THE SHOE: REFLECTIONS ON A LEGEND : From Olden Times to Present, Some Shoemaker Specials : Great rides: Different people have different favorites, but here’s a look at 10 memorable and victorious Shoemaker rides.

Picking Bill Shoemaker’s 10 most memorable rides is kind of like listing the 10 best touchdown drives engineered by Joe Montana. They are all variations on the same successful theme.

Ask a fan in the stands and the answer might be, “Shoe won me a $500 exacta at Del Mar in ’78.” Crusty race track veterans recall the way Shoemaker patiently handled Rex Ellsworth’s roguish maidens in the 1950s.

When Hall of Fame trainer Lazaro Barrera was asked about his favorite Shoemaker performance, the answer came without a moment’s hesitation:

“Shoemaker rode the first winner I ever had in this country in 1960,” Barrera said. “A horse named Destructor, and it was the only one I had at the time. I don’t see how any race could have meant more to me.”

No one can argue with the quality and importance of the rides that follow, but every Shoemaker fan no doubt will embellish the list with personal memories. These 10, at least, deserve to be remembered:

MARCH 10, 1962

San Juan Capistrano Handicap at Santa Anita

Shoemaker impressed even himself with this ride, a mile and three-quarter mind-blower that ranks with the best front-running performances of all time.

Shoemaker rode Rex Ellsworth’s Olden Times, a 4-year-old son of Relic whose best races were usually at one mile. In his previous start, Olden Times had led the 1 1/4-mile Santa Anita Handicap to the eighth pole before giving up the lead to Physician.

In front from the start of the longer San Juan, Olden Times and Shoemaker repelled wave after wave of challenges. The Axe II, ridden by Milo Valenzuela, clung to Shoe like glue. Fighting Felix with Ray York, Micarlo with Jack Leonard and Vinci with Henry Moreno all fired and fell back.

Finally, Rudy Campas came flying with Juanro, but it was too late. Shoemaker had snookered them all, winning by a neck.

“He did everything himself,” Shoemaker said of Olden Times. “I just sat there.”

Then what was so good about the ride?

“When those other horses took shots at him, he would let them get within about a neck and then move away,” Shoemaker recalled. “He’d get a length in front, then relax again.

“The thing that made it a good ride on my part was that I didn’t hinder the horse. Another jock might have been tempted to go to riding him when another horse came alongside. I could see he had everything under control.”

FEBRUARY 20, 1964

Santa Susana Stakes at Santa Anita

Shoemaker’s finesse with fillies is legendary, but never was it more in evidence than on this day with W.R. Hawn’s pride and joy, Blue Norther. The graceful daughter of Windy City II came into the 1 1/16-mile Santa Susana off an eventful 2-year-old campaign and a victory in her first start at 3. She was challenging William Haggin Perry’s Face the Facts, the reigning queen of the local division.

Shoemaker knew Face the Facts had the advantage of early speed. He had chased her in vain aboard Leisurely Kin in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez Stakes one month earlier, when Face the Facts won by 10 1/2 lengths.

As anticipated, Face the Facts went right to the lead again in the Santa Susana. Shoemaker let Blue Norther establish her rhythm, then went after the leader down the backstretch. They raced as a team through the last three-eighths mile, with the unruffled Shoemaker on the outside and Manuel Ycaza flailing away at Face the Facts on the inside.

The two chestnut fillies reached the wire together, but Blue Norther’s nose was there first, and Shoemaker was the difference.

JANUARY 29, 1966

Charles H. Strub Stakes at Santa Anita

This reporter’s choice.

Watching Shoemaker in big-race competition for the first time, an impressionable teen-age racing fan was left with an impression of infallibility.

Shoemaker appeared to tease his opposition in the bulky field of 14, allowing his mount, Bold Bidder, to dally near the pace for the longest time. Then, with barely a flex of his forearms, Shoemaker released his colt into racing history.

Bold Bidder spurted clear of the pack around the final turn and did not stop until he had won by six lengths and set a track record of 1:59 3/5 for the 1 1/4 miles. The record for the Strub stood 14 years before Bold Bidder’s son, Spectacular Bid, shattered it--with Shoemaker aboard.

Much later, when a token amount of racing knowledge filtered out youthful innocence, that same impressionable teen-ager realized Bold Bidder did most of the work in winning the Strub. But he could never be convinced that the horse would have done it for anyone but Shoemaker.

MARCH 3, 1966

The Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah

The race lives in infamy as “the Chicken Flamingo,” a celebrated Triple Crown prep turned into a non-betting exhibition because track President Eugene Mori feared a catastrophic minus pool when Buckpasser won. And there was no way he could lose.

“The hardest race to win is the race you’re supposed to win,” Shoemaker always has said.

“Buckpasser had a lot of ability, but he didn’t want to give it to you all the time,” the rider noted in describing the 1966 horse of the year. “He’d win, but not by much.”

Despite Buckpasser’s presence, eight other 3-year-olds showed up for the Flamingo that year. Betless or not, there was still a purse of $136,400 on the line.

Shoemaker and his colt were put in a tight squeeze around the first turn of the 1 1/8-mile race. By the time they reached the backstretch, however, Shoemaker had Buckpasser in the clear, not far off the pace.

Riding conservatively, Shoemaker eased his way to the leaders around the final turn and was poised to overtake them in the stretch. Suddenly, Earlie Fires sent Abe’s Hope wheeling to the lead on the far outside.

The crowd gasped as Abe’s Hope began to draw away from Buckpasser. Mori felt sick to his stomach. Shoemaker went to work.

“You always know Shoe is deadly serious when he goes to the left-handed stick,” said publicist and longtime Shoe-watcher Bob Benoit.

Like a child being scolded for the first time by a sweet grandmother, Buckpasser snapped to attention. As Shoemaker flailed and pushed, keeping perfect balance, Buckpasser gradually reeled in Abe’s Hope. The final margin was a nose. The Chicken Flamingo was saved.

JUNE 24, 1973

Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park

After finishing third on heavily favored Cougar II in the Hollywood Invitational Turf Handicap on May 27, Shoemaker was unceremoniously bounced by owner Mary Bradley. Since Shoemaker had ridden the popular “Big Cat” to 11 victories in many of California’s top races, public outcry was considerable.

Shoemaker was unfazed. In fact, he looked forward to a good night’s sleep, for a change, before Cougar’s next start in the Gold Cup. As he told biographer Dan Smith, the jockey always was fretful leading up to any ride on the headstrong, unpredictable stretch-runner.

For the Gold Cup, Shoemaker picked up a ride on Canadian-bred Kennedy Road, a capable speed horse who was considered third best behind Cougar and Quack, all three trained by Charlie Whittingham. Bettors made Cougar their 13-10 favorite. Kennedy Road was 4-1.

Doing what he does best, Shoemaker applied his feathery touch and allowed Kennedy Road to sail along freely in second place behind another Canadian horse, Briartic. At the head of the stretch, Don Pierce brought the massive Quack alongside and then past Kennedy Road.

What happened next was vintage Shoemaker, which was described on one occasion by Eddie Arcaro.

“You would make a run at Shoemaker, and he’d let you go by, maybe about a neck,” Arcaro said. “You’d look at him, and he didn’t seem to have any horse left at all.

“Then he’d pick that horse up at about the eighth-pole, switch over and hit him left-handed, and he’d put him in another gear. Make you look like an ass, absolutely silly.

“He did that to a lot of guys,” Arcaro added. “Only did it to me once, though. When I went by him, I made sure I got by in a hurry. He wasn’t going to pull that one on me.”

Pierce could not get by fast enough that day in the Gold Cup. Kennedy Road clung to Quack on the inside as Shoemaker applied his left-handed reminder. At the end, it was another nose for Shoemaker. Cougar finished a distant third, much to the delight of many in the crowd.

OCTOBER 2, 1976

Marlboro Cup at Belmont Park

The sight of Shoemaker on the towering Forego was enough to cause nervous laughter. How in the world will Shoemaker control that huge animal? Where is his whip, his chair? Shouldn’t there be a net?

The answer, of course, was in the hands. Forego, efficient as a Swiss timepiece, turned into four-legged putty at Shoemaker’s subtle touch. Forego loved to run, and Shoemaker loved to ride him.

But Forego’s Achilles’ heel--sesamoid, to be more precise--was any sort of muddy or sloppy racetrack. The big gelding needed a dry track without slippage to accommodate a floating bone chip in his ankle. Trainer Frank Whiteley always dreaded the days when it rained on a major race.

Because he had been horse of the year twice had just won the Woodward Handicap under 135 pounds, Forego had to carry 137 in the 1 1/4-mile Marlboro Cup. The closest one to him was Honest Pleasure, winner of the Travers Stakes, who got in with 119.

And, of course, it rained. Honest Pleasure, who loved a sloppy track, went right to the lead and appeared to be enjoying himself. Forego, on the other hand, floundered, trying to get his footing. Shoemaker fished for the best part of the racetrack and finally settled on the center of the course. He was giving away precious ground to the leader, but at least his horse was finally on the move.

Shoemaker continued to steer wide around the turn while Honest Pleasure hit the stretch more than two lengths in front of the field. His jockey, Craig Perret, tried to make a sprint for the finish. But Shoemaker had rattled Forego’s cage. Far out from the rail, covered in Belmont mud, they were flying.

As it turned out, Shoemaker mistimed his move. He had more than enough to spare at the end--the margin was a head--and Forego was comfortably horse of the year for the third straight time.

JULY 3, 1977

Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park

When Seattle Slew met J.O. Tobin for the first time in the 1977 Preakness, it was no contest. Seattle Slew won easily, on his way to the Triple Crown, while J.O. Tobin finished fifth without threatening.

Shoemaker, however, went home to California and issued a warning.

“My colt lost enough ground that day to be right there at the finish, with any luck at all,” he said. “It would be a mistake to think Seattle Slew is that much better than J.O. Tobin.”

Shoemaker proved his point in the 1 1/4-mile Swaps, a consolation prize for late-blooming 3-year-olds or Triple Crown survivors. To lure the Seattle Slew crew, Hollywood Park management doubled the pot to $300,000-added and sweetened it with a cut of the souvenir concession. Seattle Slew showed up bearing his unbeaten record and the unseen scars of a tough Triple Crown campaign. But how could he lose?

Shoemaker found a way, by lighting the fuse on the fiery J.O. Tobin and then letting it burn, slowly at first, and then faster as the race unfolded. Seattle Slew was fast, but he had never seen speed like this. By the time they reached the far turn, it was apparent that Seattle Slew was in trouble and Shoemaker had done it again.

Much to the delight of the partisan local crowd, Shoemaker merely hand-rode J.O. Tobin through the stretch and still won by eight lengths. Seattle Slew plodded home a weary fourth, 16 lengths behind the winner.

OCTOBER 6, 1979

Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park

It was a dramatic contrast in styles played out on a stage of high drama: the brilliantly fast Seattle Slew and his rider, the energetic Angel Cordero, up against the quietly efficient Exceller and his rider, Shoemaker.

There was also a horse named Affirmed in the 1 1/2-mile race on that cold, rainy day. But the Triple Crown hero became more of a monkey wrench than a contender when his saddle slipped entering the first turn. Affirmed’s rider, Steve Cauthen, could not control the eager colt. Unexpectedly, there was a three-way battle for the lead, with Seattle Slew hounded by both Affirmed and his stablemate, Life’s Hope.

After a half-mile, Shoemaker was in another zip code with Exceller. The official Daily Racing Form chart has them 30 lengths off Seattle Slew’s pace. That is when Exceller’s real race began, perhaps the most remarkable mile Shoemaker has ever ridden.

Seattle Slew shed Affirmed and Life’s Hope on the backstretch and had his breather entering the vast Belmont turn. At the same time, Exceller and Shoemaker were chugging through the mud in a relentless drive. Finally, Shoemaker found himself within hailing distance of Cordero with a half-mile to run. “I knew Cordero would be looking for me,” Shoemaker recalled. “He’d try to shut me off or carry me wide like he always does. So I put my horse right behind him, in his blind spot. Then I waited for him to look around.

“When he looked for me over his right shoulder, I took my horse to the inside and went to the lead. Still, Seattle Slew came back on to make it close.”

Shoemaker’s zig when Cordero was looking for a zag gave Exceller all the edge he needed to win--by a nose.

AUGUST 30, 1981

Arlington Million at Arlington Park

Shoemaker had just turned 50, and thoroughbred racing was offering its first million-dollar purse.

“I had to stay around this long to get a shot at the big money,” Shoemaker quipped at the time.

Still, he had to earn it. The turf at Arlington Park was a deep and sticky bog after a summer of warm rain. John Henry was just recovering from treatments for a calcium deposit on an ankle, and Shoemaker had ridden the 6-year-old gelding only once before. Twelve horses lined up for that first Million, including such international standouts as Mrs. Penny, Madam Gay, Argument and Kilijaro. And, yes, John Henry was expected to win.

But at no time during the race did John Henry look like a winner--until the last stride, when his head dropped to the line just in front of The Bart’s. Shoemaker recalls the race as a tough piece of work.

“I had no idea how John Henry would handle the soft turf,” Shoemaker said. “It turned out he didn’t handle it well at all, at least not during the first part of the race.

“But he was a smart old horse, so I just let him feel his way around, trying to get comfortable. Another jock might have gone to slapping him with the whip, trying to pick his head up and get him moving that way. But I think that would have been a mistake.

“Anyway, he finally got into his stride,” Shoemaker said. “But I still knew we were in trouble. When I got to Eddie Delahoussaye on The Bart, he was just breezing. Again, I tried to let the horse do the work and just tried to stay with him. The finish was so close, I tried to catch up to Eddie to ask if he wanted to save (split first and second money). But old John was so tired, I couldn’t catch him.”

MAY 3, 1986

Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs

At 5:38 p.m. on a sunny Kentucky day, Shoemaker and his handsome red colt, Ferdinand, were led into starting stall No. 1 to begin a two-minute wait for the start of the 112th Kentucky Derby while 15 others horses were loaded. Shoemaker had ridden in 23 Derbies, but nothing--not even his greatest moments--had prepared his public for what happened next.

Riding with the tactical reflexes of an air traffic controller, Shoemaker threaded Ferdinand between and around the opposition as he advanced steadily on the leaders from the back of the pack. Each time Shoemaker needed a burst of speed from Ferdinand he got it, until, with a quarter-mile to run, they were in fifth place.

To that point, Shoemaker had managed the small miracle of never being more than three horses wide. But now he was confronted by a solid wall of four horses, with no way inside and a long way around. For a moment, Shoemaker’s exercise in frugality appeared to have been in vain.

Then two things happened, and Shoemaker acted before anyone knew it. To his left, Wheatly Hall began to fade. Directly in front, Broad Brush angled slightly to his right. The combination left enough of a hole for Shoemaker to fill with a diagonal thrust. Ferdinand responded like a cat, and suddenly, Shoemaker was in the clear, in the lead and drawing away to win by 2 1/4 lengths.

While the sports world exulted over the gray-haired Shoemaker’s victory, racing purists dissected his ride with a relish saved for only the rarest of discoveries.

“I asked Shoe if he thought about Ferdinand’s tendency to pull himself up on the lead when he went inside instead of outside in the stretch,” said biographer Dan Smith. “He said, ‘You bet I did. The inside is the best place for a horse like that.’ Imagine processing all that information and more in the split second it took him to make that move.”

NOVEMBER 21, 1987

Breeders’ Cup Classic at Hollywood Park

Some horses can be ridden by rote. Push a button and they go. Say whoa and they stop, usually a winner. But these are the exceptions.

Ferdinand was a difficult ride. Handsome and talented, he needed a certain amount of coaxing to act on cue. Shoemaker had his number, most of the time. At the Breeders’ Cup, more than 18 months after their exciting collaboration in the Derby, Shoemaker and Ferdinand put on one final display of their symbiotic relationship--in a race by which Shoemaker would love to be remembered.

Ferdinand was at the top of his game, not necessarily good enough to handle his young rival, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Alysheba. The horse-of-the-year title was at stake in the Classic if either won.

Shoemaker got the jump on Alysheba and Chris McCarron at the start and kept them at arm’s length to the head of the stretch, where Judge Angelucci was still going strong on the lead. There, Shoemaker began plotting his final course of action.

“I could have gone to the lead at any time,” he said later. “But I knew Ferdinand liked to pull himself up when he was in front. I knew Alysheba would be coming, but I had to wait as long as I could. At the same time, I couldn’t wait too long, because Judge Angelucci has plenty of run left in him, too.”

Timing, touch and a sense of the dramatic. Each of Shoemaker’s lasting hallmarks came into play during those final yards of the Classic. With a flurry of his hands, he sent Ferdinand the message to accelerate. On the outside, Alysheba was closing like a 10-day escrow. At the end, it was Ferdinand by a nose.

And Shoemaker, as always.