The only world Dr. Fager had not conquered was the grass. ...
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Everyone knew the world record was in jeopardy as soon as Nerud announced his plans to ship to Arlington, despite Dr. Fager being assigned 134 pounds....
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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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So, one must ask: When is a mile not a mile? In a pure horse racing sense it is a mile run around two turns instead of the more traditional flat mile around one turn....
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Here we are once again following yet another John Nerud coup. Just to quickly catch up since my last Nerud column about his powerful influence on Arrogate's pedigree, he is now responsible this year alone for Arrogate, Always Dreaming, Tapwrit, Gun Runner, Classic Empire, and after today, Lady Aurelia, who crushed older horses and males in the group 1 King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. ...
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John Nerud's influence can be found in both the male and female family of Arrogate, the sensational Travers, Breeders' Cup Classic, and Pegasus World Cup winner who set off a frenzy of emotion and superlatives with his incredible victory in the Dubai World Cup....
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If only he had been given the opportunity, how fast could Dr. Fager have run that day?...
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How do you choose the crowning legacy of a person's career, especially when that person is John Nerud, who had so many careers and has left so many legacies it's difficult to single one out?...
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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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When a 102-year-old person dies it shouldn’t come as a shock. But John Nerud was no ordinary person, and it is still difficult to believe he is gone. ...
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A set of yearlings strutting across a grassy field in pairs, as dripping strands of Spanish moss hang over their heads....
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What they have in common is they all carry the John Nerud influence in their pedigree, mainly through the descendents of Fappiano and Dr. Fager and continuing through Unbridled and Quiet American. It is the last two on which we will concentrate, as they both reflect the true genius of Nerud, who celebrated his 100th birthday this year. What is ironic is that Nerud never believed in the Derby and ran only one horse in the race -- Gallant Man in 1957....
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Haskin's Preakness Report: Cozzene and Nerud ...
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I just returned from Saratoga and another Travers Stakes. It is this annual pilgrimage to the mecca of racing that makes me briefly forget all the problems the sport is facing and remember the way it used to be....
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