I have never taken a puff of a cigar, but the smell is intoxicating, bringing me back to my childhood and Ebbetts Fields and my Uncle Sam's cigars, and then later Yankee Stadium and then the old Madison Square Garden on 50th Street. Those were the special places of my youth where the smell of cigar smoke blended so perfectly with the smell of beer and mustard. Soon those three aromas would come together in the grandstand of Aqueduct Racetrack, which was only eight years old when I first inhabited it in 1967....
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When was the last time you used weight among your criteria for greatness?...
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Fifty Years. Half a century. A lifetime ago. Seems like yesterday. There is something about anniversaries, excluding weddings and births, that make us remember events we normally don't give that much thought to. When you reach way back and pull out a 50th anniversary, it brings your life into perspective. There is no year in memory that evokes more nostalgia and brings back historical events than 1969...
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Looking at Damascus' grave, I could once again vividly see those Belair white with red polka dots silks that he carried to so many spectacular victories. Those colors are ingrained in the memory and still evoke images and feelings of a time long gone; of innocence, the unbridled joy of victory, the gut-pounding sadness of defeat, and butterflies in the stomach....
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There is a sire we tend to overlook as a dominant influence, but who produced two daughters that are responsible for the majority of today's top stars....
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Dr. Fager emerged from his street brawl in the United Nations Handicap in good shape, despite having to withstand the fight of his life against the tenacious Advocator, the 134 pounds on his back, and the 22-pound weight concession to his adversary. But, unlike his previous races, the Doc was not ready to come back in only 17 days to face his arch rival Damascus in the Woodward Stakes. John Nerud had...
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The only world Dr. Fager had not conquered was the grass. ...
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Racing fans had been clamoring for a rematch between racing's two titans since the previous September when Damascus crushed Dr. Fager, as well as reigning Horse of the Year Buckpasser, in the Woodward Stakes to clinch 3-year-old and Horse of the Year honors....
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No horse has ever excelled at as many facets of the sport in one year as did the legendary Dr. Fager, who combined world-record speed from seven furlongs to a mile and a quarter, despite carrying staggering weights all year; won world-class stakes on dirt and grass; and won major stakes on both coasts and in the Midwest....
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Boy, do we have some amazing 50th anniversaries in Thoroughbred racing to look forward to in 2018; anniversaries of some of the greatest horses in history, some of the most amazing performances, and certainly one of the most controversial stories of the century. Many of these will be addressed in columns throughout the year....
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Racing fans missed one of the most electrifying performances ever witnessed in the state of Illinois, or anywhere for that matter, one which has gone unseen and unappreciated over the years....
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It is 2017. That means it's been 50 years since Thoroughbred racing entered, encompassed, and changed my life, altering its course forever. It pulled me out of the frenzied, often cutthroat world of Wall Street and brought to my life a passion and a spirit I had never experienced before....
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It was races like the New Hampshire Sweepstakes that came to mind as I looked out over the beautiful Rockingham Park infield for the first and only time. Soon that infield and the grandstand will be gone, taking with it some of the great moments in racing history and some of the sport's greatest innovations....
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But even after all these years, I still treasure those early scrapbooks that helped to preserve my memories of a time when you could actually feel those stories in your hand and protect them from time and the elements as you would a fragile plant or that intricate model of Old Ironsides, with its hundreds of pieces, that it took you weeks to glue together....
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I was cheering the most for Damascus' rare accomplishment of going over the $1 million mark in earnings, becoming only the eighth millionaire in racing history....
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This column is about Titans of the Turf, both equine and human. It is about Dr. Fager and Damascus and John Nerud and Frank Whiteley....
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This was a time of filled grandstands and of sound and healthy horses, most of whom were coming off much-needed vacations of their own....
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In 1968, racing fans had been clamoring for a rematch between racing's two titans, Damascus and Dr. Fager....
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Step back in time and enjoy the images of racing and the horses who made history....
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It was Damascus who breathed life into a hollow existence, numbed from years of toiling mindlessly on Wall Street....
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The following is a compilation of past writings on Damascus that may put this remarkable horse's career in a better historical perspective. Also included is a look at the volatile times in which he ran....
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What do the following horses have in common? Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid, Affirmed, Damascus, Buckpasser, Easy Goer, Riva Ridge, Holy Bull, Spend a Buck, and Swale?...
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What better way to relieve the pressure of racing in the 21st century than to go back and celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest races I have ever witnessed, a race the likes of which we will never see again....
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