affirmed and he also beat Exceller in the Woodward a few weeks earlier. A race that started as another match up of the two TC winners and the race strategy that had been set up for that scenario got turned on its head. The drama, the players, the history of that era just make that race so special. It also highlights something about the commitment owners had to actually running their horses. Here was Seattle Slew, 1977 winner of the Triple Crown, being allowed to continue his career into his 4yo year! When he became ill, it would certainly have been understood had they chosen to retire him then. That they brought him back is truly a remarkable part of the story. He was Champion Older Male that year! · 236 days ago ·

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Floridaf · What an amazing race! Exceller may have won it, but Seattle Slew certainly did not make it easy. I wish we saw races like this on a frequent basis still. · 147 days ago ·

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travel_vic · The Slew crew were nuts....Recall when Slew O'Gold needed bute in the inaugural BC Classic. The ones who had screamed the most about its use, overloaded the poor guy and he was sick from the high dose, all to get him to that race. It was obvious mid srtretch that he had nothing in the tank anyway. Hypocrites who rad too many of thier wone press clippings · 146 days ago ·

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Dr. Patches

Dr. Patches was the co-champion sprinter of 1978, along with J O Tobin. Both horses obviously accomplished a lot more than just "beating Seattle Slew," but those performances were certainly crowning achievements.

Posted by Jackie999 · 450 days ago ·

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icyhotboo · even the great ones lose sometimes.Dr, Patches was a very good horse sired by a great one and he seized the moment.I don't always disagree with you jackie999 ,just some of the time. · 450 days ago ·

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Jackie999 · I think it's OK for me to say that Dr. Patches and J.O. Tobin belong in the Top 500 of all time. I never said they were Top 10 material, or even Top 100. However, they were very accomplished racehorses who did happen to beat Seattle Slew. They deserve a lot more credit than, say, Onion, because that horse only had one shining moment that I can recall. Even Prove Out deserves to be noticed and commended for defeating Secretariat, Cougar II, Riva Ridge, Summer Guest, Loud, Halo and Forego. There are lots of great horses, and very good horses, and I recognize them all without disdain or contempt. After all, not everyone can fit into the Top 10 of all time, and not everyone can be #1. · 450 days ago ·

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icyhotboo · If anyone thought about how many great horses have passed through history making the all time 300 should be considered a tremendous achievement and the top 10 horses listed by Bloodhorse are not necessarily the only ones that belong there.I believe you can go down to #40 or there abouts and make a case,Sunday Silence for one Buckpasser for another just off the top of my head.Some great horses are further down that list and this after all is extremely subjective. · 450 days ago ·

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Dr. Patches

Uhhhh...hello? Another horse who defeated SEATTLE SLEW gets ignored by jealous 'Slew' fans? Come on...let's get with it folks!

Posted by MikeSek · 452 days ago ·

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Thead'or · Mikey,mikey,mikey. Poiting out ever horse that beat Seattle Slew, is like trying to say that Onion was a fantastic horse for beating Secretariat. He was fantastic on that day, but never duplicated the performance. You get mad at people for detracting one horse to defend your favorite. Which is exactly what your doing. · 451 days ago ·

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icyhotboo · Seattle slew 1:45.4 at 1 1/8 give us a break Mike a race in which he beat the great Affirmed.Jump into reality your so called great Flying Paster could beat Dr. Patches in a lifetime of tries.Your posting's are ridiculous. · 450 days ago ·

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icyhotboo · "I made the intelligent choice" so then those of us who who don't make the choices you make are retarded? I'm a very ardent supporter of free speech but Mike your post's not only get more ridiculous with each one they strain my support of free speech.Sure you have the right to make them but your attack on such a great horse as Seattle Slew just makes you look ignorant.Cut us a little slack Mike and show the other members just a touch of respect.Were not as ignorant as you make us out to be. · 450 days ago ·

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