Name the 3 greatest horses you saw race live in person

[dougie]

Niatross
Cam Fella
And my favorite filly of all time.....Silk Stockings

[seen2much]

Varenne
Artsplace
Jiggy Jog

[tumbleweed]

Niatross
Cam Fella
And my favorite filly of all time.....Silk Stockings

Great picks Dougie. They are exactly the three i would pick.

[Cashout]

     Albatross  Cam Fella  Niatross

[dabucs99]

niatross  vernon  no betting justin passing was second both heats

moni maker  breeders crown wally hennesey. vernon lost to personal banner, steinbrenner  , peter wrenn

artsplace vernon  john campbell

hon.men.  pine chip, american winner battle at syracuse mile

atlanta  scottie z  vernon before he won the hambo

[Bret3Times]

1) Niatross - Greenwood, Syracuse Mile and Vernon Downs
2) Cam Fella - Greenwood
3a) Artsplace - Mohawk and Rideau Carleton
3b) Abercrombie - Mohawk, Greenwood and in the 1978 Prix D'Ete at Blue Bonnets against Falcon Almahurst and Flight Director

Mike, Bret Hanover was a great choice but he raced before my time, although I did see him at Castleton Farms on visits to Lexington

[lotsofaction]

Meadow Skipper
Mack Lobell
Naughty But Nice

[Trigger]

The days where stuff like this mattered, pride mattered, proving something mattered, not purse money at all, but potential syndication and stud fees....made lifetime memories too!


Cambest and Bill O'Donnell
8/14/93 Springfield, IL Time Trial

(26 1/5)(25 3/5)(27 1/5)(27 1/5)

26 1/5   51 4/5   119   146 1/5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8XeJlXsdSo

[Trigger]

Rambling Willie 4/18/70 - 8/24/95
Gelding
305: 128-69-43
$2,038,219

"Rambling Willie was born on a farm in Monroeville, Indiana.

He did not race at age two and as three-year-old was purchased by driver/trainer Robert Farrington for $15,000 who later gifted 50% of the horse to his wife Vivian and sold the other half to Paul Siebert.

To this day, considering inflation, his earnings from age 4 and up have not been surpassed in North America."

Video description:
Rambling Willie Highlights - Roosevelt Raceway, Sportsman's Park, Freehold and Meadowlands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqjrd81l3HI

[andrew]

scenic regal
kymary hanover
storm e claire-- a 4k claimer who gave his all every week while in post parade was bandaged up from his nose to his toes,, seemed to win every week

my brain wuz a lil hazy for a couple decades to remember much 

[Bitter Truth]

Don't have Pathway but would be curious to see how many times he raced at Scioto during his heyday.
Sure seems like I saw him at least 10 times. As shown in the video, he was beloved. They did a great
job using him as an ambassador for the sport. He was certainly under consideration for my top 3.

[rainman2]

didn't Hanover shoe farm refuse cambest as a stallion??

Yes, you are completely right, and that is a famous piece of harness racing lore.While Cambest's owner, Dan Kramer, was finalizing the horse's syndication for his secondary career, Hanover Shoe Farms famously turned down the opportunity to stand Cambest as a stallion.

Why Hanover Refused Cambest Conformation Concerns: The management at Hanover Shoe Farms at the time took issue with Cambest’s conformation, specifically citing that his legs and hocks did not meet their strict physical standards for a premier stallion.The "Small" Factor: Despite holding the blazing T1:46.1 world record, there was skepticism about whether his immense speed would translate to his offspring given his physical build.

P.S the conformation issue may/may not be true.  The word on the street was there was a TCO2 issue.  Hanover Shoe at the time referenced it without saying it directly.  I believe Fred Grant was the trainer.

The Jackpot for Walnut HallAfter Hanover passed, Walnut Hall Ltd. in Lexington, Kentucky, eagerly stepped in and took him. The decision proved to be an absolute jackpot for Walnut Hall.Cambest went on to become an incredibly dominant, elite sire whose offspring won more than $134 million in purses. Ironically, because Cambest proved his skeptics so thoroughly wrong, Hanover Shoe Farms later had to spend massive amounts of money to buy back into his bloodlines, heavily purchasing his daughters and granddaughters to upgrade their own broodmare band.

[rainman2]

scenic regal
kymary hanover
storm e claire-- a 4k claimer who gave his all every week while in post parade was bandaged up from his nose to his toes,, seemed to win every week

my brain wuz a lil hazy for a couple decades to remember much 

Kymary Hanover--Vernon?  Veral Bowman 

[jupiter]

Mack Lobell, Moni Maker and American Winner at Syracuse

[darnoldrocks]

Rambling Willie 4/18/70 - 8/24/95
Gelding
305: 128-69-43
$2,038,219

"Rambling Willie was born on a farm in Monroeville, Indiana.

He did not race at age two and as three-year-old was purchased by driver/trainer Robert Farrington for $15,000 who later gifted 50% of the horse to his wife Vivian and sold the other half to Paul Siebert.

To this day, considering inflation, his earnings from age 4 and up have not been surpassed in North America."

Video description:
Rambling Willie Highlights - Roosevelt Raceway, Sportsman's Park, Freehold and Meadowlands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqjrd81l3HI

Great cut and paste effort THT !!