Posted on 06/09/2021 6:49:31 PM PDT by ameribbean expat
Flag in the breeze, Secretariat pulls away, then he blasts off into history.
https://youtu.be/V18ui3Rtjz4
Turf always yields faster times than dirt.
Two other amazing still unbroken dirt track records are Dr. Fager’s mile in 132 1/5 in 1968 at Washington Park and Spectacular Bid’s 157.9 for the 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita in 1980, both as 4 year olds. Najran tied Dr. Fager’s mile record in 2003, but Fager was carrying a whole lot more weight (21 lbs). Fager was a beast.
Secretariat’s and Bid’s long-standing records at the dirt track distances in question will likely never be broken.
same with hockey...that was a great upset, but it wasn’t even the gold medal game...to be comparable, if they had beat the Soviets 15-0 in the gold medal game....
Spectacular Bid...grrr..easily should have been Triple Crown winner...why they kept that kid as his jockey, i’ll never know...just dumb...
Yeah, Shoemaker rode Bid to that 1 1/4 record in ‘80. The Shoe should’ve been on him for the TC races the previous year. The ‘70s were gold for racing fans — Secretariat, Ruffian, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Alydar, Spectacular Bid...
And Sham, who almost assuredly would’ve won the TC in ‘73 had Secretariat not been around.
Second greatest quote in the history of racing, “The Lord whispered in Secretariat’s ear and said, Go.”
I heard that the “Big Red” sire ancestry goes back to 18/20 horses in the Derby this year.
Dirt over turf is the perspective that matters.....
Turf allows for higher speed finishes unattainable on dirt
And significantly faster track times....
Btw....Turcotte said Sec was better in turf actually..
While we’re having a perspective party
Secretariat .....Perspective looming large and all
Set record for....still unbroken
Preakness
Belmont
Kentucky Derby
That my friends is PERSPECTIVE
Freepers God love em....just can’t help themselves....like Agnew said....
I do find horse lore to be interesting.
In my conversations with people who have more intimate horse experience, they emphatically state that horses have a very competitive spirit when it comes to other horses, and I buy into that.
Granted, one has to be careful not to anthropomorphize, but it is clear there is a spark.
As for Seabiscuit losing races, many champions at the top of their game certainly got inside the heads of their opponents, only to have their own skills diminish and have their own heads gotten into.
The cycle of competitive life, I guess!
What a life, eh?
Live life at the top of the physical competitive sphere, and your reward forever after is to live a life of leisure in green grass while your job is primarily getting it on with the best mares around!
That is, assuming of course, that is green meadows and lots of mares, and not strapped to a table like Don Johnson’s character in “A Boy and His Dog”!
Go Big Red!!!
Somewhere I still have a $2.00 “WIN” ticket from this race
NYRA made a bundle from people like me who only wanted a souvenir.
I was on vacation driving to the Gulf while listening to race on the car radio.
It was hard to fathom the announcer’s words - the HUGE lead secretariat had...and getting bigger.
Truly unbelievable...and a moment I’ll never forget.
Both - 80 Team USA and Secretariat - made the covers of Look, Life, Time and Sports Illustrated.
The U.S. clinched the gold medal by beating Finland in their final game, but if Finland had won the game then the Soviets would have won the gold medal despite losing to the U.S:
Bids was on a CA track (always faster), AND it was a walk-over.
I’m a racing fan. This is a hobby of mine, going over ancient horse racing published material. I read early 1900s DRFs. I’ve studied Man O’War and Secretariat. I have publications from the 1830s and the 1870s, etc.
Secretariat spat out the bit 3x as a 3yo. He didn’t carry as much weight as Man O’War.
Secretariat set (6...since Pimlico reset it) records that year. Out of 12 starts. That’s 50% record rate.
MOW set 8 records out of 11 starts and never lost. That is almost 3x out of every 4 starts he stet a record. Unmatched in history. 3 were track (1 equal), 2 American, and 3 world records.
BTW MOW possibly should be credited with matching another American record (if set by Sir Barton) instead of just Saratoga track...the Whisk Broom II nonsense record screwed a lot of horses out of records they deserve.
Secretariat raced 6 more times after that Belmont, winning 4 of them (and two 2nd-place finishes.)
Just realized I misunderstood your comment
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