I’ve seen thousands and thousands of horse races in person over the years but only a few dozen will forever endure among my memories as truly unforgettable. The 1986 edition of the Pennsylvania Derby won by Broad Brush was one such race.

It’s been 40 years since I sat in the grandstand of what was then called Philadelphia Park in anticipation of seeing one of the top 3-year-olds in the nation do his thing at one of my local tracks. Broad Brush would far exceed my expectations on that soggy afternoon in Bensalem, Pa.

As a Maryland-bred son of champion Ack Ack out of the Hoist the Flag mare Hay Patcher, Broad Brush was bred with both class and stamina. The Robert Meyerhoff homebred did not make it to the races until October of his juvenile season. He showed little in that debut at Laurel Park, but that result quickly became the exception in a marvelous career.

Broad Brush in retirement (Anne M. Eberhardt/BloodHorse)

Trained by Richard W. “Dickie” Small, Broad Brush won his next two starts going two turns at Philadelphia Park and he was on his way. In his final race as a 2-year-old, the quickly developing bay colt made it three straight with a 7 ½-length win in the Inner Harbor Stakes at Laurel Park.

The Inner Harbor would be the first of 24 consecutive stakes races contested by Broad Brush. A bit of a quirky horse, and certainly no shrinking violet, he became a regular in most of the biggest American races over the next two years.

Based with an underrated horseman in Maryland, Broad Brush entered the Kentucky Derby picture early in his sophomore season with stakes victories in the General George and Federico Tesio Stakes in his home state. Wins in the Grade 3 Jim Beam Stakes in Kentucky and Grade 1 Wood Memorial Invitational in New York made him my choice for the run for the roses that spring.

It was not meant to be for Broad Brush in the Kentucky Derby, but he did run well, finishing third behind Ferdinand and Bold Arrangement in the 16-horse field at Churchill Downs. Two weeks later, he ran third again, this time as the local horse in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico behind future champions Snow Chief and Ferdinand.

Broad Brush won the Grade 2 Ohio Derby the following month at Thistledown but then went on a bit of a losing streak. He finished second in the Saint Paul Derby at Canterbury Park, fifth in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, fourth in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes, and second in the Grade 2 Pegasus Handicap behind Belmont Stakes winner Danzig Connection.

Having already run 16 times in his first 11 months of racing, it might have been time for a break for the colt, but Small knew his horse and believed Broad Brush was still doing well. Just 15 days after a narrow defeat in the Pegasus, he came back to the track where he had broken his maiden.

On paper, the eighth edition of the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby looked like a good spot for Broad Brush to return to his winning ways. He had top rider Angel Cordero Jr. in the saddle and was a clear favorite on a sloppy track at Philadelphia Park. For the race, Small decided to take blinkers off his charge in hopes of stopping the losing streak.

The equipment change was a bit of a risk for a horse who had previously demonstrated some quirkiness in races without them. Sent off at 9-10 odds, Broad Brush quickly rushed up on the leaders on the backstretch and took complete control on the far turn.

Seemingly on his way to an emphatic win, Broad Brush then took a detour rather than turning for home in the 1 1/8-mile race. I watched in shock as the big favorite ran straight for the outside fence.

My memory recalls Broad Brush getting up close and personal with the railbirds, but I guess the video shows it as a little less drastic. In any case, he never should have won that edition of the Pennsylvania Derby having blown the turn. I even remember shifting my focus to the horses down on the inside for much of the stretch run.

I did that before I realized that Broad Brush and Cordero were flying down the middle of the track. Credit his Hall of Fame jockey for righting the ship and credit the horse for his talent and determination. Somehow, the pair rolled by the competition for a second time and won the race by 1 ¼ lengths going away.

To this day, I have never seen anything quite like it. It’s hard to estimate the ground he lost through his detour, but it seems like Broad Brush could have won by 20 that afternoon at Philadelphia Park.

The 1986 Pennsylvania Derby winner's circle. (BloodHorse Library)

After the wild win in the 1986 Pennsylvania Derby, Broad Brush only got better. He had just one more race at 3, and he easily defeated older horses by 3 ¾ lengths in the Grade 1 Meadowlands Cup.

As an older runner, Broad Brush would consistently tangle with the best. He never finished out of the top three and added four more stakes wins at 4, including Grade 1 scores in the Santa Anita and Suburban Handicaps.

He retired as one of the greatest in Maryland-bred history, having won 14 times in 27 career races. His last 24 races, all stakes, came within a span of 20 months. He earned more than $2.6 million at a time when becoming a millionaire was still rare. Simply put, Broad Brush was a horse to remember.

It’s been 40 years, and I know that it will be a race I will never forget. Now known as Parx Racing, I will be in attendance for the Pennsylvania Derby on Saturday. It’s odds-on that I won’t see anything like what I witnessed there four decades ago.