Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
By: Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
The Forego has been run since 1980, making this year’s 2022 race the 43rd running of the Forego. Of the 43 runnings, 3 were at 6.5 furlongs, and 4 were at 8 furlongs. The remaining 36 Forego races have been at 7 furlongs. Of those 36 runnings of the Forego at 7 furlongs, Cody’s Wish was the fastest of them all at 1:20.95.
Cody’s Wish came ahead of 1-9 favored Jackie’s Warrior, winning by 1 ¼ lengths and earning a 112 Beyer speed figure. From far back, Cody’s Wish “came out of the clouds” as they say earning the Spa its famous name of “Graveyard of Champions” or “Graveyard of Favorites.”
Surprisingly, despite being savaged for a long part of the stretch by Firenze Fire (horse talk for “bitten”), last year’s winner Yaupon has the second fastest Forego at 1:21.74. So, Cody’s Wish was a darn fast Forego and as the announcer correctly noted, “not far off the track record.” Nobody saw it coming. Cody’s Wish was 7-2 on the morning line but ran off at 8-1.
Firenze Fire Bites Yaupon
Photo Credit Adam Coglianese/NYRA
According to Equibase, the Saratoga Track Record for 7 furlongs in 1:20.40 set by Darby Creek Road on August 8, 1978. To be fair, Cody’s Wish was carrying 120 pounds and Darby Creek Road was only carrying 113 pounds, a significant weight differential. Despite this record time on dirt, the following year Darby Creek Road won the turf Sword Dancer at 8.5 furlongs, beating John Henry. Darby Creek Road was actually 3-3 against John Henry. Turf was in Darby Creek Road’s blood since his sire was Roberto, or horse that raced well in Europe.
That race where Darby Creek Road set the track record for 7 furlongs so long ago in 1978 was an allowance race and not a stakes race—the horse he beat in that allowance was also John Henry. The 7 furlong dirt record is an odd record, in that it was set so long ago (it is one of the oldest Saratoga track records) and yet Darby Creek Road was not the greatest of all time by a long shot to have run at Saratoga. Sure Darby Creek Road had a good record of 6 wins, 6 places, and 6 shows in 29 starts, but he was no Native Dancer or Forego or House Buster. Sure, Darby Creek Road is a horse I would have loved to own.
Forego Racehorse
Photo Credit Adam Coglianese/NYRA
But we are talking about the track record in the nation’s most distinguished racing venue at the commonly run distance of 7 furlongs. 44 years later the record still stands. It is an oddity in horse racing that a good horse—but far from the best—can set a track record or even a world record—there is no human equivalent. It would be akin to the 100th ranked sprinter breaking the world record for 100 meters and never coming close to that again—there just is no human equivalent for this tendency of record setting horses.
Good horses who were not the best ever have set the world record many times. Triple Bend set the World Record for 7 furlongs. Triple Bend had a good race record of 10 wins-6 places-5 shows from 29 starts; but this is hardly the race record of the greatest horses of all time. Yet, he set the world record for the commonly run distance of 7 furlongs, the same distance as the aforementioned Forego Stake.
According to Wikipedia, Triple Bend ran 1:19.80 for seven furlongs on dirt in winning the 1972 Los Angeles Handicap, setting the world record. A Grade 2 race (Grade 1 for 16 years), fittingly at 7 furlongs, is in Triple Bend’s honor. On May 8, 1980, Rich Cream broke that mark with another world record time for seven furlongs on dirt in winning the Triple Bend Handicap. His time was 1:19:40. Rich Cream’s time is still the North American record to this day for 7 furlongs. A good horse was Rich Cream, but according to pedigreequery.com, he only won 1 stakes race. This is a good horse setting a major speed record of a commonly run distance—7 furlongs—that still stands 42 years later.
Codys Wish Wins the Forego
Photo Credit Adam Coglianese/NYRA
When you compare Cody’s Wish time of 1:20.95 to Rich Cream’s world record of 1:19:40, you have a fast time just 1.55 seconds slower than the fastest 7 furlongs ever run. Rich Cream would go on to sire the Belmont and two-time Jockey Gold Cup 12F winning Crème Fraiche, which goes to show a sprinter can be the sire of a distance horse.
Sometimes a world record belongs to a horse that one think would set the world record—Hall of Famer Native Diver had equaled the world record of 7 furlongs in his 1965 win in the Los Angeles stakes with a time of 1:20.00. Despite world records being set, I cannot find YouTube videos of Native Dives NWR in the Los Angeles Handicap (and race he would win again in 1967), nor of Triple Bend’s record setting race in the Los Angeles, nor Rich Creams setting the world record that remains to this day in the Triple Bend, nor Darby Creek Road’s allowance race at Saratoga that set the Saratoga record. THE FASTEST FOREGO EVER.
