Race Videos
1975 Kentucky Derby
1975 Preakness
1975 Belmont Stakes
These video clips are 30+ years old, so the quality is lacking. The excitement is not.

To start a video,  double click the black arrow on the bottom left side of the player. Turn up your volume to hear the call.  Thank you.
The 1975 Derby marked the one and only time the race call was wrong. The announcer was calling Prince Thou Art, but it was Foolish Pleasure coming off the rail to find racing room making his run. When he finally got in the clear, his name was called. I hope the track announcer was embarrassed, he should have been. But Foolish did his job, despite being shut in along the rail, he comes through and was drawing off in the final strides.
Oh, what a heartbreaker this one was.  Breaking from the far outside, Foolish Pleasure had to work his way through. Going along the rail, he was swung wide down the stretch, then made to go inside again, he was flying, but momentum carried the much larger, long striding Master Derby to the win. Foolish Pleasure galloped out strong, and I believe if he was put into his drive a little sooner, he would have won by a nose. He was much the better horse.
In the Belmont, Foolish Pleasure was home again and since I worked there, I was able to attend the race. Avatar happened to stable at one of our barns (King Ranch) while he was in New York form his base in California. His jock, the immortal Bill Shoemaker came by the barn the morning before the Belmont. He was very confident in Avatar and suggested to me that I bet on his horse. Needles to say, Foolish Pleasure was my horse and not even the great "Shoe' could stop me from rooting for my friend. It sure was close!! I screamed until I lost my voice, then cried at how close victory came for Foolish. Several strides past the wire, he rushed past Avatar. It was not that Avatar was a better horse that day, it was the man in the saddle that won the Belmont by a nose.
These are the three Triple Crown races. The description of each race is in my own words. I beleive that with a little racing luck, Foolish Pleasure would have won the Triple Crown.