MARCH 11, 1980

Spectacular Bid, in addition to being a spectacular winner, became a spectacular money machine 19 years ago today.

The 1979 Kentucky Derby winner was syndicated for $22 million, on 40 shares at $550,000 each. At the time, the horse was racing’s No. 2 money winner, at $2,089,417. Affirmed, the 1978 Triple Crown winner, had won $2,393,818.

In 1979, Affirmed set a syndication record at

$14.4 million. Later, Troy, a European horse, raised the bar to $16.5 million.

On the day Spectacular Bid’s syndication announcement was made, at Hawksworth Farm in Baltimore, it was also announced he would be put out to stud at Kentucky’s Claiborne Farm.

In 1980, the horse had won the Santa Anita Handicap easily in rain and mud while carrying 130 pounds. He had also won the Strub Stakes in record time.

Said Spectacular Bid’s rider, Bill Shoemaker, after the Santa Anita Handicap: “He’s about as good as any horse you’ll ever see.”

Syndication prices spiraled, of course.

In 1982, Conquistador Cielo was syndicated for $36.4 million, or 40 shares at $910,000 each. The deal was assembled by Seth Hancock of Claiborne Farm, who had done a $6.08-million syndication of Secretariat in 1972. In 1983, Shareef Dancer was packaged for $40 million.

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Also on this date: In 1950, Alan Sawyer’s 18 points led UCLA to its first Pacific Coast Conference basketball championship with a 52-49 win over Washington State before 2,500 at UCLA’s Men’s Gym. . . . On the same day, jockey Laffit Pincay rode five consecutive winners at Santa Anita, and Bill Shoemaker won three, including the feature, the Santa Susana Stakes, aboard Turkish Trousers