Zenyatta
and Blame dominate recollections of this 27th Breeders' Cup. Nobody
watching their scintillant and thrilling race to the Classic finish
could keep his jaw in place or his emotions steady. I sometimes find
myself explaining to casual fans or strangers to the game why I love
horse racing. I should simply show them a video of that Classic. To see
that is to understand.
The 1988 Breeders' Cup stands out, its races and results impastoed
on memory, as the single greatest day of racing I've personally
witnessed. Personal Ensign, on the strength of her own volition and
Randy Romero's perseverance, surged in the final yards to defeat
Winning Colors in the Distaff, the great Miesque again dazzled in the
Mile, Is It True upset Easy Goer in the Juvenile, and Alysheba, as an
eerie darkness descended, became for the moment the sport's all-time
leader in earnings with his victory in the Classic. A banner held high
on the grandstand apron, I can still see it, recommended, "Alysheba For
President." But for drama and excitement and sheer excellence, this
most recent Breeders' Cup approaches its 1988 ancestor...