SPECTACULAR BID

(foaled 1976), American racehorse (Thoroughbred) who in 1980 became the most expensive Thoroughbred horse in the history of racing. Foaled by Spectacular, sired by Bold Bidder, and a grandson of Bold Ruler, the steel-gray, Kentucky-bred colt was owned by Harry, Tom, and Teresa Meyeroff and trained by Grover G. (Bud) Delp at Hawksworth Farm in Kentucky. With Ron Franklin as jockey, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 1979. Thereafter he was ridden by Bill Shoemaker. Spectacular Bid won 12 consecutive stakes races from September 1978 until his loss of the Belmont Stakes in 1979 when an infected left front hoof nearly ended his racing career. During 1979 he had record annual winnings of $1,279,334, surpassing Affirmed's record of the year before. In 1980 he won all of his nine races and, with his victory at the Santa Anita Handicap, had total winnings of $2,089,417, surpassing the record of Affirmed, who was the first horse to win more than $2,000,000. In his 30 races, Spectacular Bid was out of the money only once, winning 26, running second twice, and third once. In 1980 he was syndicated for the record sum of $22,000,000, and later in the year he was retired from racing and put to stud. His lifetime winnings totaled $2,781,607.