In the fall, he and Turkoman were the heavy favorites for the Breeders' Cup Classic but ran third and second respectively to upset winner Skywalker.
In 1988, overcoming a 20-month layoff and a fracture to his left foreleg that was repaired with a pin, Precisionist set the current one-mile track record at Del Mar Racetrack in 1:33 1/5.
William Donovan handled training duties for Precisionist's final start when he finished twelfth in the 1988 Sunny Isle Handicap at Calder Race Course.
[1] As a result of his inability to reliably produce foals, his owners returned him to racing under trainer John Russell.
He was sent to live at a farm in Ocala, Florida where he remained until June 2006 when he was sent to the Old Friends, Inc. equine retirement center near Georgetown, Kentucky.