Dr. Fager
On raceday, the turf was firm but somewhat slippery and Dr. Fager had trouble maintaining his stride. He went to the early lead and was challenged closely by longshot Advocator, who poked a nose in front down the backstretch. Dr. Fager moved back to the lead, only to be passed again by Advocator. At the top of the stretch, Fort Marcy made a move, only to run into traffic problems. In deep stretch, Advocator looked the likely winner but Dr. Fager fought back and prevailed by a neck in the final stride. "My horse is not a grass horse," said Nerud. "He won on class and heart alone."