Spectacular Bid

Spectacular Bid
Spectacular Bid at Claiborne Farm in 1981
Sire	Bold Bidder
Grandsire	Bold Ruler
Dam	Spectacular
Damsire	Promised Land
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	17 February 1976[1]
Died	June 9, 2003(2003-06-09) (aged 27)
Country	United States
Colour	brown (young), grey (old)
Breeder	Madelyn Jason Mrs. William Gilmore
Owner	Hawksworth Farm Racing colors: Blue, black cross sashes, blue bars on black sleeves, black cap.
Trainer	Bud Delp
Record	30: 26-2-1
Earnings	$2,781,608
Major wins
Champagne Stakes (1978) Laurel Futurity (1978) Young America Stakes (1978) Hutcheson Stakes (1979) Fountain of Youth Stakes (1979) Flamingo Stakes (1979) Florida Derby (1979) Blue Grass Stakes (1979) Marlboro Cup (1979) Strub Series (1980) San Fernando Stakes (1980) Santa Anita Handicap (1980) Mervyn Leroy Handicap (1980) Californian Stakes (1980) Washington Park Handicap (1980) Amory L. Haskell Handicap (1980) Woodward Stakes (1980) American Classic Race wins: Kentucky Derby (1979) Preakness Stakes (1979)
Awards
American Champion 2-Year-Old Colt (1978) American Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse (1979) American Champion Older Male Horse (1980) American Horse of the Year (1980)
Honours
United States Racing Hall of Fame inductee (1982) #10 – Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century Spectacular Bid Stakes run at Gulfstream Park

Spectacular Bid (foaled February 17, 1976 – June 9, 2003) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He holds the world record for the fastest 10 furlongs on dirt, and also broke several track records. (A furlong is 1⁄8 mi or 0.20 km.) He won 26 of his 30 races and earned a then-record $2,781,607. He also won Eclipse Awards in each of his three racing seasons.

Spectacular Bid was the leading American two-year-old of 1978, winning the Champagne Stakes and the Laurel Futurity. As a three-year-old, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, giving him twelve consecutive victories. Spectacular Bid then tried to become the third consecutive Triple Crown winner, but he only came third in the Belmont Stakes after hurting his foot before the race. He recovered from the injury to win the Marlboro Cup and confirm his status as the best American colt of his generation. In 1980 as a four-year-old, Spectacular Bid was undefeated in nine races, and was named American Horse of the Year.