SPECTACULAR BID FL DERBY WIN 1979 TRR 12 04 21

1979 Florida Derby Spectacular but in all the wrong ways…. By Andrew Beyer March 7, 1979 Spectacular Bid proved today that he could overcome the worst sort of adversity. He overcame his jockey, Ron Franklin. Despite a performance by the 19-year-old rider that ranged from bad judgment to panic, Spectacular Bid ran away with Gulfstream Park's $200,000 Florida Derby by 4 1/2 lengths over Lot O' Gold. But the details of the colt's eighth victory will be quickly eclipsed by speculation over Franklin's future on the horse. Trainer Bud Delp did nothing to discourage that speculation. "Ronnie screwed it up," Delp said. "After the race I told him how dumb I thought he rode the horse. I think I called him an idiot." The problems for Franklin and Spectacular Bid began the instant the race began. The colt banged against the left side of the gate and thus didn't show his customary early speed. For a short time, Franklin remained cool. As the horses raced to the first turn he dropped to the rail and let Spectacular Bid settle into stride, positioned fifth in the seven-horse field. On the turn he chose to drive up inside Sir Ivor Again, but suddenly he found there wasn't enough room and he checked the colt and swung him outside. "If he'd just kept him parked on the outside," Delp lamented, "he would have exploded around these horses and won by 25 lengths." But Franklin took Spectacular Bid back to the rail, and when he got onto the backstretch he suddenly put him into high gear. Spectacular Bid was flying, but he was flying toward trouble. A few lengths ahead of him, Musical Phantasy held the lead along the rail, with Lot O' Gold and Fantasy 'N Reality abreast of him. When Spectacular Bid charged up toward them, he had no room to go by. "When we attempted to get through along the inside," Franklin said, "the hole closed." He interpreted this difficulty with a conspiracy theory. "It was six riders against one," he said. "They were clocking me." When he could find no room to pass the leaders, Franklin had to put on the brakes, drop back and then try to circle the leaders.