02/12/2022
This weekend's Super Bowl will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on the site where the famous Hollywood Park racetrack once stood. Thoroughbred legends like Seabiscuit, Citation, Dr. Fager and Round Table all ran there, and so did some American Quarter Horse legends, including one with a great football name.
First Down Dash (pictured, #9) ran arguably one of his best races in the Hollywood Park Invitational on September 12, 1987, which was the first time he faced older horses. Coming into the race off a two-month refresher, jockey James Lackey was having trouble controlling the strong c**t as they approached the gate. Once they were in, First Down Dash refused to settle, throwing his head, rearing and getting crooked. When the gates popped, he veered in at the start. Lackey struggled to get him straightened out and, when he did, top older horses Kipscash and El Banko had him in their dust.
Lackey went to riding, and the horse responded. Stride by stride, he closed in on Kipscash, who had taken the lead as El Banko faded. On the final stride as their noses approached the wire, First Down Dash pushed his head down to capture the win against all odds.
It was a display of raw speed that left many who watched stunned.
“I’ve never seen a horse do that,” said trainer Blane Schvaneveldt, a man who had seen a lot of horses do a lot of things. “He’s a helluva racehorse.”
