Stage Door Johnny - 1968 Belmont Stakes

[jkcrazyhorse]

I have a 20 year old son of Stage Door Johnny and he looks just like Dad, did not race like him though

[Wallyhorse]

Two interesting things about this race:

CBS did not use Fred Caposella, who was the legendary announcer at the NYRA tracks until he retired at the end of the 1971 season.

Stage Door Johnny, although he never raced on turf is considered to be one of the greatest turf sires of all time.

[mfpbamos]

Nearly 40 years since I saw this race on CBS, brings back goose bumps watching it, especially when Heliodoro Gustines finally urged Stage Door Johnny into the lead in deep stretch, saving us from an * TC winner. Don Drysdale had pitched his 5th straight shutout of his streak the night before! Jack Drees was the CBS voice of the Triple Crown in the mid '60s, and this was his last TC race before Chic Anderson took over in 1969. Thanks...just as dramatic now as it was in 1968!

[cf1970]

Fantastic memories for you...I'm happy you enjoyed it.

Thanks for watching.

[Puglady2000]

Thanks for posting all these great race videos! I love them!

[cf1970]

You're welcome! I'm happy you're enjoying them!

Thanks for watching.

[kdm59]

It is Jack Drees on the call. He was one of the great sportscasters of the 50's and 60's, calling big events in football, boxing, basketball and baseball as well as horse racing. When I was a kid, he used to host a show called "Let's go to the races" where you would get tickets at your local supermarket which indicated a choice in a given race, and if the choice on your ticket came in, you won cash.

[davemock]

While Chic Anderson is a keyword here, I don't think he had the Preakness and Belmont gig for CBS until 1969. This sounds like Jack Drees.

[cf1970]

Yes, it obviously wasn't Chic Anderson, I included his good name purely to get more people looking at this video. This Jack Drees you speak of is quite good. I enjoy his understated, clear voice.

Thanks for the valuable input.

[AwsiDooger]

Wow, thanks for posting. That is one of the first races I remember as a young kid and I wasn't sure I'd ever see it again. It was even better than my memory.

I rooted for Forward Pass at the time but now I'm glad he lost. It would have been a tainted Triple.

I thought Stage Door Johnny was one of the coolest names ever. My friends and I were saying it over and over for weeks after this race.

I think he was a lurker who prepped for this race in the Peter Pan.

[cf1970]

Greetings Awsi, great to hear from you again. Hope all is well. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

I agree, Stage Door Johnny is a really cool name, he was a great looking chestnut.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and for viewing.

[fuzzfoster75]

Thank you for posting the video of 1968 Belmont Stakes. It was the first time I had seen the race. I was Stage Door Johnny stallion groom for 8yrs(81-89). Big John as we called him was a "cool" horse to take care of.He was a homebred at our farm(Greentree Stud). It was our farms last Triple Crown race winner. We had a lot of different stallions over the years but Big John was my favorite. Again thanks for the video as this horse meant a lot to me.

[cf1970]

Wonderful to read your story. Stage Door Johnny was a beautiful chestnut. I'm happy you found this footage; comments such as yours help make this all worthwhile for me.

Thank you kindly for stopping by.

[Jazzgirl8888]

Great video!Thank you so much for posting!I enjoyed watching this race!

Have a great day cf1970!

Jazzy

[cf1970]

Heya Jazzy! Thanks! Happy you like it.

Have a blessed day.

[gfn02]

Who is that announcing? It sounds like Anderson but not quite. Forward Pass just couldn't hold on for the final 8th....too much early speed, I suspect.

[cf1970]

Not sure who's announcing, but I'm researching it, to be sure. Yes, Forward Pass ran a big race, and Stage Door Johnny was just too much for him after being held back in the pack.

Take care.