Spectacular Bid (USA)
February 17, 1976 – June 9, 2003
Bold Bidder (USA) x Spectacular (USA), by Promised Land (USA)
Family 2-d
February 17, 1976 – June 9, 2003
Bold Bidder (USA) x Spectacular (USA), by Promised Land (USA)
Family 2-d
Following in the footsteps of Seattle Slew and Affirmed, Spectacular Bid was a champion every year he raced and was best of all at age 4, when his unbeaten record included the last walkover in a major stakes in American racing history. His shocking loss in the 1979 Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) is still a matter of controversy as to the cause, but the excellence of his overall career more than made up for his failure to capture the Triple Crown. He was a useful but disappointing sire.
Race record
30 starts, 26 wins, 2 seconds 1 third, US$2,781,608
1976:
1979:
1980:
Honors
Assessments
Spectacular Bid was ranked #10 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by an expert panel assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005).
In their book A Century of Champions (1999, Portway Press Ltd.), British experts John Randall and Tony Morris rated Spectacular Bid as the third best North American racehorse of the 20th century and the ninth best worldwide.
Highweighted at 126 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1978, three pounds above second-rated Flying Paster.
Highweighted at 130 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1979, 4 pounds above Coastal, Flying Paster and General Assembly.
Highweighted at 136 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older males of 1980, 10 pounds above second-rated Czaravich and Winter's Tale.
As an individual
Spectacular Bid stood 16 hands. He was a well-balanced gray with solid bone and a deep girth. His disposition was tractable.
As a stallion
According to Jockey Club records, Spectacular Bid sired 416 winners (53.1%) and 41 stakes winners (5.2%) from 784 named foals. The Blood-Horse credits Bid with 44 stakes winners. In the stallion's later years, he was used to sire sport horses as well as racing Thoroughbreds. His progeny generally needed time to develop before reaching their best. None came close to approaching their sire's quality, but Spectacular Bid had better success as a broodmare sire.
Notable progeny
Spectacular Love (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Amonita (GB), Aube Indienne (FR), Magical Miss (AUS), Mozart (IRE), Shame (AUS), Spectacular Tide (USA)
Connections
Spectacular Bid was bred in Kentucky by Mrs. William Gilmore and her daughter Madelyn Jason at Buck Pond Farm. He was owned by Harry and Teresa Meyerhoff, who raced Spectacular Bid in the silks of their Hawksworth Farm after buying him for US$37,000 from the 1977 Keeneland September yearling sale. He was trained by Grover “Bud” Delp. Spectacular Bid stood in Kentucky at Claiborne Farm after being syndicated for US$22 million. He moved to Milfer Farms near Unadilla, New York, in 1991 and remained there until his death from a heart attack in 2003, 24 years to the day after his Belmont Stakes defeat.
Pedigree notes
Spectacular Bid is inbred 3x3 to To Market and 5x5 to Blenheim II. His dam, stakes-placed Spectacular, is a full sister to minor stakes winner Space Odyssey and a half sister to minor stakes winner Sweet as Wine (by Port Wine). Spectacular Bid's third dam Danger Ahead (by Head Play) won two good handicaps and is a half sister to 1956 Santa Anita Maturity winner Trackmaster (by On Trust).
Books and media
Fun facts
Last updated: May 25, 2024
Race record
30 starts, 26 wins, 2 seconds 1 third, US$2,781,608
1976:
- Won Young America Stakes (USA-G1, 8.5FD, The Meadowlands)
- Won Champagne Stakes (USA-G1, 8FD, Belmont)
- Won Laurel Futurity (USA-G1, 8.5FD, Laurel)
- Won Heritage Stakes (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Keystone)
- Won World's Playground Stakes (USA-G3, 7FD, Atlantic City)
- 2nd Dover Stakes (USA, 6FD, Delaware)
1979:
- Won Kentucky Derby (USA-G1, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
- Won Preakness Stakes (USA-G1, 9.5FD, Pimlico)
- Won Marlboro Cup Handicap (USA-G1, 9FD, Belmont)
- Won Florida Derby (USA-G1, 9FD, Gulfstream Park)
- Won Blue Grass Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Keeneland)
- Won Flamingo Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Hialeah)
- Won Meadowlands Cup Stakes (USA-G2, 10FD, The Meadowlands; new track record 2:01-1/5)
- Won Fountain of Youth Stakes (USA-G3, 8.5FD, Gulfstream Park)
- Won Hutcheson Stakes (USA, 7FD, Gulfstream Park)
- 2nd Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (USA-G1, 12FD, Belmont)
- 3rd Belmont Stakes (USA-G1, 12FD, Belmont)
1980:
- Won Santa Anita Handicap (USA-G1, 10FD, Santa Anita)
- Won Californian Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Hollywood)
- Won Amory L. Haskell Handicap (USA-G1, 9FD, Monmouth)
- Won Charles H. Strub Stakes (USA-G1, 10FD, Santa Anita; new world record 1:57-4/5)
- Won Woodward Stakes (USA-G1, 10FD, Belmont; walked over)
- Won Mervyn LeRoy Handicap (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Hollywood)
- Won San Fernando Stakes (USA-G2, 9FD, Santa Anita)
- Won Malibu Stakes (USA-G2, 7FD, Santa Anita; new track record 1:20)
- Won Washington Park Handicap (USA-G3, 9FD, Arlington Park)
Honors
- National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1981)
- Arcadia Historical Society's Racing Walk of Champions (inducted as part of the inaugural class in 2014)
- Monmouth Park Hall of Champions
- Eclipse Award, American Horse of the Year (1980)
- Eclipse Award, American champion 2-year-old male (1978)
- Eclipse Award, American champion 3-year-old male (1979)
- Eclipse Award, American champion older male (1980)
Assessments
Spectacular Bid was ranked #10 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by an expert panel assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005).
In their book A Century of Champions (1999, Portway Press Ltd.), British experts John Randall and Tony Morris rated Spectacular Bid as the third best North American racehorse of the 20th century and the ninth best worldwide.
Highweighted at 126 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1978, three pounds above second-rated Flying Paster.
Highweighted at 130 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1979, 4 pounds above Coastal, Flying Paster and General Assembly.
Highweighted at 136 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older males of 1980, 10 pounds above second-rated Czaravich and Winter's Tale.
As an individual
Spectacular Bid stood 16 hands. He was a well-balanced gray with solid bone and a deep girth. His disposition was tractable.
As a stallion
According to Jockey Club records, Spectacular Bid sired 416 winners (53.1%) and 41 stakes winners (5.2%) from 784 named foals. The Blood-Horse credits Bid with 44 stakes winners. In the stallion's later years, he was used to sire sport horses as well as racing Thoroughbreds. His progeny generally needed time to develop before reaching their best. None came close to approaching their sire's quality, but Spectacular Bid had better success as a broodmare sire.
Notable progeny
Spectacular Love (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Amonita (GB), Aube Indienne (FR), Magical Miss (AUS), Mozart (IRE), Shame (AUS), Spectacular Tide (USA)
Connections
Spectacular Bid was bred in Kentucky by Mrs. William Gilmore and her daughter Madelyn Jason at Buck Pond Farm. He was owned by Harry and Teresa Meyerhoff, who raced Spectacular Bid in the silks of their Hawksworth Farm after buying him for US$37,000 from the 1977 Keeneland September yearling sale. He was trained by Grover “Bud” Delp. Spectacular Bid stood in Kentucky at Claiborne Farm after being syndicated for US$22 million. He moved to Milfer Farms near Unadilla, New York, in 1991 and remained there until his death from a heart attack in 2003, 24 years to the day after his Belmont Stakes defeat.
Pedigree notes
Spectacular Bid is inbred 3x3 to To Market and 5x5 to Blenheim II. His dam, stakes-placed Spectacular, is a full sister to minor stakes winner Space Odyssey and a half sister to minor stakes winner Sweet as Wine (by Port Wine). Spectacular Bid's third dam Danger Ahead (by Head Play) won two good handicaps and is a half sister to 1956 Santa Anita Maturity winner Trackmaster (by On Trust).
Books and media
- Spectacular Bid, by Timothy T. Capps, is the ninth book in the Thoroughbred Legends series (2001, Eclipse Press).
- Spectacular Bid is profiled in chapter 10 of Avalyn Hunter's American Classic Pedigrees 1914-2002 (2003, Eclipse Press).
- “The One and Only Bid” is the first chapter in Steve Haskin's Tales from the Triple Crown (2008, Eclipse Press).
- Spectacular Bid is one of 50 Thoroughbreds profiled in Royal Blood: Fifty Years of Classic Thoroughbreds. Written by racing historian Jim Bolus with illustrations and commentary by noted equine artist Richard Stone Reeves, the book was released by The Blood-Horse, Inc., in 1994.
- Peter Lee's Spectacular Bid: The Last Superhorse of the Twentieth Century was released in 2019 by the University Press of Kentucky.
- Footage of Spectacular Bid’s world-record performance in the 1980 Charles H. Strub Stakes can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDbOyu5tTF4.
Fun facts
- Most observers blamed Spectacular Bid's loss in the 1979 Belmont Stakes to an ill-judged ride by Ron Franklin, who sent Bid to the lead too early and left his mount without enough gas in the tank to withstand a closing run by Coastal. Bud Delp disagreed, blaming the loss on a hoof infection caused by Bid's having stepped on an open safety pin.
- Spectacular Bid's walkover in the Woodward Stakes was ranked #92 in Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments, a review of racing in the 20th century compiled by The Blood-Horse and released in 2006.
- Spectacular Bid was the first American racehorse to earn over $1 million as a 3-year-old and the second of any age to earn that much money in a single season. The first to do so? Affirmed, who reached the milestone a fraction of a second ahead of Spectacular Bid by beating him three-quarters of a length in the 1979 Jockey Club Gold Cup.
- Spectacular Bid was the fourth horse to sweep Santa Anita's “Strub Series” of the Malibu Stakes, San Fernando Stakes and Charles H. Strub Stakes.
- Spectacular Bid was the namesake for stakes races at Gulfstream Park and Laurel Park.
- A division of the New York Stallion Stakes is named in Spectacular Bid's honor. Open to 3-year-olds, it is contested over 7 furlongs on turf at Belmont Park.
- The great jockey Bill Shoemaker, whose mounts included Swaps, Forego, Round Table, and Damascus among many others of the highest class, called Bid "the best horse I have ridden."
Last updated: May 25, 2024