At age two Golden Act's most important stakes results were a win in the El Camino Stakes and a second to
Flying Paster in the
Norfolk Stakes. At age three, he was a standout in American racing but was overshadowed by
Spectacular Bid, a future
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee and a horse ranked No.10 in the
Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. In the leadup to the 1979
U.S. Triple Crown series, Golden Act finished second in the
California Derby at
Golden Gate Fields in the
San Francisco Bay Area. He then won the
Louisiana Derby at the
Fair Grounds Race Course in
New Orleans and in April was sent to
Oaklawn Park in
Hot Springs, Arkansas where he won the
Arkansas Derby. Golden Act was ridden by future U.S. and Canadian Hall of Fame
jockey Sandy Hawley. In the
Kentucky Derby, they were up against a strong field that was led by the overwhelming favorite, Spectacular Bid, and included the second betting choice,
Flying Paster, and the well-regarded
General Assembly. Sent off at 19:1 odds, Golden Act finished third behind General Assembly and winner Spectacular Bid. At
Pimlico Race Course in
Baltimore, Maryland for the second leg of the Triple Crown, Hawley brought Golden Act from the back of the field to finish second to Spectacular Bid in the
Preakness Stakes. In
New York's Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, Golden Act used another strong stretch drive to overtake Spectacular Bid and finish second to upset winner
Coastal. Golden Act went on to win 1979's
Secretariat Stakes and
Lawrence Realization Stakes. In November's prestigious
Canadian International Stakes on
turf at
Woodbine Racetrack in
Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, he defeated an international field that included
Trillion, a multiple stakes winner from
France. At age four, Golden Act returned to racing, with his best results coming in two Grade I races, the 1980
Turf Classic Invitational Stakes, where he finished second, and the
Man o' War Stakes, where he ran third. ==Stud record==