The Nationals racing presidents entered the penultimate regular season race of 2014 on Saturday with four-time champion Abraham Lincoln on a tear.
Lincoln, the all-time winningest racing president, had been dominated most of the season by Teddy Roosevelt, the perennial loser who came into the season with an all-time regular season record of 12-595 (yes, that’s twelve wins against nearly 600 losses).
But after clawing and cheating his way to victory in eight of eleven races in September, the Great Emancipator entered Saturday having tied the Rough Rider atop the presidents race standings.
So it was a surprise to most in the stands when “Honest” Abe failed to show up for Saturday’s race.
When the tightly-fought contest ended in a photo finish between Teddy Roosevelt and George Washington, race judge Screech the Eagle called for a replay review.
That’s when Lincoln appeared from the sidelines wearing a headset, having been appointed replay official by Screech.
After a delay in which the replay was shown on the Nationals Park scoreboard, Lincoln called the race for Washington, setting up a final showdown with Teddy in Sunday’s season finale.
Here’s the race as called in the stadium by PA Announcer Jerome Hruska, followed by our finish line video:
Videos: Washington Nationals and YouTube member lfahome
LET TEDDY WIN 