Flashback: 5 gallant Kentucky Derby runners-up

The Kentucky Derby is a career-defining race. Score a victory in the “Run for the Roses,” and your place in the annals of racing history is secure.

But though fame and glory are bestowed upon the winners, in many cases forgotten runners-up have turned in efforts almost or equally as gallant as the champions. In celebration of Kentucky Derby week, let’s take a trip down memory lane and recall five horses who ran winning (yet ultimately losing) races at Churchill Downs.

Native Dancer (1953)

He was a division champion at age 2, 3 and 4. He won or shared two Horse of the Year titles. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame and claimed first prize in 21 of his 22 starts.

Yet the one race Native Dancer lost still stings. The great gray should have been an undefeated Triple Crown winner, but nothing went his way in the 1953 Kentucky Derby. Bumped on the first turn and forced to race farther off the pace than usual, Native Dancer attempted to rally up the rail turning for home but was shut off by front-running longshot Dark Star and forced to circle around.

Through the final furlong, Native Dancer charged hard, flying on the far outside, gaining ground with every stride. But the finish line came up too soon and Native Dancer failed by a head to catch Dark Star, thus ranking alongside Man o’ War and Zenyatta as a once-beaten legend who came oh-so-close to perfection.

Sword Dancer (1959)

If Sword Dancer had only maintained a straight course at Churchill Downs, he might have gone down in history as a Kentucky Derby champion. Certainly he was the best horse in the field — he would end 1959 as Horse of the Year after rattling off victories in the Metropolitan Handicap, Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes, Monmouth Handicap, Woodward Stakes, and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Sword Dancer appeared to have the Kentucky Derby measured as well. After settling in fourth place, the talented colt rallied past the pace-tracking Tomy Lee to secure a half-length advantage at the top of the homestretch. Victory was seemingly in the bag.

But Tomy Lee still had something left, and down the lane the two leaders battled. Sword Dancer led by a head at the eighth pole, but there was significant bumping as Sword Dancer tried to drift in on his rival. Incredibly, one bump close to home prompted Tomy Lee to change leads, giving the tiring pace player an extra burst of energy to reclaim the lead and deny Sword Dancer victory by a nose. Only one Derby since then has produced as close a finish.

Sham (1973)

Three horses in history have completed the Kentucky Derby in less than 2 minutes, yet only two of them — Secretariat (1973) and Monarchos (2001) — managed to reach the winner’s circle.

Unfortunately, the second-fastest Derby starter in history had the misfortune to be born in the same year as Secretariat. The talented Sham entered the 1973 Run for the Roses with an improving resume, having won the Santa Anita Derby (G1) before finishing second by a head in the Wood Memorial (G1). And he ran an undeniably epic race at Churchill Downs — despite hitting his head at the start and losing two teeth, Sham rallied to lead at the top of the stretch and sprinted the final quarter-mile in a blazing :23 3/5 to reach the finish line in approximately 1:59 4/5.

But despite the historic nature of his performance, Sham couldn’t resist the late surge of Secretariat and settled for the runner-up spot, beaten 2 1/2 lengths. With the rest of the field eight lengths behind, it was clear Sham had run his heart out. But he had, quite literally, encountered a rival with more heart than his own.

Much has been made through the years about the size of Secretariat’s massive heart, estimated to have weighed 22 pounds — far exceeding the average Thoroughbred heart weight of 8 to 9 pounds. It’s one of the strangest ironies of sport that Sham was blessed with an 18-pound heart, the second-largest ever recorded, only to be outrun and overshadowed by the record holder.

We can only wonder what Sham might have achieved if he’d come of age in any year other than 1973.

Captain Bodgit (1997)

In a normal year, Captain Bodgit would have won the Kentucky Derby. Fresh off victories in the Florida Derby (G1) and Wood Memorial (G2), the 3-1 favorite did everything right at Churchill Downs. He settled in mid-pack for most of the journey, gradually edging closer up the backstretch. He rallied strongly into contention on the far turn. He swung wide into the stretch and took aim at the leaders.

But Captain Bodgit wasn’t facing an ordinary rival. He had the bad luck to compete in the same Kentucky Derby as Silver Charm, who would retire with nearly $7 million in earnings after winning 11 graded stakes races during his Hall of Fame career.

Silver Charm’s greatest asset was his tenacity — he was virtually impossible to defeat in a close battle. Captain Bodgit gave it a valiant try, surging up alongside Silver Charm in the Derby homestretch. But after receiving a slight bump from Silver Charm, Captain Bodgit seemed to hit an invisible wall. Try as he might — and he was still gaining ground slightly at the finish — Captain Bodgit couldn’t seal the deal against Silver Charm, falling short by a heartbreaking head.

Bodemeister (2012)

If ever a horse ran too well to lose in the Kentucky Derby, it was Bodemeister. Conditioned by Bob Baffert, the son of Empire Maker didn’t debut until January of his 3-year-old year, but he arrived at Churchill Downs as the favorite to win after dominating the Arkansas Derby (G1) by 9 1/2 lengths.

In the Kentucky Derby, Bodemeister ran a stellar race. Sent straight to the lead by jockey Mike Smith, the Virginia-bred colt dueled future champion sprinter Trinniberg into submission through blazing fractions of :22.32, :45.39, and 1:09.80 — all ranking in the 10 fastest pace splits in Derby history.

Amazingly, Bodemeister opened up a clear lead in the homestretch and passed the eighth pole three lengths in front. But his early exertions took a toll in the final furlong, and Bodemeister weakened late to finish second by 1 1/2 lengths against I’ll Have Another. It was the definition of a gallant performance, but it wasn’t quite enough to land Bodemeister in the winner’s circle.

J. Keeler Johnson is a writer, videographer, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite. You can follow him on Twitter at @J_Keelerman.