It might seem hard to believe, but as little as 33 years ago, popular Del Mar racetrack in California lacked a signature race to define its summer stakes schedule.
There were plenty of quality races held each year at the seaside track, but none that could definitively rank as a must-watch, can’t-miss event.
In 1864, New York businessman William R. Travers joined John Morrissey, Leonard Jerome, and other prominent men in building Saratoga Race Course, the historic racetrack now home to many of the sport’s biggest stakes each year.
There was no shortage of superlatives tossed around before, during, and after the 1998 edition of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and for good reason.
“Best field I’ve ever seen,” Seth Hancock, president of Claiborne Farm on co-owner of one of the 10 Classic runners (Arch), told BloodHorse before the race. “You put up the money and you are going to get the best of the best.”
