Word: meyerhoff
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...victory was a sweet ending to a long, troubled journey for Owner Harry Meyerhoff, Trainer Bud Delp and Jockey Franklin. They had left the friendly and familiar confines of Maryland tracks last winter to campaign Spectacular Bid at Triple Crown prep races in Florida and Kentucky. As newcomers to big-time racing, they quickly found themselves snubbed by the Thoroughbred establishment. Meyerhoff, a retired millionaire builder from Baltimore, and his wife were not even invited to the traditional ball before the Flamingo Stakes, despite the fact that their colt was heavily favored and indeed won the race the following...
Spectacular Bid's victory in the first event of the Triple Crown, earning $228,650 for Owner Harry Meyerhoff, a Baltimore developer, was all the more convincing because of the rocky way he was handled during the preparation for the Derby. Trainer Grover ("Bud") Delp had boasted that Spectacular Bid was "better than Man o' War," and then asked the big, gun-metal gray colt to prove it. The Thoroughbred was whipped hard in almost every race, no matter how far ahead he was. He won every time, yet his very success raised a serious question...
After a week of anguished waiting, Owner Meyerhoff announced that Franklin would retain his mount on Spectacular Bid. Said Meyerhoff: "The horse always runs very well for Ronnie. They have an affinity for each other...
Like Seattle Slew, Triple Crown winner in 1977, Spectacular Bid is an auction-bargain colt with a trainer who has never handled a big-time horse and a jockey whose skills have often been criticized. Owner Meyerhoff made an unspectacular bid of just $37,000 at the Keeneland Sales in the fall of 1977 for the sturdy son of Bold Bidder and grandson of Supersire Bold Ruler (his offspring have won six of the last nine Kentucky Derbies). Meyerhoff now spends $78,000 a year just for premiums on Spectacular Bid's $14 million insurance policy...
Grover ("Bud") Delp, the loud and loudly dressed trainer who encouraged Meyerhoff to acquire Spectacular Bid, has been a consistent winner around Maryland tracks, but he has had little experience with a major stakes champion. While other trainers in this year's race are Derby regulars, Delp has never before attended. Says he: "The only thing I'll miss is watching the Derby...