Forego2

straight year).

      It was after the Widener handicap that Forego would experience unsoundness in his legs, cause by a enlarged sesamoid bone on the outside of his left foreleg. This would cause an unsoundness in most of his legs through out his career. Forego was layed up until May.

      Proving he was an iron horse, Forego came back after his injury to win the Carter Handicap(G1) again, carrying 134lbs. He was then dsaddled with 136lbs. in the Metropolitan(G1). He was beat that day by Gold and Myrrh, a horse he beat in the Widener.

      Forego would then win both the Brooklyn(G1) (132 lbs., setting a new track record for ten furlongs) and then the Suburban Handicap(G1) (134lbs.)

      In his next race, Forego would meet up with some tough horses. In the Govenor Handicap(G1), Forego's com-peition would be soon to be champion 3-year-old Wajima, Kentucky Derby winner Follsih Pleasure, (who had just come back from the fatal Match Race with Ruffian) and top handicap gelding, Ancient Title. Forego was carrying 134 lbs., while Ancient Title had 130, Foolish Pleasure 125 and Wajima 115lbs. Forego was carried wide in the stretch mildly gained, while the light weight Wajima would give a huge stretch drive to win over Foolish Pleasure by a head; Ancient Title came third, and Forego close for fourth, perhaps his worst and best race of the year.

      Two weeks later in the Marlboro, Forego would meet up again with Wajima and Ancient Title. This time, Forego would only be given

     His lay off had lasted until the spring of 1976, and the crowd was awaiting the return of their champion. Perhaps just a small test to see how Foregp's injury had cleared up, Whiteley entered him in a seven furlong allow-ance race at Belmont Park. Forego won easily and then went on to win the Metro-politan(G1), a race that had escaped him in years before, and then the Nassau(G3).

      Forego would meet up with the now four-year-old Foolish Pleasure again in the Suburban Handicap(G1). Carrying nine more pounds than the Derby winner, Forego went off as the favorite, (a feat he had pulled off since mid-1974 until his last career race). Foolish Pleaure would however hold off the great gelding by a nose to win the Suburban. But Forego would beat the colt in their next meeting, the Brooklyn(G1).

      Carrying 136lbs., Forego would come third in the Haskell handicap(G1), which was run for three-year olds and upwards at the time. And then would win the Woodward(G1) and then the Marlboro Cup(G1), beating champion Honest Pleasure in both races. This capped off another championship year. Forego also was crowned Horse of the Year for the third year in a row, a feat only upheld by the great Kelso, with five Horse of the Year titles.

      This however would be the last Horse of the Year award Forego would recieve. Plagued by unsoundness again, Forego was forced to miss most of the beginning of 1977. He won only four races of seven starts; the Metro-politan(G1), Woodward (G1) for the fourth time, the Nassau(G3), and an allowance race. Although he recieved Handicap honours, his Horse of the Year crown was given to Triple CRown winner Seattle Slew, a great horse in his own right.

      It was the reoccurring leg injury that drove Forego to hiw retirement, not his ripe old age of eight. He would win an allowance race and come fifth in the Suburban(G1) in his final year. But was soon retired from racing, and sent to the Kentucky Horse Park where he lived out the rest of his days. Forego just recently passed in 1997.

couldn't hold off the lucky Wajima. Forego lost to the colt by a head.

      However, Forego would not let this young horse get the most of him. In his last start of the year, Forego would hold off the late closing Wajima by almost two lengthsm while giving the colt seven pounds. Both horses would win champion titles that year. Forego would grab the Handicap and Horse of the Year divions again, but would not defend his Sprinter title, who was won by another lengthly campaigner, Gallant Bob, (Forego's only sprint was the Carter).

      After some rest, because of the enflared sesamoid bone, Forego would come back to race his six-year-old season. But things would be a bit different for the gelding.

      His regular trainer Sherrill Ward, would retire from training because of health problems, and Forego was switched to Frank Whiteley. And although Forego had been highly successful with Ward, Whiteley would be able to get just as much from the gelding. And why wouldn't he, he had trained the great filly Regret and champion Damascus.