DVD - DR. FAGER vs DAMASCUS: Meeting of Champions

On DVD or VHS: Picture above is of DR FAGER

SUCCESSOR, IN REALITY, DIPLOMAT WAY, and BOLD HOUR are many of the outstanding colts of the 1967 racing season; however, two super horses, DR. FAGER and DAMASCUS had overshadowed the others of the 1964 crop. DR. FAGER and DAMASCUS would meet four times (1967 Gotham, 1967 Woodward, 1968 Suburban and 1968 Brooklyn) in a rivalry that would equal any in American racing history.

In 1967 DAMASCUS set out to win the Triple Crown; DR. FAGER was set to the task of winning the rich races run around the classics; they met in their preparation for these important races in the stirring 1967 Gotham Stakes - THIS IS THE FIRST OF 4 RACES THAT YOU WILL WITNESS - ALL IN THEIR ENTIRETY FROM START TO FINISH between these two legendary Thoroughbred champions.

1)  Watch them set the scene of their infamous rivalry as they battle down the Aqueduct track for the 1967 GOTHAM STAKES matching stride-for-stride.

2)  The first time ever that three eventual Horses-of-the-Year (awarded 1966, 1967 and 1968) raced together in the same race; the 1967 Horse-of-the-Year title depended on the winner for the 1967 WOODWARD STAKES and this now historic race featured three of the best Thoroughbreds in history: the four-year-old BUCKPASSER and three-year-olds DAMASCUS and DR. FAGER. With "THE DOC" being cooked too early in the race with the early fractions, the race was set up for the two closers: BUCKPASSER and DAMASCUS. After this race, three champions would emerge: DAMASCUS: 1967 Horse-of-the-Year, BUCKPASSER: 1967 Champion Older Male, and DR. FAGER: 1967 Champion Sprinter.

 In 1968 DR. FAGER never carried an impost of less than 130 lbs. and was able to win an unprecedented four championships in a single season: Champion Sprinter, Champion Grass Horse, Champion Handicap Horse and Horse of the Year! He set a world record for the mile of 1:32.1 carrying 134 lbs., equaled a track record of 1:59.3 for 1-1/4 miles under 132 lbs., and broke a 7-furlong track record with 139 lbs. getting the distance in 1:20.1.

3)  When DAMASCUS first meets DR. FAGER in 1968, DAMASCUS carried the top weight of 133 lbs. while DR. FAGER carries 132 lbs., in the exciting 1968 SUBURBAN HANDICAP featuring BOLD HOUR and IN REALITY - watch as the two greats once again hook up in a stirring speed duel down the backside equaling the track record with a 1:59.3 finish.

4)  In the 1968 BROOKLYN HANDICAP, just 16 days later, DAMASCUS carried 130 lbs., vs. DR. FAGER's 135. They had raced three times up to this point and once again, the fast early fractions had just about eliminated DR. FAGER...even though he gives his rival 5 lbs., DR. FAGER still hangs on gamely and as for DAMASCUS with this 2-1/2 length win, he sets the track record of 1:59.1.

DAMASCUS ended his career with a sad last place finish in the 1968 Jockey Club Gold Cup - a - race he had won the year before as a 3-year-old. He returned to the barn injured and never raced again. But in his other 31 starts DAMASCUS boasted 21 victories, seven second-places and three third-places and career earnings of $1,176,781.

DR. FAGER ended his career with an incredible victory in the Vosburgh Handicap. In a career that had 22 starts, DR. FAGER had won 18 times with two seconds and one third-place with his only unplacing coming in the Jersey Derby - a race he had won easily but was disqualified. Only champions BUCKPASSER, SUCCESSOR and DAMASCUS, who beat him twice, ever finished ahead of DR. FAGER. He showed career earnings of $1,002,642.

DAMASCUS and DR. FAGER were indeed great and their greatness was best demonstrated the four times they raced against each other. Final score of their four great meetings: DR. FAGER two and DAMASCUS two.

AS AN ADDED BONUS... you will also see highlights of the 1967 KENTUCKY DERBY where the great DAMASCUS - the heavy favorite inexplicably didn't fire and PROUD CLARION had his name enshrined forever as the Derby winner and also the entire 1967 TRAVERS STAKES where DAMASCUS showcased his superiority against his peers.

This is a great piece for any DR. FAGER or DAMASCUS fanatic or anyone in general who has a deep appreciation for what exemplifies a true champion in the Thoroughbred racing world...something you'll treasure even more as the years pass by and this type of film footage becomes almost extinct.

FOR A DETAILED CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE 6 RACES FEATURED IN THIS TIME CAPSULE, JUST REQUEST A COPY AND A COMPILATION SHEET ALONG WITH THE 1,2,3 FINISHERS WILL BE E-MAILED TO YOU.

30 Minutes.

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