Word: backstretcher
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...riding Never Bend, and his strategy was simple: get out in front and stay there. Driving out of the gate, he opened up a four-length lead at the clubhouse turn. Aboard Kelso, Jockey Ismael Valenzuela tucked in along the rail and patiently bided his time. In the backstretch, Carry Back began to challenge, but Kelso moved alongside-and Carry Back wilted. Valenzuela clucked to Kel so, and the champion went after Never Bend. For a few brief seconds the two horses raced head to head. Then Never Bend bent. Without ever feeling the bite of Valenzuela's whip...
Shoemaker guessed right. As the horses broke from the gate for the 1 ³∕16-mile race, Never Bend quickly grabbed the lead, and opened up a gap of nearly two lengths in the backstretch. Candy Spots was galloping easily in third place, and Chateaugay was a distant seventh. Rounding the final turn, Shoemaker glanced back: Chateaugay was beginning to move. He clucked at Candy Spots. Into the stretch the horses thundered-Never Bend in front, Candy Spots second, Chateaugay now third and closing fast on the outside. In an instant, Candy Spots had the lead, Chateaugay was second...
Toward the end of the backstretch Shoemaker roused his mount and shot into the lead, but all eyes were on Chateaugay, who was streaking from far behind. As the horses turned into the stretch, the scene looked like a news-reel shot from Churchill Downs two weeks earlier: Candy Spots and Never Bend were battling for the lead with Chateaugay, on the far outside, about to mow them down...
...break, the experts started congratulating themselves. Never Bend was in front when the horses pounded past the grandstand; No Robbery was close alongside, and Candy Spots, a strong stretch runner, was rating easily in third. All through the long backstretch, they held those positions, opening up a huge gap on the rest of the field...
...opened his stride, eased out into the lead, and seemed to have the race sewed up. Not quite. Suddenly, at the three-quarter mark, O'Hara popped out of the pack and burst ahead. Sensing an upset, the crowd was on its feet as they pounded into the backstretch. Both runners kicked into the final sprint. Slowly Beatty pulled ahead of O'Hara about 60 yds. from the line, and with a quick peek over his shoulder clipped the tape to win by three yards...