Here's to the Heavyweight Champions of Racing

By GREG MELIKOV, Contributing Writer

I'm always miffed when I hear a trainer pulled his horse from a stakes race, complaining the assigned weight was too much -- 125 or 126 pounds. That's why I respect those heavyweights of racing who won no matter the burden.

Three of my five favorite thoroughbreds were real heavyweights, but you must go back more than eight decades for the first one: Man o' War. I didn't realize Big Red was so tough -- he carried 130 pounds or more while winning seven stakes, including five times as a 2-year-old.

In 1968, Dr. Fager had the greatest year of any 4-year-old. The son of Rough 'n Tumble compiled seven victories and ran second once in eight stakes -- carrying no less than 130 pounds. He won from seven furlongs to 1 3/16 miles on the turf, setting three track records and a world mark for the mile: 1:32 1/5 with 134 pounds on Aug. 24 at old Arlington Park.

And, believe it or not, he was on the lead or second at every first call of all 19 races he won and the three he didn't.

The millionaire carried 139 pounds winning his last race at Aqueduct, going 1:20 1/5 for seven furlongs. That record stood until 1998 when Artax went 1:20.

But the '68 Suburban Handicap at Aqueduct might have been his best effort. Going into the race, he was considered a speedy horse that hadn't proven he could go 1 ¼ miles. Dr. Fager defeated Bold Hour by two lengths, with Damascus another three lengths back. His track record-equaling time was 1:59 3/5.

Compare that to the champions of the '90s, the top two money winners of all time: Cigar, who tied Citation's consecutive winning streak of 16, and Skip Away. Each only carried 130 pounds or more twice. But at least they won.

Citation, my favorite horse, carried 130 pounds or more four times as an older horse following a year on the farm, but never won. But during '48, he whipped older horses and either set track or world records in Triple Crown races. I saw him beat 20 older horses in the Stars & Stripes Handicap at old Arlington Park when I was 13.

Secretariat, considered by many the greatest thoroughbred in history, never toted more than 126 pounds because he was retired after his 3-year-old campaign. But what a year it was: He set track records in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, plus a world record for 1 ½ miles in the Belmont Stakes. He also set or equaled three other track records.

The horse that finished fourth to Secretariat in the '73 Kentucky Derby may be the Heavyweight Champion of all time. Forego chalked up an impressive record -- and "chalk" is the correct word. Favored during his last 37 races, he went 23-6-4. Just as amazing is how he performed in stakes carrying 130 pounds or more: 13-5-3 of 24.

He continued to race long after Secretariat retired, winning from seven furlongs to two miles, and earned nearly $2 million. He won the Woodward Stakes and Brooklyn Handicap three times each at Aqueduct, toting no less than 134 pounds in '76.

The Horse of the Year from '74 to '76 carried 137 pounds in his third attempt to win the Marlboro Cup. Forego spotted the top 3-year-old, Honest Pleasure, 18 pounds in '76. Honest Pleasure had a clear lead at the top of the stretch on the sloppy Belmont surface when Forego started his famous closing kick. The 6-year-old won by a head.

"A horse is supposed to carry weight and try to beat the best," Martha Gerry, who bred and owned Forego, once said. "That's why they call it handicap racing."

That's why Forego may be the best pound-for-pound thoroughbred in racing history.

Greg Melikov has been handicapping and writing about horses for decades. His articles and columns appear in print and on the Internet around the world. Greg is a retired newspaperman who became a racing fan at 13 when he saw 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation, his favorite horse, whip 20 older horses at old Arlington Park.